New frustrated member

[FAYE1]

I have been dealing with dry eyes for at least 7 yrs now, have been to several eye doctors and recently found one that specializes in eye diseases and I had a little hope after seeing him but that hope is fading quickly! My eyes are chronically red which has drastically affected all areas of my life, esp. social portion. I have MGG/Blepharitis (posterior mostly) & I have been advised this is the cause of my dry eyes. I use Restasis 4x daily (which is expensive), take doxycycline 2x daily, use hot compresses twice daily and do lid scrubs 2x daily & in between all of this use Systane drops and pull out eyelashes all day. I feel like the treatment has over taken my life and I see no improvement. My eye doc states some of the oil glands in my eyes are able to be expressed as a result of this regimen, he expressed 1 with a Q-tip and thought that was improvement! Just looking for some advice on how to deal with the depression and anxiety of having red eyes all the time as a woman, how to deal with people starring and asking what is wrong. I have tried counseling but I feel no one understands.

[bp77]

I have been dealing with dry eyes for at least 7 yrs now, have been to several eye doctors and recently found one that specializes in eye diseases and I had a little hope after seeing him but that hope is fading quickly! My eyes are chronically red which has drastically affected all areas of my life, esp. social portion. I have MGG/Blepharitis (posterior mostly) & I have been advised this is the cause of my dry eyes. I use Restasis 4x daily (which is expensive), take doxycycline 2x daily, use hot compresses twice daily and do lid scrubs 2x daily & in between all of this use Systane drops and pull out eyelashes all day. I feel like the treatment has over taken my life and I see no improvement. My eye doc states some of the oil glands in my eyes are able to be expressed as a result of this regimen, he expressed 1 with a Q-tip and thought that was improvement! Just looking for some advice on how to deal with the depression and anxiety of having red eyes all the time as a woman, how to deal with people starring and asking what is wrong. I have tried counseling but I feel no one understands.

I know what u go through, I am a young woman too and i stoped going out with my friends and to parties.normal people do not understand even if u explain to them.why do u pull out eyelashes? have u tried azsite on the lids? on the lash line? my lashes are growing head down too.My lids are red and swellen too. Do u have plugs?u can send pm if u want.

[MBC]

red eyes

Hi

I hear your frustration with constant red and swollen eyes and lids. I had them as well. I looked awful and felt worse. I looked like I had been punched in the eyes. I am buy no means cured of dry eye but I am on a special drop that got rid of 90% of the visible inflammation. It is expensive ($140) per month and only available through Dr. Dana at the Mass Eye and Ear Hospital in Boston. It is called kineret and is not yet on the market. The clinical trial showed about a 30% success rate. I have read that Restasis went on the market after only a 15% success rate (not sure, I only read this from someone else). You can still get the drops even though the trial is over if you see him. I know what it is like to go from doctor to doctor looking for a cure. Best of luck

[FAYE1]

I know what u go through, I am a young woman too and i stoped going out with my friends and to parties.normal people do not understand even if u explain to them.why do u pull out eyelashes? have u tried azsite on the lids? on the lash line? my lashes are growing head down too.My lids are red and swellen too. Do u have plugs?u can send pm if u want.

Hi,

I don't know why I pull out my eyelashes.I used to think it was stress but they always feel like they are in my eye so I pull until I think I have found the irritating ones. I did try Azasite for a month or 2 but nothing changed as far as the redness. I did have plugs for almost a year but new eye doc removed them since they were adding to my eye irritation. How do you function with this type of lifestyle? I try to avoid eye contact with all people as much as possible, very difficult when you want to be sociable.

[bp77]

Hi,

I don't know why I pull out my eyelashes.I used to think it was stress but they always feel like they are in my eye so I pull until I think I have found the irritating ones. I did try Azasite for a month or 2 but nothing changed as far as the redness. I did have plugs for almost a year but new eye doc removed them since they were adding to my eye irritation. How do you function with this type of lifestyle? I try to avoid eye contact with all people as much as possible, very difficult when you want to be sociable.

