new and sleep deprived

[froniga]

re. hydorchlorothiazide

Hi Rebecca- re. the diuretics, it was my doctor who suggested I stop the drug in an attempt to re-hydrate. I am hoping he'll allow me back on it in time, as I'm trying to hold all the bits and pieces of my health together. It is a very low dosage. Half of a 25mg pill/day.

I'm wondering if anyone here suffering from dryeye uses/ceased using hydrochlorothiazide and has an opinion.

Thanks for all your other info as well.

[froniga]

Yes, Neil & Rebecca. I told my eye doctor over a month ago that the various glaucoma meds seems counter productive, and they're not working for the glaucoma. According to him I seem one of those medically resistent to these drugs. I've been obediantly trying one after another for over a year to no effect, except of course, to dry out the eyes even more.

We're on the same page.

I am taking a drug from Europe, aminoguanidine, which prevents cross linking of cells. I take it for other medical reasons but tests by FDA and other places have shown that even though it doesn't reduce the pressure associated with glaucoma, it does protect the optic nerve from the damage that high pressure usually causes. So I'm covering all bases. I certainly don't want to go blind and my optic nerves are remaining ok despite the ups and downs in pressure. This is why I'm now able to be more agreesive in my dry eye treatment and refuse the traditional meds which worsened dryeye.

I appreciate your conscientiousness in advising too.

[froniga]

more questions come to mind. can you help?

There are a few more questions I had, and perhaps others know more than I.

After the SLT (selective laser trabeculoplasty) procedures on both eyes for glaucoma, I began feeling eye pain. It was a pulling or shrinking or squeezing sensation, even sometimes a stabbing feeling. SLT is not supposed to produce this, and my eye doctor said it was the dry eye. This pain went on periodically for a month or two. I had not experienced this before the procedure and now 4 months later I still have these twinges once in a while. Is this something other dry eye sufferers feel?

My doctor is talking of another more agressive SLT (more laser zaps, and higher setting). I must admit to being uncomfortable with the prospect as it didn't work for me although 80% have success, and the dry eye worsened.

Someone here mentioned that dry eye and glaucoma can go together and I need to understand more before making any decisions for another surgerical procedure.

My second question is this: for me it's when I lie down that it gets really rough to endure, the eyes burn painfully. I've tried sleeping propped up with pillows to awake often due to the unaccustumed position and with a backache as well by morning.

Also during the night or wee small hours, when the dry eye is flaming in pain, I feel very hot and need to urinate badly losing a large amount of liquid. I say I feel hot as I've tried taking my temp, but it's not high. My mouth and ears are now drying out at night too. In reporting these things, have rec'd no feedback from my doctors. Is this something others have experienced?

[indrep]

glaucoma and DES

These are two independent diseases. They are not related.

[shells]

After the SLT (selective laser trabeculoplasty) procedures on both eyes for glaucoma, I began feeling eye pain. It was a pulling or shrinking or squeezing sensation, even sometimes a stabbing feeling. SLT is not supposed to produce this, and my eye doctor said it was the dry eye. This pain went on periodically for a month or two. I had not experienced this before the procedure and now 4 months later I still have these twinges once in a while. Is this something other dry eye sufferers feel?

Hi Froniga,

I think that I may have similar pain from my dry eye. I would describe it more as a pressure feeling though. Like my eyes are being squeezed or pushed forward. It is directly behind my eyes and sometimes goes further and aches in other areas surrounding my eyes. I get the stabbing feeling occasionally, but it is mostly the pressure/squeezing that is painful. My doctor also says that this could be from the dry eye. In your case though, I wonder if it didn't have something to do with your SLT. I'm not even sure what SLT is, but after having dry eye your whole life, it seems strange that this new pain would only come on after you had that procedure done.

Oh, and you mentioned something about going back to look at previous posts, I think...? When you are replying if you just scroll down the page you can see all of the recent replies .

-Shells

[neil0502]

Shelley-

When your only tool is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.

So ... with that....

My primary diagnosis--the one that had me disabled for 5yrs, and that has me disabled again, and that led to the 7yrs of BAK-containing drops ... that led me here!--was ciliary (or accommodative) spasm. It's really a cramp in the focusing muscles.

I think lots of people have it, but very, very few are symptomatic. Here's how you could know if this is what you have:

1) Have you had a cycloplegic (dilated) exam since this pain started? If it's accommodative, then the drops should make the pain go away temporarily;

2) Do you do the corn/rice bag thing? Ten minutes with a good warm corn bag over your eyes has been proven to relieve some accommodative spasm [1]. If the pain you're describing goes away--even a bit--with the warmth, then you may have an accommodative issue.

