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Hi everyone.
I've been visiting this site for information since I started having dry eye symptoms but have thus not posted. However, two years in, I still have no information whatsoever as to why I suddenly started having this problem, why it is getting worse, or what is causing it.
Two years ago I developed a slight vision Up until this point I had never needed any sort of vision correction at all. My optometrist told me that I have developed some astigmatism but my main problem was with dry patches on the left eye. She gave me some lubricating drops and sent me home. Over the next 3 months the problem got significantly worse. The eye became more irritated and also started producing loads of mucous strings.
My optometrist referred me to an ophthalmologist who promptly said that yes I have dry eyes, no there's nothing he can do, and I should just get some more over the counter drops.
Feeling rather disappointed, I went to another ophthalmologist. He suggested that restasis would be helpful but it is hard to get in Canada (I live in Ontario). He said it would take 6 months or so to get it. In the mean time he gave me Fluorometholone (steroid drop) which didn't really seem to help. After pestering him for around a year, I finally called the special access program myself and found out he hadn't even submitted the form to request restasis yet!
I went to find another ophthalmologist and finally got to see him this past September. He got me restasis instantly (I came home with it the same day) and it did actually seem to help. The mucous strings that plagued had vanished and my right eye cleared up well after 6 weeks of use. My left eye did lose the mucous as well but otherwise showed very little improvement.
Incidentally, for anyone who wants restasis and lives near London, Ontario, there is a pharmacy in the hospital there that has special authorization to release it if you can get a prescription.
The last time I saw him he said that my both eyes are improved and I only needed new glasses for the rest of the problems. I did not believe this as I still couldn't see well, still had to use numerous drops a day, and still had irritation in the eye. However I went to get new glasses and was told during the exam that they can't make my left eye any better. In other words my condition is nothing they can treat with glasses. So I am still getting horribly mixed up information. Ironically I was seeing a foot doctor on another matter and he asked about my eyes and was astounded that no one had done any of the basic tests (schrimmer, TBUT, some dye injection test he mentioned) or had checked if my MG were blocked or anything. He wrote a rather strong letter to my GP and I hope to get some results from it next week.
Anyway sorry for the long rant. I am just extremely frustrated as I can no longer read books, go shopping, or go out and do much of anything. My son, who has researched everything he can find on the subject, has been doing his best to help me but like he says it is hard to diagnose without any proper equipment or tests being done. If anyone knows of any good doctors in Ontario for this problem or can see something I'm missing to help me, I would very much appreciate it. A brief summary of my symptoms and procedures is below:
-right eye is almost perfect. Just minor dryness
-my left eye is better in the morning but gets significantly worse during the day.
-left eye is extremely photo-phobic, especially to peripheral light
-I use mostly preservative free drops (Refresh Endura and Oasis Tears Plus from this site) though I do sometimes use Blink and / or Genteal
-I have panoptx goggles that I wear outside
-I use restatis but it has started to really sting. Strangely enough it does not sting when I put it in but when I put the next drop in. Even a drop I use 5-6 hours later can still cause stinging.
-I want to try punctal plugs but no one will try them. My current ophthalmologist said “that's like getting a wheelchair for someone who just needs new shoes”
So either they are right and I'm crazy and actually can see fine and don't know it. Or I am right and need some help figuring out where to go from here.
Thanks,
Elvera
I've been visiting this site for information since I started having dry eye symptoms but have thus not posted. However, two years in, I still have no information whatsoever as to why I suddenly started having this problem, why it is getting worse, or what is causing it.
Two years ago I developed a slight vision Up until this point I had never needed any sort of vision correction at all. My optometrist told me that I have developed some astigmatism but my main problem was with dry patches on the left eye. She gave me some lubricating drops and sent me home. Over the next 3 months the problem got significantly worse. The eye became more irritated and also started producing loads of mucous strings.
My optometrist referred me to an ophthalmologist who promptly said that yes I have dry eyes, no there's nothing he can do, and I should just get some more over the counter drops.
Feeling rather disappointed, I went to another ophthalmologist. He suggested that restasis would be helpful but it is hard to get in Canada (I live in Ontario). He said it would take 6 months or so to get it. In the mean time he gave me Fluorometholone (steroid drop) which didn't really seem to help. After pestering him for around a year, I finally called the special access program myself and found out he hadn't even submitted the form to request restasis yet!
I went to find another ophthalmologist and finally got to see him this past September. He got me restasis instantly (I came home with it the same day) and it did actually seem to help. The mucous strings that plagued had vanished and my right eye cleared up well after 6 weeks of use. My left eye did lose the mucous as well but otherwise showed very little improvement.
Incidentally, for anyone who wants restasis and lives near London, Ontario, there is a pharmacy in the hospital there that has special authorization to release it if you can get a prescription.
The last time I saw him he said that my both eyes are improved and I only needed new glasses for the rest of the problems. I did not believe this as I still couldn't see well, still had to use numerous drops a day, and still had irritation in the eye. However I went to get new glasses and was told during the exam that they can't make my left eye any better. In other words my condition is nothing they can treat with glasses. So I am still getting horribly mixed up information. Ironically I was seeing a foot doctor on another matter and he asked about my eyes and was astounded that no one had done any of the basic tests (schrimmer, TBUT, some dye injection test he mentioned) or had checked if my MG were blocked or anything. He wrote a rather strong letter to my GP and I hope to get some results from it next week.
Anyway sorry for the long rant. I am just extremely frustrated as I can no longer read books, go shopping, or go out and do much of anything. My son, who has researched everything he can find on the subject, has been doing his best to help me but like he says it is hard to diagnose without any proper equipment or tests being done. If anyone knows of any good doctors in Ontario for this problem or can see something I'm missing to help me, I would very much appreciate it. A brief summary of my symptoms and procedures is below:
-right eye is almost perfect. Just minor dryness
-my left eye is better in the morning but gets significantly worse during the day.
-left eye is extremely photo-phobic, especially to peripheral light
-I use mostly preservative free drops (Refresh Endura and Oasis Tears Plus from this site) though I do sometimes use Blink and / or Genteal
-I have panoptx goggles that I wear outside
-I use restatis but it has started to really sting. Strangely enough it does not sting when I put it in but when I put the next drop in. Even a drop I use 5-6 hours later can still cause stinging.
-I want to try punctal plugs but no one will try them. My current ophthalmologist said “that's like getting a wheelchair for someone who just needs new shoes”
So either they are right and I'm crazy and actually can see fine and don't know it. Or I am right and need some help figuring out where to go from here.
Thanks,
Elvera
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