Hi! Im New..and have Mild Dry Eye

[MildDryEyes]

Hi! I recently have been diagnosed with Mild Dry Eye after having some vessels show up with some redness in my eyes while wearing contacts...After not wearing contacts for weeks , I went to the Dr...I also have had blepheritis in the past, and I believe my major issue with dry is is that my glands are not producing enough oil...I have been advised that I may not be able to wear my contact lenses full time anymore At first this was very hard for me, but I have been getting used to my glasses...
Despite not wearing contacts, I feel my eyes are the same, treatment and all..Ive been on Azasite, and SootheXP ...
My eyes feel fine, only are uncomfortable some of the time..I guess the major complaint is seeling those vessels in the eyes...Will they ever go away?? They stay there regardless of whether or not I wear my contacts...My eyes only get red from contacts after 4-5 hrs....I used to wear them 12 hrs...
Any advice about the vessels? They probably have always been there , but maybe they are more inflamed now....
Any advice?
My Dr also gave me the run down on using rice compresses, and changing my contact lenses solution to brands liek Biotrue...Have not tried those yet though...Thanks!

[rooneyandfergie]

Milddryeyes, pls do not wear contacts anymore. I started to have very bad red eyes due to the growth of many new red veins after a bout of contact lens wearing. I know its tough to be suddenly unable to wear contacts anymore. Trust me i've been through that. However, you need to stop it before your eyes get any dryer or redder. I feel that your doctor's advice about changing the contact lens solution to be not very valid. The red veins are usually not a result of an allergy or irritation to the contact lens solution.

They are usually due to your eyes being too dry and new veins creep out to try to supply the cornea with oxygen. This usually happens over a prolonged period of contact lens wearing. If serious, it could lead to worse situations such as corneal neovascularization.

The red veins can also be due to an underlying bacterial or viral infection. When you wear contact lens with these underlying conditions, it can also cause the growth of many new blood vessels. Your eyes will turn red and will stay that way even after resting your eyes for a long time. This is usually more acute in nature compared to the previous case. My red eyes was due to the 2nd case where i believed i had a bacterial infection.

I also had blepharitis before i had my red eyes. i believed that the underlying blepharitis hastened the formation of the blood vessels when i wore my contacts.

But you are a bit lucky in the sense that you don't experience the dry eye symptoms all the time. Hence, it's not that serious or debilitating yet. I don't know what kind of tests the doctor has already run you through. But you should get a proper dry eye doctor to give you the usual dry eye tests such as Schirmer's and TBUT to determine and confirm that your dry eye is indeed mild and your blepharitis has indeed cleared up.

Take note that once you get blepharitis, it is usually a chronic problem. It could go away after you apply some antibiotic eye drops but it could resurface after some time. You need to keep it in check by doing warm compresses and lid hygiene. This will help to reduce and prevent eye redness. You can also try cold compresses which will help to relax and constrict the blood vessels in your eyes. This will in turn make your eyes whiter. Also, if your dry eye is mild, you can use a normal strength artificial tear 4 times a day to keep the eye moist. When the eye is kept moist, it will not be as red. NEVER EVER use eye redness reliever eye drops such as Visine. Many people suffer from rebound redness due to abuse of those. It only makes the situation worse.

You can also wear tinted glasses if it really becomes unmanageable. That helps to hide the redness a bit. Lastly, there has been talk about anti-vegf therapy in the Dr Latkany part of the forum. Hopefully, it becomes an option for us in the future. You can also take omega 3 to improve meibomian gland function which could be compromised by blepharitis. It works well for some people. Even if it doesn't work for your eyes, it is still good for general health. Try not to use too many eye drops with preservatives. Those are really bad for the eyes in the long term. Take care and hopefully your eye redness and dryness will improve

[MildDryEyes]

Thanks

Yes, much of your advice was what my Dr said..I had the blepheritis about 6 yrs ago..I always wash my lids, and honestly have never had problems with it again...The vessels are not too bad, no one really seems to notice them but me..I just know there are more there then what used to be...
Ive heard that alot about contact lens wear, but my Dr I believe disagrees..He said my contacts have not caused dry eye...I have worn them for 10 yrs, thats all, and they are the ones that allow the most oxygen to the cornea..I jsut dont get the whole contact lens thing..If they are bad for our eyes, then why are they still prescribed???
Im confused about contact lens wear now..I will ask my Dr..As my eyes look the same with out lenses for a month, then they do with me wearing them for 4-6 hrs..I just cant wear them 10-12 hrs, then they get red...
So will wearing them 4-5 hrs a day cause more vessels or destroy my eyes more?? I have no idea right now...I have not really won them as Im afraid..
Dr thinks I may sleep with one eye open..Im just tring to find out what is causing the dry eyes...Thank you for all your advice, and if you have further comments, please go ahead..Dr also doesnt think Im allergic to solution, but said the Biotrue may help with contact lens wear a little bit ...
I think the worst part about it is Im a very young 37, and to have to wear glasses and change your whole look is honestly a little bothersome to me...
But, I am getting used to it, I guess..I actually feel like I see clearer in my glasses, maybe because my contacts were irritating me all this time and I didnt realize it...

[MildDryEyes]

One more thing

Also, I was tested with all the tests but not sure of the results...just said it was an oil problem with the glands, and I have Mild Dry eye...
If the Dry eye goes away, will the vessels get really small again>?

[rooneyandfergie]

Hi MildDryEyes,

I am 25 years of age myself. I started having eye redness problems when many new blood vessels that grew in my eyes remained even after taking out my contact lens. Contact lens may not be the cause of dry eyes but will it exacerbate the dry eye condition if it is already pre-existing. I strongly believe it will at least in my case. I am sure you must have known a lot of friends that have complained of dry eyes after a long day of contact lens wearing. This shows that contact lens does dry out the eye. It would be better to stop wearing them now rather than to have the growth of many new eye vessels that wont go away. Think about it this way. Would you rather have red eyes and continue to wear contacts or would you rather have white eyes and wear glasses? Do lay off the contacts for the sake of your eye health.

Sorry to say this but the blood vessels will most likely not go away. With better care of the eyes, the blood vessels can be reduced or less red. But they will always remain there. Since they are now there, your eyes tend to become red more easily. this is because once the blood vessels are flushed with blood, they will become red. There is a term called ghost vessels which you can google. That's what the blood vessels in your eyes will become if you take good care of them. Those vessels will not be used by the eyes to transport blood which will reduce its redness. for me, the redness is one of the most difficult things i had to deal with. however, as i mentioned hopefully medical science will provide a safe and effective solution for that in the future.

Take great comfort in the fact that your eyes are fine most of the time. You can still look good in glasses. A lot of the members in the forum suffer from discomfortable eyes all the time, myself included, which makes their life quite a pain. The health of your eyes should always come first before the aesthetics. Feel free to keep posting any questions you might have on the forum. A better understanding of your eye condition always helps