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**kitty** · 09-Feb-2006, 21:01

Welcome. I am so sorry for the agony that brought you here. Your story is similar to mine in that my severe symptoms came on late last fall. I was just diagnosed a month ago. I'm not sure I understand why your eye doctor thinks it is too soon to try Restasis. From what I have read, the earlier on in the disease the better the outcome from Restasis. I started Restasis one month ago on the day I was diagnosed, but was taken off of it due to sensitivity. I was telling a friend the other day that I have yet to find a drug for which the side effects are not worse than the affliction it was designed to treat! Please let us know how the plugs work for you. I wish you luck with them. I fully understand your depression and am fighting it myself. I hate living in pain and isolation. I think I most hate how the majority of the world does not understand. I have shared my disease with several friends who have admitted they have dry eye, blepharitis, etc., they don't really treat it and it does not bother them much. All I can say is lucky them. I'm sorry now I ever told them. You will find that most of the people here share similar experiences as you. This is the one place where you will find people who understand. Don't give up on school just yet. Read the posts here and learn the techniques others are using to help them get through their days without losing the ability to participate in life.

**sazy123** · 10-Feb-2006, 08:12

Hiya

I am 20 also, have bad dry eye and am at university. I know how hard this is at 20, im doing psychology, although not as much reading as english. Any academic degree requires lots of additional reading from the libary etc. So i can deffiently relate to how hard it is. I havent told anyone about it at my uni, coz i know they wouldnt understand, and i havent made any good friends coz i dont spend enough time with them. I am also suffering with depression because of this eye problem, because it has stoped me doing almost everything i wanted to do. Anti depressants are what caused my eyes to be like this, 10 months on and not much improvement. My GP said i should see a psychiartrist, but the way i see it is: the depression isnt going to go away unless the eyes become more manageable. I also keep thinking because im young, my eyes will heal, if i keep taking all the supplements etc, i have had some improvement lately in that i have a few more better days, hopefully you will get some improvement and university will become more manageable. You are on the right track if your able to get restasis. The plugs may give you the relief you need.

**untkicker29** · 10-Feb-2006, 10:51

I am a college student suffering from dry eye, and it is manageable. It is definately harder than what other students have to go through because reading, at least for me can be difficult. Along with the pain, everytime i read, my vision becomes much worse. The words start becoming very fuzzy. So, I can only read in spurts.
I believe you will get much better. When I first was diagnosed, I thought there was no way, but my symptoms did get better.

**neil0502** · 10-Feb-2006, 11:36

For whatever reason, I've been trying not to 'pour it all out' on this forum, but... your post demands it

I've had a lot of down days. A lot. I've welcomed a trial of anti-depressants here and there because ... I didn't see much reason not to. In addition to severe dry eyes (Schirmer's and T-BUT both about 2-5, with all four corners cauterized and regular use of drops, oil caps, nighttime ointments, and wrap glasses), I've got eye alignment problems and ciliary spasm (think charley horse in your eyes' focusing muscles). It's a downer. I've been declared 'visually impaired' to access disabled student services at universities, read via a Plextalk PTR1 , and dramatically limit any print/computer work. It's a miserable loss that I can't quite make peace with.

I, too, want(ed) to be a writer, but you're right: it's difficult to imagine writing what I want to write without tremendous quantities of reading--something that, apparently, I'm just not built to do.

Have you tried reading with a humidifier parked right next to you?? I remember, in 1995, being in tropical, humid Indonesia. It was the best my eyes felt in years.

Have you tried Lacriserts? They're not always easy to find, and they don't work well with contact lenses in, but some people find blessed relief from them. They're not only palliative (make you feel better), but they're therapeutic (actually make the problem better over time), too! They're by prescription, so talk with your ophthalmologist or optometrist about them.

Don't be afraid to get all four puncta plugged if two helps. Most people won't leak tears with all four plugs in place because plugs don't usually stop the drain hole 100% of the way. Even if you 'leak' a touch ... it may not be the worst thing in the world.

Don't give up. Find anything that you can that will help you manage the rough times: exercise, music, walking, hiking, time with (good) friends, meditation, charitable work, naps, ... anything. It's a battle that we wage one day--often one hour--at a time.

I wish you health, strength, and improvement....

Neil

**Lucy** · 10-Feb-2006, 13:48

Having worked at a community college until last year when my eyes went totally kaput, I can agree with Neil on some advice. Colleges and universities have help for handicapped individuals. It's there for the asking. I'm using "handicapped" for anyone needing assistance or special needs. They want you to succeed, even if it means some special services. Please talk to your school counselors and advise them of your problems. You may be surprised at the help available.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask for help!

**crispen_2000** · 11-Feb-2006, 22:40

thanks

Thank you for all your replies! I've had plugs that will dissolve in about three months put in my tear ducts. I haven't noticed any "immediate" relief but I'll report over the next couple of days....I am also going to go on biosyntrx supplements...have any of you benifited from this or tried it?

**Amy09** · 12-Feb-2006, 14:08

hey, i'm sooo sorry to hear about your eye problems- and up in canada with the colder, dryer weather, it must make your problems even worse. I'm a 18-year-old (19 next week) whose began having eye problems since I was only 14 years old. my senior year things got extremely bad and i had to stop wearing contacts and had several eye surgeries. I completely understand what you are going through and was severely depressed my senior year in high school, but things have definately gotten better. know that, yes, it is a very painful and frustrating problem to deal with, but that with time, dry eye does become more managable. you learn that you can still live and carry on a social life even with the problems- you just might have to make a few adjustments, do things a little differently that most people your age, and it might take a while to get used to.

i take dry eye supplements and I feel like it might help me a little bit- definately take some type of supplement with high doses of omega in it. i agree with your comment about restasis, but if you still find yourself having problems in a few months, i would definately try it. i've found that restasis is the best thing i have tried for my dry eye (although some would disagree with me). you also might want to look into plasma tears. again, i'm so sorry about your problems, but know that you're not the only young person here dealing with this. good luck with everything!