I live day by day, every day i am figthing with dryness and burning. I have no life any more,and i am not able to asleep at night . for me life is over and i am so young with 3 little kids. the whole day i have to take care of my eyes. I used to love going to parties, shopping, going out with my husband, friends and now everything has stopped for me, it is sad. hope one day they find the cure for all of us as this condition can take over ur life.

[rooneyandfergie]

Hi Faye1

Although dryness hasn't really been a big issue for me until the last couple of years, the redness in my eyes has really been a pretty big issue for me. Not only are my eyes burning and discomfortable, i have also suffered from sinus issues since dry eyes which has caused a certain degree of pain and discomfort in the eyebrow areas. I too am of a young age so i do wonder many times how i am going to cope with it for the rest of my life.

however, the redness has really taken over my social life like what you are experiencing. I have tried a lot of drops, warm compresses, omega 3 and tons of other stuff that we dry eye people are so accustomed to hearing. Nothing has really helped. There are still alternating periods of pink to red. They are never really like what they used to be. Perhaps the only thing that works is Visine. But those stuff are really nasty to the eyes and dry them out even more.

I have problems socializing as much nowadays because my eyes are always so tired. In addition the air conditioning in many places further dry out my eyes and make them discomfortable. Like many people i dread being asked why am i using artificial tears or even why i am wearing tinted glasses (which i used previously to hide the redness) or even why my eyes are so red. It really brings me down when people remark how red my eyes are or when my eyes are really discomfortable. I do understand what you mean when people just dont understand. They dont know how debilitating dry eye can be. People seem to think that a few drops of artificial tears will make it go away. i don't know what the solution to the problem is but perhaps acceptance of reality and a bit of hope for a cure or better treatment options in the future will make it better.

[FAYE1]

Hi rooneyandfergie,

I hear you on this. My dryness had not been as big an issue now that I have been on Restasis for a few months. It is a bittersweet situation though. My eyes feel better but look just as horrible. I have not experienced any sinus issues like you which I'm sure makes matters worst. Working all day in front of a computer and in air conditioning can be pretty challenging for me. Then I have long commute home. I have even considered trying to figure out a career that does not require strain on my eyes. Maybe as we get older, the questions people ask will not matter. I just dread assuming that I will have to live with this issue forever. Visine helps a little but it quickly fades away and I know it makes my eyes dryer and even redder later. The problem I have is that I do not see anyone else with this problem. So, it does make me feel really alone. I guess all we can do is pray for a way to cope until a cure is found.

Hi Faye1

Although dryness hasn't really been a big issue for me until the last couple of years, the redness in my eyes has really been a pretty big issue for me. Not only are my eyes burning and discomfortable, i have also suffered from sinus issues since dry eyes which has caused a certain degree of pain and discomfort in the eyebrow areas. I too am of a young age so i do wonder many times how i am going to cope with it for the rest of my life.

however, the redness has really taken over my social life like what you are experiencing. I have tried a lot of drops, warm compresses, omega 3 and tons of other stuff that we dry eye people are so accustomed to hearing. Nothing has really helped. There are still alternating periods of pink to red. They are never really like what they used to be. Perhaps the only thing that works is Visine. But those stuff are really nasty to the eyes and dry them out even more.

I have problems socializing as much nowadays because my eyes are always so tired. In addition the air conditioning in many places further dry out my eyes and make them discomfortable. Like many people i dread being asked why am i using artificial tears or even why i am wearing tinted glasses (which i used previously to hide the redness) or even why my eyes are so red. It really brings me down when people remark how red my eyes are or when my eyes are really discomfortable. I do understand what you mean when people just dont understand. They dont know how debilitating dry eye can be. People seem to think that a few drops of artificial tears will make it go away. i don't know what the solution to the problem is but perhaps acceptance of reality and a bit of hope for a cure or better treatment options in the future will make it better.

[PotatoCakes]

I can relate to the social aspects. My eyes were one of my best features and now, instead of bright blue, all people see is red, swollen, lashes down (I'm convinced this is because I cover my eyes at night to keep my lids shut) and of course, no makeup. My husband is in the public eye so on occasion, I wear makeup so I don't look like a total freak in pictures but the next few days following, are agony. Some days I have such hope that something can be done to help me but others, I feel such despair.