IPL/****** probing doctor in the uk or europe yet?

[baggio11]

Hi all,

First I'd like to thank whoever created this forum and all the posters. It has been of great benefit to me as any GP/Opthalomogist I've gone to here in the UK has just rushed me out the door with lid scrubs and artificial tears which has only aggravated the condition further and without giving me any proper diagnosis.

I'd just like to know if there are any opthalomogists in the uk or europe performing ipl or ****** probes yet as i think this could greatly help my condition?

Any replies are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[irish eyes]

Try Teifi James in Halifax West Yorkshire.

Sorry I have no details but I spoke to his secretary some time ago regarding suitability, costs etc.

My consultant has misgivings about it as a treatment so I have gone along with his views. That's not to say I wouldn't give it a go at some stage. I was shocked at how much it cost.

[baggio11]

thanks irisheyes

Did your consultant explain to you why they have misgivings about probing/ipl?

I am convinced my problem lies with my eyelids, they are very red, inflammed and constantly burn. Do you have similar symptoms? have you had any success with any other treatments? I would be happy if i could just reduce the constant burning. I would like to give Azasite a try but don't think its available here either?

Go raibh maith agat arís!!

[irish eyes]

baggio 11 -Dia Dhuit !

Yes, my eye symptoms are the same.

Sadly, mine has been a stubborn case over many years. I cannot describe having a success with anything; I was back and forward to various people for years before the NHS concluded that I was wasting everyone's time and the problems were mostly in my mind. This meant my eyes were neglected for a few years and became severely dry. Autologous serum was approved (using one's own blood to help heal the eye surface). The serum helped but things shouldn't have been allowed to get so bad in the first place. The NHS simply didn't take dry eye seriously although I have another eye condition and they were brilliant with that.

My consultant (private) is not convinced that probing is safe and fears that damage might be done when the probe is inserted. He knows the man who performs the procedure and has a lot of respect for him but cannot accept it is the route to take. I am not sure whether Azasite is available in Europe yet, I don't think it is but there could be generic version. I used to keep in contact with the manufacturers on the possibility of it being marketed in the UK although I've not done that for some time

[baggio11]

Thanks irish eyes.

I'm sorry to hear that you are still struggling with this condition. I am only 26, a student and will not be able to handle this burning for the rest of my life. I also have rosacea on my face which developed 8 months ago and is progressing rapidly. I am very sporty and active but find that any exercise i do now makes my face and eyes flare up like crazy. Sometimes it gets me really down

I've been reading alot about restasis also. I think this may help with the inflammation in my eye lids. have you tried this or do you know if its available in the uk? its so frustrating that we're so far behind america in dealing with this disease. I'm considering buying some restasis and azasite online. do you think this would be safe to do? I'm worried about what they actually send me is restasis/azasite but cant handle sitting around waiting for my 10 week generic 2 minute nhs appointment while my symptoms progress. i want to be as proactive as i can to find some relief

Thanks

[irish eyes]

Baggio 11

It's tough if you are studying. I hope you are managing to negotiate a few `adjustments' because it can really get one down. It doesn't help when medics are dismissive of it; we agree that this is frustrating condition to treat but I despair of the attitude of many of them.

Restasis isn't available in the UK although it can be obtained as a `special'. The NHS cannot prescribe it because it's technically not available but a private consultant can issue a `prescription' as a one off or special order. What happens then is pharmacies such as Boots have to obtain it on your behalf; they usually have an account with an importer and everyone has to add on a bit of profit for themselves - so the result is a very high figure. My consultant prescribed Restasis for me and (from memory) it was going to cost £900 for 6 weeks supply. That was a few years ago and I might have got the figure wrong but it was very high. I calculated how much it would cost me for a year - and decided not to bother. I wasn't even convinced it was going to be the answer, it was just another `avenue' that we hadn't gone down and something else to try.

Would I buy it from the internet? Others might do but I personally wouldn't. Moorfields do a Cyclosporine product (stronger than Restasis) and I have tried that but I had a severe reaction. The consultant prescribed it in good faith, I managed to get a local chemist to obtain it at a cost of £150 for a months supply. However, my eyes couldn't tolerate it at all and I was quite ill. I was grateful for being able to contact Moorfields, who in turn contacted the manufacturer so I had a fair bit of support over the phone about what I should do. If you buy stuff on the internet and it goes wrong, who would you turn to? My eyes are so sensitive these days that I have to weigh up all the pros and cons so I would urge others to be the same. Horrid position to be in though.