Hello Everyone

[DG65]

6 weeks ago I had no idea what dry eyes was.

1 year ago I had all laser Lasik. I have several complications including overcorrection in one eye, double vision in both and the regular star bursts, halos, etc. It’s been a battle just to keep a normal life while trying to figure out what my future holds. We used to own several old cars and were active in the classic car hobby. I have lost all interest in the hobby and sold my cars to help fund my Lasik disaster rehab that insurance won’t cover.

About 2 months ago I had a moment where my right eye started tearing profusely. So much so that it actually splashed out of my eye onto my shirt when I blinked and this went on for about a minute. I knew something was wrong and even though my doctor played it down I had a feeling something was coming. Little did I know 2 weeks later I would get my first experience with dry eye. It came on so hard and fast that I was nearly incapacitated. Of course it happened in the middle of a military exercise so I had to put on a happy face and fight through 3 days of misery.

I have been back on Restasis for about 5 weeks and since I was getting the feeling my doctor didn’t have any more tricks up his sleeve I began to search the web. First I found Barbara at the Vision Surgery Rehab Network (VSRN). What a fantastic, supportive gal. They have a network of folks that specialize in post-surgery complications. I am not a part of that organization, but when I find something that can help others I promote it.

Then, 2 days ago, I found The Dry Eye Zone. Never have I found a forum filled with such compassionate people. Within 15 minutes I knew I had found the right place to help me through my walk with this condition. I found the thread where Rebecca tried what I think was the Scleral lens. I am making an appt in Chicago to visit with a doctor who actually develops contact lenses and has great success with post-Lasik patients using the Scleral lens.

I am so amazed at the positive attitudes here. 8 months ago I was walking the fine line between living and ending it all. My wife, a close friend and my Faith kept me from crossing that line. At this point I can feel myself edging down that same road and I am determined to not head that way again.

I will open up more as I have more time.

Hello everyone.

Kyle

[Sammy B.]

Kyle,

Welcome to the board. Rebecca is great, isn't she?

I presume you are not still seeing your LASIK doc, right? If so, try to find a good doc in your area who you feel like you can trust and stick with them. Visiting my LASIK doc made me feel like I wanted to lurch at everyone there and I finally threw in the towel and found someone else.

Dry eye is a managable condition so you are not out of options yet if you've only tried a few things. What else have you tried? Plugs? Fish/flax oil? Sleep mask? Every little bit helps.

Rose

[DG65]

Rose,

I suppose I had hints of dry eye a few weeks before the first blow was given me. The weekend I had the killer DE I was somewhat dehydrated and since then I have increased my water intake. 2 days ago I started 1000mg of flaxseed supplements and I use Refresh drops when I need them.

I have a small "bump" on the white of my eye near my nose that I was told is some sort of callus. Supposed to be harmless but it's almost constantly irritated. I was also told, long before my surgery, if I was to have it removed it would probably come back worse. When I'm deployed it would give me fits before I had Lasik, at least once every trip. I suppose the extremely dry conditions in the desert aggravated it.

No, I am no longer with my Lasik office. They pretty much treated me like I was whining and threw me to the curb. With nowhere to turn that started my first stages of depression 8 months ago and my travels to numerous eye doctors who weren't much more compassionate.

Phew, pushing tears away just remembering all that and putting it into words.

[Sammy B.]

Kyle,

So the dry eye did a pretty good job of hiding itself for about 8 months? Or even more? Sounds similar to my story - It was almost a full year and a half after LASIK before I knew (and admitted to) what was going on. I think in the beginning I knew I had some dry eye but I was fighting tooth and nail to act like I had a 110% positive LASIK outcome. Oh, how we strive to be perfect in an imperfect world!

Good job with the increased water intake and the flaxseed supplements. Fish oil is good to add too but it would be hard to lug around all of that stuff during your military training exercises I would imagine.

Have you tried punctal plugs? I use dissolvable plugs now and they work pretty darned good. I can't seem to get the silicone plugs to stay put so every three months I go in and get a new set of dissolvables.

How is the Restasis treating you?

Rose

[DG65]

Hi Rose,

I have increased my water intake from about 8oz's a day, at best, to no less than 32 oz's and usually 40 or more.

I would say I have good and bad days but it doesn't go like that. I constantly notice my eyes (especially the right) are drier than before. My eyes can be bearable one minute, dry in an instant (again, especially the right) and 15 minutes later they are bearable again. This morning I had to drive 4 hours and despite constantly blinking they were a constant problem despite using Refresh drops. Once I made it to my destination and got away from driving it was back to bearable. I have noticed that if I am constantly moving my eyes while doing a project they don't bother me as much. Maybe I'm just getting my mind off my eyes. I was kinda wondering if it was possible to have just a few malfunctioning glands and keeping my eyes in one position depletes proper coating to a section of my eye(s) while moving them around helps to coat better? Just a very uneducated theory.

I have mixed feelings about the Restasis. One thing I've noticed since starting the Restasis is that my right eye is extremely hazy when I wake up in the morning. I've tried using the Restasis well before bed and using Refresh drops a couple times right before bed but it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference in the morning. If I'm up an hour or so before my alarm and ad Refresh drops the haziness is better when the alarm goes off but never eliminated. Blinking doesn't clear it anymore and I need drops to clear it. Only 3 or 4 times per week do I have a mid-day hazy occurrence, but I can usually blink it away withing a few seconds.

I need to get on the ball and get one of those rice filled bags to warm my eyes, too. I'm also not sure just how to message my glands, yet, either.

I have not tried plugs, yet. I have an appt with a recommended specialist in Chicago next week. We'll see how that goes. Since I'm new I won't mention any names unless somebody wants to know via PM.

Kyle

[Sammy B.]

Kyle,

I'd look into plugs, only because they have been a godsend for me. I went from constant, daily stinging and grittiness to plain ole dryness in the morning and at night, which might not sound like a huge improvement to people who don't have dry eye I am sure, but for me and for those who understand this problem, it has been MONUMENTAL. In fact, last night I almost forgot to do drops before I went to bed.

I was really hesitant at first, but going every few months to get dissolvable plugs has been totally worth it. BTW, plugs sometimes don't work immediately for people (including me), they take a while to 'work,' so don't freak out if you don't see some immediate jump in improvement. In about two weeks you should be feeling the full effects/benefits. Also, in your line of work, not having to lug around oils and compresses and drops would be a big boost, and this is what the plugs have done for me - eliminated the need for constant attention/regimen.

My warm compressing routine is simple - I run a washcloth under the spigot for a few seconds, pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes, then lay on the couch with the washcloth over my eyes for about 5 minutes or until it cools. I do this every morning and it's pretty easy to work it into your routine. I used to look at it as a nuisance but now it's more like "more morning relaxation" which I think we could all use a dose of.

Dry eye is fickle - one second you're fine, the next you're in agony. Such is the world of an uneven/unstable tear film. But this is normal that it changes like that, so try to cope with the ups and downs as well as you can. A veteran on this board once told me that for every 'down' period she's had, there's always been another 'up,' so try to beat those words into your head. Once you get a handle on the dryness (which you will) you will have good spells and you may also have bad spells, but remember that there will always be another good spell around the corner.

Rose