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I've had dry eye problems for years, I always thought it was from using computers a lot.
I'm grateful for having found this site with its very useful information. So firstly a big thank you to Rebecca and all the contributors.
I was recently told by an opthalmologist that I don't close my eyes completely when I sleep at night.
It was great to have a reason for the problem and something I could do about it.
He told me to get teargel, but then when I inquired about the ingredients of the teargel thats available locally, its a bunch of petrochemicals with some dodgy preservatives in them.
I came and looked on the forum again and saw you guys sleep with googles.
Really funny.
So I decided to go to sleep wearing my wrap around sunglasses, with a beanie over them to make sure they stay on, and keep light out etc.
It works amazingly! It makes the difference between really dry uncomfortable eyes that take most of the day to feel normal, and eyes that are just a tiny bit dry that only need like an hour to feel completely normal.
My sunglasses are quite uncomfortable for sleeping and scratched some skin off my nose, so now I've gotten one of those aeroplane ones, which is made of some synthetic fabric, which should hopefully keep the moisture in.
If they don't work well, i'll cut them open and put a layer of plastic inside them.
EYELID CLOSURE
I recently discovered that the problem is not that my eyes don't close completely at night... They don't close completely EVER.
I know this because if I'm outside and purposefully close my eyes without squeezing them closed, I can still see that the sky is blue.
I never thought anything of it before. But its actually a significant thing.
I was kind of relieved to find this out. It means that instead of a brain/nerve/muscle/behaviour problem its just a physical problem.
I could get my eyelids made longer somehow surgically, but I'll see how sleeping with a cover goes.
From googling about eyelid surgery I see there are millions of people who want LESS eyelid skin, and that the eyelids get longer over the years.
But that might be limited to being overweight, bad diet, lack of exercise. unhealthy skin, or just being really old. So its possible that in 15-20 years I'll have longer eyelids, but I don't hold my breath.
STUFF I'VE LEARNED WHICH IS USEFUL
Obviously I'm repeating things that you can read on this site. But I'll just share what I've learned briefly, things that are important to me, it might be useful to someone.
Steam from a cup of hot water:
Cupping your eye over a cup of boiling water (like herbal tea) is quite nice, the steam, the heat etc. Nice and easy too, and you get a cup of tea. Cupped with your hands. I haven't tried stereo yet.
Omega3:
I'm vegetarian, so I have ground flax seeds. It has no DHA in it, my body may be converting some of the ALA to DHA, if it needs it, who knows. The ophthalmologist said my eyes are hydrated, healthy, normal etc, its just the closure/evaporation problem at night.
Preservatives and harmful substances:
Pretty much everything in a pharmacy is harmful, having dry eyes, I was REALLY surprised to find that even eyedrops at a pharmacy are dodgy.
Its like an industry of hurt. Repeat business. Not impressed with it, not interested in a discussion about it either.
I've learnt over the years to check the ingredients on EVERYTHING.
Even something simple like an anti inflammatory pad for a muscle injury, has fluorine in it.
Olive Oil:
A really bad idea. Hurts like ****!!! Gotta try everything hey
Honey
Raw Honey is said to be anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti viral. You name it. They've found honey stored in tombs that are 4000 years old which is still perfectly edible. And its gooey.
So naturally I thought of trying it out. I tried it after the olive oil, so my results may be influenced. It also, hurts like ****. It may be a bit acidic though.
It might be possible to mix some bicarbonate of soda and water, then mix that with honey. It could be an idea.
Good quality coconut oil:
I've used it many times. Even this morning.
(since I decided not to sleep with sunglasses cos it was scratching skin off my nose) My eyes are really dry. I put some coconut oil in them. It helps.
Vision is not 100% with them though, but not a problem.
The only problem with coconut oil is its too light. After putting a lot of coconut oil in my eyes and going to sleep, eyes are still dry in the morning.
So its kind of useful, but not a magical elixir.
Eye Drops:
You can make your own, by boiling some distilled water and some salt and maybe some bicarbonate of soda. You can look up a recipe online.
I have found one brand of eye-drops so far that doesn't include heavy substances in their ingredients. The brand is Similasan. They have one marked 'Computer Eye Relief'.
Its homeopathic, not that I REALLY believe in homeopathy, but it can't hurt, thats for sure. And a placebo can go a long way. The main thing is they don't put harmful stuff in their mix.
Their preservative is silver sulphate at 0.000039%. Seems pretty cool to me.
Topical Anti-Biotics
I got an eye infection on an overseas holiday over a year ago.
It causes buildup of slime which irritates my eyes. Its a similar feeling to dry eyes, but actually different.
The doc didn't really know what it was. His standard procedure is ~"lets throw some anti-biotics at it and see what happens."
I don't mind topical anti-biotics.
