so much better

[Stanza]

Thanks, I'm going to give it a go.

[Randal]

Hi Stanza,

I have the most relief by using a little olive oil on my upper cheeks after getting up for the day as it provides protection while my eyes are being exposed the most. I can skip the night-time application most of the time now.

Hope it helps.

Bev:

When you say "upper cheeks," about how far away from the lower part of the eyes is this?

Thanks.

Randal

[Stanza]

Hi, they put it about a quarter inch from the eye line or even further a way, I think!

I don't think I'm having any luck with this, or vaseline, both eyes are burning rather than just 'gritty want to pull my eyes out of my head' sort of feeling I normally have. So not sure if it's changed my symptoms or just given me one on the top to worry about!!! going to break from it and try again another time...

[Bev]

olive oil caveats

Hi,

Just wanted to be sure that anyone who is trying olive oil:

1) use a very, scant, thin layer about a quarter inch or so below the lower lids. Less is more. With trial and error I found that a little too much caused some haziness and some grit feeling but was still better than pain I'd had before. Now with restrained application it is perfect after many years of nothing helping.

2) absolutely do not have any other lotions, creams, make-up etc. on the face throughout the day or night when giving this a try as the oil will just hasten the migration of all of those things into your eye also!

3) be sure it is fresh extra virgin olive oil

So glad it is helping some. Noticed some people had found that facial lotions etc. they were using were the whole problem and didn't need anything at all once they stopped the offending topical.

[Mika]

oh hello again everyone... well by reading ur comments i feel that some people got some (sooo precious) relief by using Olive oil?...
woow dats great it is working for some of us...

well for me, I am not soo ready to "dive" in unknown water... so i'll see wat the results u'll be reporting..... but hey, i wanted to drops some notes about mine using ointment.

well , as maybe many of u know, i use ointment regularly BUT at a veryyyy smalllllll drops near my eyes --near the eyeslid...... and they realllyy help me....(help from mucus and dryness)

well.... now u are saying applying olive oil nxt to the eyelid, this is not so new for me, 'cause I'm doing da same thing but by using ointment... Mmm.... .... well i kno ointment is not safe... (and i really wanna find an alternative to it!!) but hey..... personally, compared to using olive oil...... i'll take the ointment which is sterile and (maybe)... more safe to put near (or on) the eyes

[Mika]

OHHH btw....... DON"T forget to do eyes compress (heat- rice baggies) if u are using anything oilly like olive oil, ointment for the sake of healthy eyes and glands........ else u'll get a lootttttt of styes and have a big eyelid.....

[smb43432]

I don't have any extra virgin olive oil so I can't try it right now but next time I go to the store I'm getting some.

[Rory]

Does anyone know why olive oil applied no matter how sparsely...extra virgin or not would help dry eyes?

[Rory]

Anymore developments on the olive oil mystery?

Any other happy customers?

I was looking at my vast collection of extra virgin olive oils the other day and they certainly are more and more advertising their Omega 3 content.

I wonder has anyone tried this experiment with a dab of flaxseed oil or without wanting to sound ridiculous..fish oil in a similar manner to the original poster's olive oil application?

[Rebecca Petris]

I was looking at my vast collection of extra virgin olive oils the other day and they certainly are more and more advertising their Omega 3 content.

That's just marketing. You would have to consume 10 oz per day to meet the NIH standard for daily Omega 3 intake (on a 2,000 calorie diet), or so I read. I use olive oil constantly because I love it and it's so much better than most oils, but I never think about it particularly as an Omega 3 source. If you really want to increase omega 3s go for the flaxseeds and walnuts - far higher concentration.

[Stanza]

both olive oil and vaseline didn't work for me, both gave me really bad burning rather than any relief.

[Bev]

Does anyone know why olive oil applied no matter how sparsely...extra virgin or not would help dry eyes?

The assumed reason would be the supplementation of additional lipids and so delaying the break-up of the tear film after blinking. A couple articles that dance around this are:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...indexed=google

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...indexed=google T

The best place I can find articles on this sort of thing is www.scholar.google.com

This is still working better than anything ever in years for me but if I get careless and put on too much it is blurry. Able to wear contact lens every day all day now.

Also beware if anyone is using "pure" olive oil as it is generally chemically extracted or comes from the second cold pressing and it is more acidic. (Doesn't taste as good either.)

[stella]

Can anyone tell me if white soft paraffin and petroleum jelly are the same thing ?
I am looking for something to use on my lids at night
I am at present using chloramphenicol eye ointment(one of the only things i can tolerate)but feel i cant go on using it indefinately 'cos of the antibiotic Anyway different makes of this ointment have different bases
My present one is made up of Liquid paraffin and white soft paraffin so if i could only try those ingredients on their own - but that does,nt exist
I had tried vasaline in the past but cant tolerate that - so am interested to read that vasaline is not neccesarily pure petroleum jelly
Where can i get pure petroleum jelly to try??

[eva b]

Hi Stella

have you tried Simple Eye ointment? I can't remember exactly the composition, but I do know it contains the carrier substance and no medication at all. It was recommended to me by an eye doc, but I couldn't use it...because as you know I can't tolerate anything at all. (in fact chloramphenicol gave me ghastly burning) Simple ointment might well suit you, though.

Eva

[stella]

Hi Eva - Thanks for the suggestion.Do hope your eyes are under control at the moment
No i have not tried Simple eye ointment - I know about it - I know about all the eye preparations available in UK 'cos i have in my posession the BNF which is the pharmaceutical "bible" for health carers in UK (It is 2004 version mind)
It mentions simple eye ointment and i note the ingredients are the same (in slightly different proportions) as lacrilube and i cant tolerate lacrilube
The culprit is probably "wool fat " or lanolin ,which is listed as a known allergen in some people
I am still on my quest and it may take time - meanwhile i will just remain using a "smidgen" of chlorampheniocol at night
I have hit a bad patch again with the eyes :--And thats after 10 weeks of being so good - Oh well it will pass, please God
It would be easier if i did'nt have constant pain from an arthritic back to contend with mind
At least i am retired and can pace myself which is more than a lot of people on this site
Woul'nt you just love to wave a majic wand and make us all better