dry eyes for four years now, finally i have achieved progress with a few medications

[cherrybrandy]

Hello all ive been watching a video on you tube on how to cure?dry eyes by using coldpressed castor oil applied by an eye dropper at night to moisturize the eyes then covering them by a tranquilize mask..Q is can this be safe to do?Am driven to intense despair by my dry eyes caused by posterior blepharitis which ive hd for 5 years now.Ive also got blepharaspasm and the botox used to treat this, means im desperate now as this also dries the eyes out..Im hoping someone will advise on this? as i dont want to make my eyes worse than they already are.Im seeing my cornea specialist every ten weeks and my eyes are just the same .Ive got a punctal plug in left eye as other dropped out..I saw a post in dry eye shop saying one can apply for a free copy of dr.latkanys book (the dry eye zone)>>>If so id like one please as dr.Latk any is th only one who talks any sense compared to any of the uk eye drs..thanks all good wishes cb.My eye dr says to take flakseed oil and fish olis which i do and the hot compress.Am so sad my eyes havent improved is there any hope?cb,

[ringo]

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear that your problem persists! What have you been taking besides the plug and hot compresses? Have you seen my posts in this same thread about my treatment regimen?

I would suggest taking doxycycline for a few months, plus using Azythromycine drops for your blepharitis in addition to some mild steroid like FML or Lotemax.

Of course, do not forget lubrication and with regards to castor oil, I have heard it does wonders, and i tried it once, but it inflames the eyes for he first few days, and i could not persist in using them beyond that in order to see any improvement.

Please if anyone has experience with castor oil, let us know?

[Aaron77]

6.PILOCARPINE tablets to produce tears 5mg 4 times a day,

Why are more people not using pilocarpine to produce tears?

[Rebecca Petris]

Hello all ive been watching a video on you tube on how to cure?dry eyes by using coldpressed castor oil applied by an eye dropper at night to moisturize the eyes then covering them by a tranquilize mask..Q is can this be safe to do?

[harangue]

Don't put non sterile things in your eyes... and don't put anything remotely questionable or experimental in your eyes without consulting your doctor.

Also don't follow advice posted anywhere on the internet including this forum about prescription medications unless your doctor is involved. And please, all, consider this a reminder to be careful about aggressive advice-giving with regard to treatments here... post about your own experience and results, by all means, but don't tell others what to do with medications.

[/harangue]

[Rebecca Petris]

p.s. Cherrybrandy, there are free books still available (though I'm getting low, waiting for the last shipment from SSF). Just go to the dry eye shop and type "book" in the search box and look for The Dry Eye Remedy. Shipping is not free (sorry) but is less than $3 in the US and not much more for Canada. If shipping outside the US be sure to get the item marked INTL if you're combining with any other items.

[Brooke]

Castor oil

Isn't castor oil the vehicle used in restasis? Is there a benefit to applying castor oil separately from that?

[ringo]

Aaron,

the Pilocarpine pills DO produce more tears, and more saliva. Many people however cannot tolerate the side effects of intense perspiration and chills that come at the start of treatment and later subside as the body gets somewhat accustomed.

Pilocarpine is also available under the name of Salagen. As far as I know, (and I am not an expert) it is meant to substitute for the nerve signalling messenger Acetylcholine, which is responsible for binding to the lacrimal gland receptors and signalling them to produce tears.

In inflamed eyes there are certain substances and antibodies that interfere with this process, and even bind to the receptors thereby blocking the action of the messenger. The brain thus cannot signal to the glands. Pilocarpine makes up for that by binding to the extra receptors that for some mystical reason appear in dry eye lacrimal glands.

However, it also enhances perspiration and other secretions from exocrine glands. So one has to learn tolerating the side effects. People who do not have dry mouth dislike the salivating as well.

Besides doctors are reluctant to prescribe it, as they think that dry eye is more of a nuisance rather than a really painful debilitating dangerous condition. They do not perceive its gravity and urgency the same way as they do with other eye diseases which they view as sight threatening.

So they think one might do quite well with topical lubrication and Restasis. But the pilocarpine is important as it keeps the glands functioning (both salivary and lacrimal), and also hydrates from within long-standing desiccated tissues. It takes some time for it to replenish them with moisture, and although one can feel relief with the first pill from the new tears, one only realizes the extent of benefit after some time, when the eye tissues have been replenished with moisture.

I used to need 4 pills in the beginning. Then i could do well with 3 pills. And then i was taking only 2 a day. Now I can do well with only 1 pill a day.

I would like to emphasize that I agree with Rebecca that noone should follow other people's treatment regimens without consultation with a doctor, especially when they are prescription medications.

When it comes to steroids, however safe or weak they might be, the eyes should be monitored by a doctor while using them.

When it comes to NSAID drops, the same applies- cornea should be monitored, as there have been rare reports pf adverse effect on dry eye.

I also mentioned that while I am on my treatment regimen I am frequently monitored by a doctor, and do not take any medication without his approval.

Also, since there are no castor oil sterile eyedrops manufactured yet, even though it might be beneficial, it might also pose a dnager of infecting the eye, especially dry eyes with compromised cornea defenses.

When I am suggesting a medication that could possibly help, I mean that the medication should be prescribed and approved by a doctor. Sometimes doctors themselves are not well udated when it comes to dry eye issues. Fo some unknown reason, the condition is sort of enigmatic to many of them, at least according to my experience.

Thank you for the clarification Rebecca. I tried to PM you but your inbox was full.