Tried chloromycetin gel. Was supposed to use it 2x a day. But I couldn't see/work in the morning with it in my eyes, so I only used it at night.
It didn't work.
I went back a few months later. And asked him to give me drops. He suggested I do gel at night and drops 2x per day. He said thats the max advisable dose.
I tried that for 2-3 weeks. It didn't work for ****.
I also went to 2 optometrists who were also unable to help.
Now probably more than a year after getting the eye infection. I went to the ophthalmologist. I was really pleased. Someone who actually knows whats going on.
He said every hair follicle on my eyelashes is infected, the slime they release is a byproduct they make, which irritates the eye. I thought maybe the slime was clogging my eyes (causing dryness), because I noticed more slime buildup meant more feeling of dry eyes, but its just irritation.
He said there are microscopic scabs surrounding every hair follicle, which protect the bacteria from getting washed away, soap, medication etc.
He said eveyone has this bacteria on their skin, these have just managed to make a home there. He said I've got to scrub the area 2-3x a day, and really give the bacteria a hard time, no place to hide etc.
He perscribed a systemic (something you take into your entire body, in this case, a pill) anti-biotic for 2 weeks. He said that probably won't work on its own. I must do the scrubbing in a dedicated way for about 3 months.
I'd rather not take the anti-biotic if I can avoid it. Anti biotics are really unhealthy. They kill all the good bacteria, so after the antibiotics are stopped the bad bacteria take over.
Bicarbonate of Soda
This encounter with the ophthalmologist got me thinking about a way to make my eyelashes less of a nice home for the bacteria. I started thinking of natural substances, garlic, etc.
Bicarbonate of soda came to mind and seemed like a good thing to try.
I use baking soda under my arms as a deodorant. It works amazingly well. It works by raising the pH to about 8.3 which is too high for the underarm bacteria that create odour to live in. 8.3 is not that much more than 7, so it seemed like a reasonable guess that it wouldn't cause harm to the eye.
Also with the amount of chemicals that accidentally get into the human eye. The directions on hazardous products normally say "if it gets in your eyes, wash thoroughly with water for 10 minutes or whatever until the burning stops"
Stuff containing Sodium Hydroxide etc, that can really eat through skin.
And plus, the cornea is quite thick, it can survive a few injuries.
Enough about that. Basically in my mind a pH of 8.3 didn't present much of a hazard. (pH Neutral Water is 7)
So I tried it. As concentrated as you can mix it. I've been washing my eyelids & eyelashes with it. I've done it for 3 days so far. It really helps. My eyes feel much less irritated. It burns a tiiiiny bit if you put it IN your eyes, but only for like 3 seconds, its so minor. My skin around my eyes normally burns a bit for about 2 minutes from the concentrated solution, and the rubbing.
Bicarbonate of soda has a gentle exfoliating effect. I've read that the crystals are round, so they do exfoliate, but they don't 'cut'. (You can take that info with a pinch of salt) whatever. but its pretty cool stuff.
So the combination of exfoliating the skin and the bicarb of soda every night, I've got much less sludge being generated in my eyes, and they feel! almost normal. phew!
I find the whole procedure of using a sterile cup, and a spoon, and cotton wool pads that you throw away to be a hassle and wasteful.
So I make sure my hands are clean, cup my left hand, put a tiny sprinkle of bicarb in it, drop a bit of water in and mix it up with my finger, then apply and exfoliate the area with my finger. I think my finger + the bicarb water is rough enough. And no nonsense, just rinse your hands and you're done.
I generally end off with putting the bicarb water all over and around my closed eyes.
Thats a really shitty place for a lot of bacteria to live.
Bacteria:
One thing that the average person doesn't know is that bacteria are everywhere. They were here before us, and they will be here after us. There are kilograms of bacteria living in and on your body. You couldn't escape them if you tried. Every square inch of your skin is covered in millions of bacteria. They evolve quickly, and there are bacteria for almost all conditions and environment. So just because theres a relatively (for the skin) high pH under your arms or near your eyes of 8.3 that NO bacteria are gonna live there. Thats not the case. The thing to focus on or try to change with bacteria, is the balance. You want bacteria living there that are not gonna be harmful, or will possibly even do some good.
If you use harsh substances to temporarily kill 99.9% of bacteria in an area, you're taking a big risk, because once the effect has worn off, any bacteria can take its place. Its better to have good bacteria occupying a space.
Its about balance.
Thanks if you read all that. For indulging my cyber ego.
Cos I'm probably not gonna read this again. The internet has too many forums, cyberspace is way too vast, and I already spend too much time on computers and the internet as it is.
So thank you all for your contributions, I've gained the knowledge I think I need, and hopefully shared something useful.
Cheers!
-----------
If you're a mod, maybe you could add the words ", dry eyes, and infection" to the topic, so that more people can find it with a search.
