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Scot Sullivan first cauterized my lower tear drains, cautioning me that with a couple of other common problems he noted in my eyes, it was unlikely to resolve my dry eye problem.
The other two problems, which no other ophthalmologist had noted, were excess conjunctiva and a very subtle movement of the inner lower eyelids away from the eye when I blinked.
After the cauterization, my very dry eyes improved by perhaps 25% to 30%, so we went ahead with the minor surgeries to correct the other two problems. (Outpatient, local anesthesia with a bit of oral pre-meds -- fairly easy, although the recovery period was several weeks and was quite uncomfortable.)
My eyes no longer seem to be dry at all, even though I do a lot of computer work and had a very long-standing problem. I don't use eye drops now. I do still use wrap-around sunglasses outdoors (everybody should protect from UV anyhow).
The redness is greatly reduced. I'm about 5 weeks past surgery, and Sullivan told me a few days ago that I could expect a bit more improvement over the next month or two.
Sullivan is an oculoplastic surgeon. He's also a former medical school professor (University of Oklahoma) of that subject. Most of his practice, according to his assistant, is treating things like excessive tearing and very dry eye.
He's a laid-back, casual sort, and I found him and his office staff easy to deal with. Although getting an initial appointment took a while, after that it was easy to get appointments and even be seen on very short notice when problems or questions arose.
The other two problems, which no other ophthalmologist had noted, were excess conjunctiva and a very subtle movement of the inner lower eyelids away from the eye when I blinked.
After the cauterization, my very dry eyes improved by perhaps 25% to 30%, so we went ahead with the minor surgeries to correct the other two problems. (Outpatient, local anesthesia with a bit of oral pre-meds -- fairly easy, although the recovery period was several weeks and was quite uncomfortable.)
My eyes no longer seem to be dry at all, even though I do a lot of computer work and had a very long-standing problem. I don't use eye drops now. I do still use wrap-around sunglasses outdoors (everybody should protect from UV anyhow).
The redness is greatly reduced. I'm about 5 weeks past surgery, and Sullivan told me a few days ago that I could expect a bit more improvement over the next month or two.
Sullivan is an oculoplastic surgeon. He's also a former medical school professor (University of Oklahoma) of that subject. Most of his practice, according to his assistant, is treating things like excessive tearing and very dry eye.
He's a laid-back, casual sort, and I found him and his office staff easy to deal with. Although getting an initial appointment took a while, after that it was easy to get appointments and even be seen on very short notice when problems or questions arose.
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