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[apemaia]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum but unfortunately not new to dry eye.

I'm from Italy.

I've suffered from inflammation and dry eye since two years ago when I had PRK. All the doctors I've seen so far say there's no link between PRK and dry eye but I somewhat cannot believe them.

I have punctum plugs but cannot take eyedrops because it seems I'm allergic to all of them especially cortisone (still trying new types though). The only thing I use is an oitment with vitamin A for the night although when I wake up in the morning my eyes are red and aching.

I'll soon be tested for Sjogren but I have no other symptoms but dry eye.

I'm still looking for a medical centre or hospital specialised for my condition but so far no luck with that. I'll soon try San Raffele Hospital in Milan.

If any of you has any advice please talk to me.

Anyone from Italy by the way?

Grazia

[rooneyandfergie]

Hi apemaia,

Firstly i think you need to find out what kind of dry eye you have. Is it because of a lack of quantity of tears or quality (tears evaporate too fast)? Punctal plugs help lack of quantity but not with the quality.

Waking up in the morning with red eyes may be a sign of blepharitis or MGD which usually leads to bad quality of tears. Try warm compresses and omega 3 to lower the inflammation. Instead of trying steroid eye drops which you are allergic to anyway and cause a lot of side effects, you should probably ask for Restasis which can be taken long term and has a better safety profile. However that takes at least 3 months to see a noticeable effect.

You should probably use artificial tears as well to lubricate the eye and prevent them from getting worse.