I'm grateful for having found this site with its very useful information. So firstly a big thank you to Rebecca and all the contributors.
I was recently told by an opthalmologist that I don't close my eyes completely when I sleep at night.
It was great to have a reason for the problem and something I could do about it.
He told me to get teargel, but then when I inquired about the ingredients of the teargel thats available locally, its a bunch of petrochemicals with some dodgy preservatives in them.
I came and looked on the forum again and saw you guys sleep with googles.
Really funny.
So I decided to go to sleep wearing my wrap around sunglasses, with a beanie over them to make sure they stay on, and keep light out etc.
It works amazingly! It makes the difference between really dry uncomfortable eyes that take most of the day to feel normal, and eyes that are just a tiny bit dry that only need like an hour to feel completely normal.
My sunglasses are quite uncomfortable for sleeping and scratched some skin off my nose, so now I've gotten one of those aeroplane ones, which is made of some synthetic fabric, which should hopefully keep the moisture in.
If they don't work well, i'll cut them open and put a layer of plastic inside them.
EYELID CLOSURE
I recently discovered that the problem is not that my eyes don't close completely at night... They don't close completely EVER.
I know this because if I'm outside and purposefully close my eyes without squeezing them closed, I can still see that the sky is blue.
I never thought anything of it before. But its actually a significant thing.
I was kind of relieved to find this out. It means that instead of a brain/nerve/muscle/behaviour problem its just a physical problem.
I could get my eyelids made longer somehow surgically, but I'll see how sleeping with a cover goes.
From googling about eyelid surgery I see there are millions of people who want LESS eyelid skin, and that the eyelids get longer over the years.
But that might be limited to being overweight, bad diet, lack of exercise. unhealthy skin, or just being really old. So its possible that in 15-20 years I'll have longer eyelids, but I don't hold my breath.
STUFF I'VE LEARNED WHICH IS USEFUL
Obviously I'm repeating things that you can read on this site. But I'll just share what I've learned briefly, things that are important to me, it might be useful to someone.
Steam from a cup of hot water:
Cupping your eye over a cup of boiling water (like herbal tea) is quite nice, the steam, the heat etc. Nice and easy too, and you get a cup of tea. Cupped with your hands. I haven't tried stereo yet.
Omega3:
I'm vegetarian, so I have ground flax seeds. It has no DHA in it, my body may be converting some of the ALA to DHA, if it needs it, who knows. The ophthalmologist said my eyes are hydrated, healthy, normal etc, its just the closure/evaporation problem at night.
Preservatives and harmful substances:
Pretty much everything in a pharmacy is harmful, having dry eyes, I was REALLY surprised to find that even eyedrops at a pharmacy are dodgy.
Its like an industry of hurt. Repeat business. Not impressed with it, not interested in a discussion about it either.
I've learnt over the years to check the ingredients on EVERYTHING.
Even something simple like an anti inflammatory pad for a muscle injury, has fluorine in it.
Olive Oil:
A really bad idea. Hurts like ****!!! Gotta try everything hey
Honey
Raw Honey is said to be anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti viral. You name it. They've found honey stored in tombs that are 4000 years old which is still perfectly edible. And its gooey.
So naturally I thought of trying it out. I tried it after the olive oil, so my results may be influenced. It also, hurts like ****. It may be a bit acidic though.
It might be possible to mix some bicarbonate of soda and water, then mix that with honey. It could be an idea.
Good quality coconut oil:
I've used it many times. Even this morning.
(since I decided not to sleep with sunglasses cos it was scratching skin off my nose) My eyes are really dry. I put some coconut oil in them. It helps.
Vision is not 100% with them though, but not a problem.
The only problem with coconut oil is its too light. After putting a lot of coconut oil in my eyes and going to sleep, eyes are still dry in the morning.
So its kind of useful, but not a magical elixir.
Eye Drops:
You can make your own, by boiling some distilled water and some salt and maybe some bicarbonate of soda. You can look up a recipe online.
I have found one brand of eye-drops so far that doesn't include heavy substances in their ingredients. The brand is Similasan. They have one marked 'Computer Eye Relief'.
Its homeopathic, not that I REALLY believe in homeopathy, but it can't hurt, thats for sure. And a placebo can go a long way. The main thing is they don't put harmful stuff in their mix.
Their preservative is silver sulphate at 0.000039%. Seems pretty cool to me.
Topical Anti-Biotics
I got an eye infection on an overseas holiday over a year ago.
It causes buildup of slime which irritates my eyes. Its a similar feeling to dry eyes, but actually different.
The doc didn't really know what it was. His standard procedure is ~"lets throw some anti-biotics at it and see what happens."
I don't mind topical anti-biotics.
