feeling better

[Dr. W]

Hi,

I never posted my story, so I thought I would since it might encourage other people.

I've had dry eyes for 2 years (I'm 39 now) and I'm not sure what caused it. I had gone off the birth control pill, had an extremely bad virus and moved from a humid environment to a dry one (and started working in an extremely dry building) all within a two-month period.

Initially, my eyes started to get dry at work only: when I left the building they would be fine. However, they then started to hurt more often and burn as well. At times, it seemed as though the burning was related to my menstrual cycle, but sometimes it really just seemed random.

I did all the things everyone else here has done--I saw 5 or 6 doctors (all with the same diagnosis--dry eyes--use drops) and then finally went to see Dr. L the summer of 2007 when the pain was unbearable. He had prescribed plugs (which I didn't use) and an off label anti-inflamatory drop (which I took very briefly--one week). He said my eyes were large and didn't close properly and that I didn't blink enough. At any rate, the pain went away for four months and then started again in January 2008. This past summer, I did a lot of acupuncture, started Omega 3 (Coromega), and started using one drop of Dwelle every morning.

Things got better this past fall. Now my eyes hurt periodically, but not enough to have any impact on my life whatsoever. I think the Omega 3 and Dwelle have helped me the most. I am back working in the dry building, but I don't find it's affecting me as much.

I have self-diagnosed now, but I'm pretty sure I have rosacea as I started having serious redness on my face in the fall. I'm waiting to see a dermatologist in the spring.

So as I said, my eyes are much better--I rarely think about them. So I thought I would post a positive story as I know most people get better and simply disappear.

Also, with respect to the research I was doing, I'm no longer a post-doc, but I do have an assistant working on the data right now. If anything interesting emerges, you'll be the first to know! Thanks again to everyone who participated!

Dr. W...

[brd888]

Good

Hi.
Good to hear you have made some progress. I think like many sufferers your "dry eye" is a result of several minor problems which have aligned themselves to affect the tear film (not counting post-lasek patients).

My eye problem has really changed my view of the medical profession. I am now surprised how what seems to be a common and simple problem has such little effective treatments. I remember being naive enough to think if I presented a problem my GP couldn't solve all it took was a referral and at worst an operation to fix.

Regards.

[curlygrl31]

Dr. W,

What birth control pill were you on? Did you do acupuncture specifically to treat dry eye?

Any other measures like compresses, dropping eye makeup, etc.?

I too have very mild rosacea and am young (32), no history of contacts, lasik, no autoimmune.

Thanks for posting something positive -- I always gravitate to this section for potential answers! Glad you are better!!!

Curly

[Dr. W]

Hi Curly,

I used Alesse and then I had to stop because I had some other strange side effects from it (it's the pill with the lowest estrogen). I was on it for two years.

I went to a "real" chinese doctor--one that trained in China for 7 years and has been working in Canada for 5 years. Being a scientist I'm of course skeptical of alternative medicines in general, but there is some empirical support for the efficacy of acupuncture for dry eyes (google pubmed and then dry eyes and accupuncture and you'll find the studies), but the one study I did find was a very small sample size, but I decided to try to it anyway because I was in so much pain. The doctor had seen one case of a menopausal woman with dry eyes and said that it had helped. She put the needles in the corners of the eye (or tried to). I couldn't actually handle the pain (the needle doesn't hit the eyeball, but there are so many nerves around the eye)--she said she did this with the last woman and it helped. She said I was very sensitive, but it really did hurt. She also used other points directed at the "liver"--dry eyes is related to the liver in chinese medicine. Despite my own skepticism, I do have a lot of symptoms related to the liver.

At any rate, acupuncture is never bad and in fact, if there are some inbalances in your system it can never hurt. It is also extremely effective if you are an anxious person and you can afford it. There's all kinds of support for accupuncture and pain relief.

At any rate, after 8 sessions, she wanted to stop--she said I should have been responding by then, but I pushed her to do two more....still no improvement--then I was taking herbs as well.

At any rate, two or three weeks later I was feeling better for whatever reason. I find this whole dry eye problem to be so random. My feeling is that the virus I had started all this (I was very ill for two months)--Dr. L told me he had developed dry eye because of a virus too and viruses are often know to bring on inflammatory processes, so I really contribute the problems I have to that, but then again, who knows! I know hormones start to fluctuate when you hit your late thirties and maybe being on the pill and going off it made my hormones off balance? I don't really know and I don't think I'll ever know.

I recently saw a rheumatologist and I'm supposed to go for bloodwork to rule out Sjorgren's--based on past blood work, the doctor didn't think that that was the case, and said that I could do a lip biopsy, but given my main symptom is dry eyes (dry mouth occasionally), he probably wouldn't go that route. I should also mention that doctors are WAY more conservative in Canada than in the states, which I have come to appreciate, although it can be frustrating too.

