About to try MEGs

[awo]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm 26, and have been suffering from dry eye for ~6 years. I don't think the actual dryness is all that bad, from what I've been told - the 'traditional' symptoms (grittiness, soreness, etc) only rarely get bad enough to drive me crazy. Unfortunately I seem to get headaches associated with it, along with photophobia (I guess from increased eyestrain due to the dry eye), most especially when using a computer in an air conditioned environment. They often get to the stage where they really knock me out for the day, so I've been trying to do something about it - it's really important for me because while I'm a student and can work from home right now, in a year's time I will need to be working full time at a computer, probably in an air-conditioned office, and doing that right now would be impossible long term.

So, I've tried a bunch of different drops, and settled for now on Optive, which was by far the best of them. With all drops, I find that using them sparingly (a couple of times a day) seems to work best. If I use them more often, it feels like my eyes are gunking up, and makes things worse. I've been using the theratears lid cleaning foam, and that seems somewhat helpful for clearing out the gunkiness.

Anyway, I've been lurking here for some time - thanks for all your posts, they've really helped me get more on top of things. I recently bought some Adidas Elevation specs from GoSportSpex (who I highly recommend if you're in the UK). Unfortunately I just couldn't get on with the high prescription RX inserts (I'm around -5 in both eyes), and had to send them back. I tried wearing contacts beneath the specs, but that just screwed my eyes up in the longer term. I'm finally posting now because I've just bought a pair of MEGs, and will be offering some feedback once they've arrived and I've had them made up. Wish me luck!

[EllMitcho]

Hi Awo

We appear to have similar symptoms and are both in the UK - I for one are glad you have stopped lurking and joined the forum proper

Interested to know how you get on with the megs

Cheers

Ell

[awo]

Thanks - I'll let you know as soon as I get them sorted, although it'll be a little while yet.

[Stanza]

Welcome!!

I'm wondering if the drops make your eyes gunk or if that's your eyes, but it could be the drops. I find if I overuse drops my eyelids are more irritated, I've managed to cut that down a bit by switching drop types every other day or so

I hope you will continue posting!

[awo]

Frames arrived!

My MEGs have now arrived, and I've given them to the optician to put lenses in. They seem to fit reasonably well - I might go for the unisex rather than mens size if I were doing it again, but it's a close enough fit! The optician commented that they seemed very well made, and indeed they feel pretty solid to me.

The overall cost is pretty vicious: the specs + a spare set of gaskets cost about £200, and getting the lenses made (including a slight tint for my photophobia) is about £290. Your average cheap optician like Specsavers won't put lenses into other manufacturer's frames, so you have to go with one of the more expensive options...and the MEG frames are unusual. So, a total cost of £490, or around $800. That said, I expect you could get the lenses made more substantially cheaper if you're in the US, so please don't take this as a final word on the subject, and make sure for yourself before deciding you can't afford them!

I should have my glasses within 14 working days. I shall let you know how I get on!

PS: In terms of an update on my general condition, after a long period of effectiveness, my eyes seem to have stopped liking Optive, which is really sad. My eyes were getting really bad, and I thought it was just the change in seasons, which often affects them, but I'm now pretty sure it was at least partly the drops having stopped using them. I have had success with my humidifier, however: after deciding my eyes didn't like it for whatever reason, as it seemed to make things worse, I've tried using de-ionised water instead, and it seems to be working nicely! Clearly something in the tap water was not working for me.

[Jan Baker]

?

What is a MEG?

[Rebecca Petris]

Micro-Environment Glasses

www.seefit.net

[Lucy]

Awo-I wish you well with your expensive glasses! I'm glad you told about "other" optical companies who would not work with someone else's product.

This is quite common and I had the same problem with my Panoptx prescription glasses/goggles. My doctor had to give me an eye exam and write the RX, Panoptx had to make the lens and put them in the glasses. However, I had a problem getting "fitted" for the placement of the bifocals. No one wanted to "make a commitment" (my measurments on the placement of my bifocals). Arggggg. I finally went to a totally unknown to me optical company and asked if they could measure me for bifocals and make a mark on the goggles. They did. The final deal was fine, but I had to jump through a bunch of hoops that did not seem necessary. Lucy

[awo]

Hey all,

So, my MEGs have arrived! Unfortunately, I don't seem to get much relief when wearing them. I suspect this is down to the imperfect fitting, so please don't take this as a definitive review. I would certainly be careful if you're buying from europe, though, since it's such a high price for something you can't send back.

Still, I'm getting good use out of them. I've tried taping up all the gaps, and found that I could spend a whole day in my air conditioned lab, with no headache! Dramatic result for me. I've improvised some closer-fitting gaskets out of a thin craft foam that fit over the MEGs (supported by the MEG gaskets), and I shall be testing them tomorrow .

If you're buying MEGs for yourself, be aware that the men's size is big. I have to buy quite broad frames usually as I have a big head, but these are quite large on me - if you're a normal sized guy, go for the unisex.