Tried chloromycetin gel. Was supposed to use it 2x a day. But I couldn't see/work in the morning with it in my eyes, so I only used it at night.
It didn't work.
I went back a few months later. And asked him to give me drops. He suggested I do gel at night and drops 2x per day. He said thats the max advisable dose.
I tried that for 2-3 weeks. It didn't work for ****.
I also went to 2 optometrists who were also unable to help.
Now probably more than a year after getting the eye infection. I went to the ophthalmologist. I was really pleased. Someone who actually knows whats going on.
He said every hair follicle on my eyelashes is infected, the slime they release is a byproduct they make, which irritates the eye. I thought maybe the slime was clogging my eyes (causing dryness), because I noticed more slime buildup meant more feeling of dry eyes, but its just irritation.
He said there are microscopic scabs surrounding every hair follicle, which protect the bacteria from getting washed away, soap, medication etc.
He said eveyone has this bacteria on their skin, these have just managed to make a home there. He said I've got to scrub the area 2-3x a day, and really give the bacteria a hard time, no place to hide etc.
He perscribed a systemic (something you take into your entire body, in this case, a pill) anti-biotic for 2 weeks. He said that probably won't work on its own. I must do the scrubbing in a dedicated way for about 3 months.
I'd rather not take the anti-biotic if I can avoid it. Anti biotics are really unhealthy. They kill all the good bacteria, so after the antibiotics are stopped the bad bacteria take over.
Bicarbonate of Soda
This encounter with the ophthalmologist got me thinking about a way to make my eyelashes less of a nice home for the bacteria. I started thinking of natural substances, garlic, etc.
Bicarbonate of soda came to mind and seemed like a good thing to try.
I use baking soda under my arms as a deodorant. It works amazingly well. It works by raising the pH to about 8.3 which is too high for the underarm bacteria that create odour to live in. 8.3 is not that much more than 7, so it seemed like a reasonable guess that it wouldn't cause harm to the eye.
Also with the amount of chemicals that accidentally get into the human eye. The directions on hazardous products normally say "if it gets in your eyes, wash thoroughly with water for 10 minutes or whatever until the burning stops"
Stuff containing Sodium Hydroxide etc, that can really eat through skin.
And plus, the cornea is quite thick, it can survive a few injuries.
Enough about that. Basically in my mind a pH of 8.3 didn't present much of a hazard. (pH Neutral Water is 7)
So I tried it. As concentrated as you can mix it. I've been washing my eyelids & eyelashes with it. I've done it for 3 days so far. It really helps. My eyes feel much less irritated. It burns a tiiiiny bit if you put it IN your eyes, but only for like 3 seconds, its so minor. My skin around my eyes normally burns a bit for about 2 minutes from the concentrated solution, and the rubbing.
Bicarbonate of soda has a gentle exfoliating effect. I've read that the crystals are round, so they do exfoliate, but they don't 'cut'. (You can take that info with a pinch of salt) whatever. but its pretty cool stuff.
So the combination of exfoliating the skin and the bicarb of soda every night, I've got much less sludge being generated in my eyes, and they feel! almost normal. phew!
I find the whole procedure of using a sterile cup, and a spoon, and cotton wool pads that you throw away to be a hassle and wasteful.
So I make sure my hands are clean, cup my left hand, put a tiny sprinkle of bicarb in it, drop a bit of water in and mix it up with my finger, then apply and exfoliate the area with my finger. I think my finger + the bicarb water is rough enough. And no nonsense, just rinse your hands and you're done.
I generally end off with putting the bicarb water all over and around my closed eyes.
Thats a really shitty place for a lot of bacteria to live.
Bacteria:
One thing that the average person doesn't know is that bacteria are everywhere. They were here before us, and they will be here after us. There are kilograms of bacteria living in and on your body. You couldn't escape them if you tried. Every square inch of your skin is covered in millions of bacteria. They evolve quickly, and there are bacteria for almost all conditions and environment. So just because theres a relatively (for the skin) high pH under your arms or near your eyes of 8.3 that NO bacteria are gonna live there. Thats not the case. The thing to focus on or try to change with bacteria, is the balance. You want bacteria living there that are not gonna be harmful, or will possibly even do some good.
If you use harsh substances to temporarily kill 99.9% of bacteria in an area, you're taking a big risk, because once the effect has worn off, any bacteria can take its place. Its better to have good bacteria occupying a space.
Its about balance.
Thanks if you read all that. For indulging my cyber ego.
Cos I'm probably not gonna read this again. The internet has too many forums, cyberspace is way too vast, and I already spend too much time on computers and the internet as it is.
So thank you all for your contributions, I've gained the knowledge I think I need, and hopefully shared something useful.
Cheers!
-----------
If you're a mod, maybe you could add the words ", dry eyes, and infection" to the topic, so that more people can find it with a search.