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Hi everyone,
I'm Ava, 21 and from New Zealand. I've suffered from dry eye for a bit over a year. Even though I haven't signed up to these forums until now, they've been a huge help, so thanks!
A little about my eyes: My eyes have been prone to dryness for as long as I can remember, but it didn't cause me any problems until I caught an eye infection presumably picked up in an eye clinic in Papua New Guinea. I was treated with antibiotic drops which caused pain and redness. My doctor told me that it was because the antibiotics weren't working, so I was treated with another two courses of different antibiotic drops. When I was still having problems I saw an optometrist who told me that the infection had actually cleared up and it was dry eye that was causing the recurring problem. The overuse of the antibiotics made it a lot worse.
More than a year later, I still have bad dry eye. I saw two optometrists who couldn't figure it out so they referred me to a specialist. That was a very disappointing experience. Despite the fact that I told him I hadn't worn contact lenses in months, he said the cause of my dry eye was overuse of contact lenses and that LASIK surgery (done by his friend?!) would solve all my problems.
I still don't know why I have dry eye but it really affects me. I can't wear make-up or contact lenses and there a lot of situations I now tend to avoid. I can't stand air conditioning or heating which makes travelling and even going to uni and work really hard. I've gone off birth control pills (didn't help) and I recently quit my antidepressants cold turkey because I'm getting desperate (haven't noticed a difference in my eyes yet, only in mood :/). I use BION and Blink artificial tears several times a day. They are okay - when I was in the states I found Systane Ultra much better but unfortunately I can't buy it in New Zealand or even import it, apparently. I also use Polyvisc nighttime eye ointment (parrifin and wool fat) every night. I take Theratears nutrition when I remember and do warm compresses occasionally.
I have an appointment with another specialist next month so I'm hoping to get some more information and maybe even a proper diagnoses then. I'd love for this to be over and not have to endure the constant pain, vision problems, and expense of all these products and specialists! But it looks like this is something I'll be dealing with for a while.
Thanks
I'm Ava, 21 and from New Zealand. I've suffered from dry eye for a bit over a year. Even though I haven't signed up to these forums until now, they've been a huge help, so thanks!
A little about my eyes: My eyes have been prone to dryness for as long as I can remember, but it didn't cause me any problems until I caught an eye infection presumably picked up in an eye clinic in Papua New Guinea. I was treated with antibiotic drops which caused pain and redness. My doctor told me that it was because the antibiotics weren't working, so I was treated with another two courses of different antibiotic drops. When I was still having problems I saw an optometrist who told me that the infection had actually cleared up and it was dry eye that was causing the recurring problem. The overuse of the antibiotics made it a lot worse.
More than a year later, I still have bad dry eye. I saw two optometrists who couldn't figure it out so they referred me to a specialist. That was a very disappointing experience. Despite the fact that I told him I hadn't worn contact lenses in months, he said the cause of my dry eye was overuse of contact lenses and that LASIK surgery (done by his friend?!) would solve all my problems.
I still don't know why I have dry eye but it really affects me. I can't wear make-up or contact lenses and there a lot of situations I now tend to avoid. I can't stand air conditioning or heating which makes travelling and even going to uni and work really hard. I've gone off birth control pills (didn't help) and I recently quit my antidepressants cold turkey because I'm getting desperate (haven't noticed a difference in my eyes yet, only in mood :/). I use BION and Blink artificial tears several times a day. They are okay - when I was in the states I found Systane Ultra much better but unfortunately I can't buy it in New Zealand or even import it, apparently. I also use Polyvisc nighttime eye ointment (parrifin and wool fat) every night. I take Theratears nutrition when I remember and do warm compresses occasionally.
I have an appointment with another specialist next month so I'm hoping to get some more information and maybe even a proper diagnoses then. I'd love for this to be over and not have to endure the constant pain, vision problems, and expense of all these products and specialists! But it looks like this is something I'll be dealing with for a while.
Thanks
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