Other than that, when it first started, I was using an entire box of celluvisc every week (preser-free) and also systane and some others. They didn't do much....sometimes I felt they made things worse, but I had to use to something because I was finding it very difficult to work.

Also saw one doc who diagnosed bleph/mgd last spring and prescribed cream, when I went back for the follow-up, he told me things looked great and I shouldn't be in pain. I said my eyes are constantly burning and I have red lines under my eye and he said, "I was spending too much time looking in the mirror." I was furious, of course, as no doctor would ever say that to a male patient, but I had to put my energies elsewhere at the time and let it go.

At any rate, it's still a mystery. I did try doxy as well, but that didn't do anything. But the facial redness is new, so maybe it started with ocular rosacea. Who knows.

I have to say that when I was really in agony, one of the best remedies was Dwelle--it isn't like other drops--it has helped me the most, I think, in combination with omega 3 (works much much better than flaxseed in my case).

Oh, and I stopped wearing eye makeup when this came on and stopped wearing contacts as well (which I was only wearing periodically as well).

Have you gone to see a dermatologist regarding the rosacea? It seems like doxy really helps some people?

Dr. W,

What birth control pill were you on? Did you do acupuncture specifically to treat dry eye?

Any other measures like compresses, dropping eye makeup, etc.?

I too have very mild rosacea and am young (32), no history of contacts, lasik, no autoimmune.

Thanks for posting something positive -- I always gravitate to this section for potential answers! Glad you are better!!!

Curly

[curlygrl31]

Dr. W,

Thanks for the long response. I tried 3 months of doxy and 3 months of minocycline with no relief. I also tried 2 months of restasis (allergic) and just finished 4 months of cyclosporine (compounded from Leiter's). I wasn't feeling any relief and Dr. L said in a response to me to give it 4 months. So, I can say I tried!

I know what you mean about the boxes of lubricants. I have the eye section of CVS in my cabinet. Anything - desperate for relief. I also did try Omega 3 and after 2 months have not noticed a difference.

I'm stopping eye makeup, cutting out caffeine and alcohol. My eyes are burning so badly, I am not sure what to do next. They get this really odd feeling periodically (always in grocery stores, malls, etc.) where they feel like every drop of moisture has been sucked from them. I can hardly keep my eyes open. It freaks me out and is very scary!! What I would do to not be thinking about my eyes all the time.

I hate not falling into a bucket and being an easy diagnosis. I don't respond to steroids either. I just want some relief!! I'd be content to just treat the symptoms for a while.

Thanks again for your note! Let's hope I can get back to baseline comfort like you!

[Dr. W]

Hi Curly, just a short note--I'll respond later this week when I have more time, but I'm wondering what kind of Omega you're using...I found it took at least three months before it started to work and I had used all kinds of Omega before, but when I started using one brand, it really started to help, but then again, maybe it was the dwelle, acupuncture, omega combo? The omega I'm using isn't in the pill form (I had tried all kinds of pills)--it's pudding like.

I do know what you mean about stores--I experienced the same dryness you describe in Ikea and Loblaws (a grocery store here).

There is someone else on here (Shahara?) from Germany who really benefited from acupuncture and herbs...maybe it's worth a try. It sounds like you've tried a lot--so I'm sure you've tried dwelle? I was skeptical there as well, but it really is the best drop I've tried, so I have a hot shower and do Dr. L's lazy person's scrub and apply one drop of dwelle and that seems to help during the day.

I feel for you with the burning--I know it's terrible, and I really hope you find something that will help!

Dr. W,

Thanks for the long response. I tried 3 months of doxy and 3 months of minocycline with no relief. I also tried 2 months of restasis (allergic) and just finished 4 months of cyclosporine (compounded from Leiter's). I wasn't feeling any relief and Dr. L said in a response to me to give it 4 months. So, I can say I tried!

I know what you mean about the boxes of lubricants. I have the eye section of CVS in my cabinet. Anything - desperate for relief. I also did try Omega 3 and after 2 months have not noticed a difference.

I'm stopping eye makeup, cutting out caffeine and alcohol. My eyes are burning so badly, I am not sure what to do next. They get this really odd feeling periodically (always in grocery stores, malls, etc.) where they feel like every drop of moisture has been sucked from them. I can hardly keep my eyes open. It freaks me out and is very scary!! What I would do to not be thinking about my eyes all the time.

I hate not falling into a bucket and being an easy diagnosis. I don't respond to steroids either. I just want some relief!! I'd be content to just treat the symptoms for a while.

Thanks again for your note! Let's hope I can get back to baseline comfort like you!