**radiohead1983** · 16-May-2006, 18:02

Hello there everyone. I am new to this web site and am glad i found it. I have had a rough time with my dry eyes as well they started late last year. I never quite undestood why i had chronic dry eye since i was only 21. My doctors all seem shocked when they find out my age. I didnt know there were others so young with this illness. I know its hard and no one understands. I'm glad to be speaking to people who understand for the first time.

**HSK2020** · 12-Aug-2017, 13:07

Hi guys I am a 22 year old male from Louisiana I have had "dry eye" for six years. I seem to have an unusual reaction to artificial light that other patients don't share. It started with my cell phone and not being able to be on it for long periods of time without pain. Eventually this pain started on the computer and TV and would develop with just a glance on the phone. I don't have many symptoms away from the screens besides dryness in my right eye. I have received many treatments and at this point in my life am completely focused on solving my eye problems before moving on with my life. I have had to take time off from school. While going to school I wasn't able to do very well due to this problem. I have grown apart from many good friends and had trouble making friends due to the limitations physically and mentally. Many of my friends will want to hangout and play video games and seem to either not understand or care when i tell them i am physically unable to do this. The logistics of meeting up with friends is also a very difficult problem when a cell phone causes pain to your eyes that lasts for much longer than just the viewing of the screen. . I lost a girl who had stuck with me through a lot of the disease due to the way i let it effect me mentally. Saying all this to say that I can relate to anyone going through difficulties with this disease. It is very tough physically and mentally. I do believe that having a strong support system is important and being open about the way this disease effects your life is good. Don't be afraid to ask for help and don't be embarrassed. I believe that the cure for many people is out there they just have to find it and that the medicine is improving to combat this debilitating disease.

I am currently on xiidra and have all punctums plugged which i have found have helped a lot
I am also on plasma drops which are hard to say how much they help
I take many supplement eat healthy and stay hydrated which is important
I went all the way to Boston and bought PROSE contacts but have found them personally so uncomfortable that they are not a solution for me
Restasis did not make much of a difference either

Next I am going to try bandage contacts with lacriserts

**MGD1701** · 12-Aug-2017, 13:49

Hi HSK
Thanks for sharing. I have been also focusing on solving dry eye/MGD in the last 13 months (like a full-time job) and now my eyes are pretty fit. Suggest you

1) detect causes then solve them step by step but at the same time would be more effective.

2) do own research, keep up-to-date and exploring new things
I visited a dozen of doctors but they are either not helfpul/knowedgeable nor solution-driven.
I solved all my problems by myself + LipiFlow (opened glands).

Seems you are on the right track and trust you will solve them in no time. Good luck!

**PhoenixEyes** · 12-Aug-2017, 14:52

Hi HSK, have you considered having Ziena, 7Eye or WileyX moisture chamber glasses fitted with blue light filter lenses (e.g. EyeZen+)? Or you can try Ziena with the standard SharpView lenses, as they come with 100% UVA and UVB light blocking.

The moisture chamber shield would provide a defense from wind / drafts evaporating tears too quickly and EyeZen+ or other screen-centric lenses should help as they filter out blue ultraviolet light and provide a bit of magnification to make reading screens easier.

You can also get standard glasses with this kind of lens if you're not sure if you wanna wear moisture chamber ones, e.g. EyeZen, BlueTech, Felix Gray but there are many others.

https://www.zienaeyewear.com/pages/how-ziena-works

EyeZen Glasses - http://www.eyezenusa.com/

EyeZen Lenses - http://www.eyezenpro.com/

http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-to...-review-2016-5

https://www.facebook.com/BlutechLenses/

There's also some other stuff you can do to make your environment better when using screens:

Desktop Humidifiers --------------------------------------

Boneco U7146 Travel Humidifier (uses a water bottle)

USB Supersonic Cool Mist Humidifier Cup (lots of generic ones out there so Googling this will get you results, uses a water cup)

Luminescence / Blue Light Filtering Software & Apps ----------------------------

https://justgetflux.com/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...urbandroid.lux

For iOS enable Night Mode

Reducing Glare on PC, Mac and Webpages ----------------------------

https://www.turnoffthelights.com/

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/fir...nd-light-text/

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/fir...r-easy-readin/

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/fir...le-night-mode/

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...ajfohhbpkkfiaa

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...hhkmoekeicedej

Increase Text Size --------------------

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/...-use-magnifier

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb...e-of-web-pages

https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/96810?hl=en-GB

Drink Water Reminder Software, Add-Ons and Apps ----------------------

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...water&hl=en_GB

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dail...466387763?mt=8

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...fijagoje?hl=en

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/fir...n/reminderfox/

http://waterwarner.com/

Blink Reminders (for PC, Browser, Android, iOS) ----------------------------

http://eyeleo.com/

http://www.dryeyezone.com/reminders/

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/fir...link-reminder/

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/fir...evention-tool/

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...mnnijjhn?hl=en

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...kbmlpmeo?hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...bblinktraining

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dona...941412795?mt=8

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20 year old male, with eye problems...

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