How is it treated if you do have it? Well, I'm glad you asked....

Eye doctors may alter your prescription based on a dilated exam, perhaps even giving you bifocals or bifocal contact lenses. They could also refer you to a behavioral optometrist for accommodative amplitude training.

Good luck!

Neil

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

[froniga]

origins of acute attacks of dryeye

Like my eyes are being squeezed or pushed forward. It is directly behind my eyes and sometimes goes further and aches in other areas surrounding my eyes. I get the stabbing feeling occasionally, but it is mostly the pressure/squeezing that is painful.

Yes! Shells, you described it very well. It comes on suddenly and started after the SLT. Which is a new laser treatment for glaucoma, essentially zapping the iris area, in my case 90 times in each eye. There is a protective template of some sort put over the area and my doctor thinks this overlay plus the laser-ing set it off. And it is like squeezing. I haven't been able to articulate it, but you're right on, and it often seems behind the eyes.

I was concerned that my eyes were somehow damaged by the laser procedure, but my eye surgeon says it was more the dry eye taken to a new level by the treatment (that on top of all the medical drops over the previous months had pushed the condition to serious). He felt sure that the squeezing type pain would subside and as I recover from procedures and meds it is much less. Only once in a while instead of for hours every day.

And to the other poster, yes, I know glaucoma and dry eye are considered two conditions, but in me, I just have trouble in the eyes and these are the components I need to address. Right now I am dedicated to resolving this severe dryness, esp. when it's so bad during the early morning hours as the resultant lack of good rest impacts my whole system, not to mention my mental weirdness and nodding off into REM in the middle of the day.

Since I've lived with a degree of dryeye all my days, I have adapted, but something triggered the over the top condition last September, way before the SLT. One thing that happened then could be a coincidence: I took a nasty fall with a deep gash in knee requiring 14 stitches, it became badly infected and I took two different heavy duty anti-biotics simultaneously and was briefly hospitalized as the doctors feared it was possibly that flesh eating disease. (ugh!)

That's all history now and I'm mended, but that's when this dry-eye-at-night began. At first I thought maybe it's a reaction to all the antibiotics, infection etc and quit the glaucoma drops for a month, just in case, thinking it would pass. But it's still here and I'm committed to working this out. Thanks to your help here I now feel I will get to the bottom of this.

tech note: I tried answering below Shell's post, but could not, so trying at the bottom of messages.

[Guest]

Night time relief

Hi Froniga

I recently joined this site as I developed DES as a result of epi-Lasek, I envy your strength that you have endured this to some degree since birth, I have only struggled with it for 7 months.

Until I discovered Genteal Gel (thanks to Gaye), I had a terrible trouble with night time dryness, waking every 2 - 4 hours to reapply drops and ointments.

Like others, I would not recommend ointments. I found that they made my eyes dryer as no tears seemed to stay on the surface of my eye. My original DR prescribed Lacrilube (car grease for eyes), some people find it OK, I like many others just found it to exacerbated the problem. My eyes had no wettability during the day, so I continued on a downward spiral.

I too tried the humidifier (on the bedside table) but found that it made very little if any difference.

I am now using Genteal Gel and a simple gel filled eye mask that completely covers my eyes. This seems to be working as I am now getting some proper uniterrupted sleep. My next move will be onto Dwelle of an evening (in about a month or so). Lots of people swear by this.

You are certainly in the right place there are loads of caring people here to help you deal with this and help you find the solution that will work for you.

Regards
Ian

[froniga]

the comfort of understanding persons

As I've said, the lack of good rest has impacted my mental state, and now I feel I've found a pod of dolphins, holding me up, squeaking and clicking kind and wise words.

Several have suggested masks, compresses, saranwrap, etc. I was nervous about that as I have cornea scratches and feared infection but now it seems to be a next step. I did try a gel mask way back when it started and maybe it was too old and dirty as the night agonies started shortly after. I'm game to try again.

Thanks all, you may know how grateful I feel as I suspect you've been there yourself. squeak! whistle! click! back atcha.

[kitty]

Froniga, I could describe my eye pain from DES as you did, though I never had eye surgery. Have you been worked up for an autoimmune disorder, such as Sjogrens? The dry eyes, dry mouth and dry ears etc. just makes me wonder if there might not be something more going on that might explain some of your symptoms. There could be more than one cause of your DES.

[froniga]

Yes, kitty, my eye doc said the description of the eye pain sounded like dry eye rather than anything else. I think the surgery just tipped the scale even more on an already sensitive area.

And yes, I am in the process of being tested for auto immune diseases and Sjogren by my doctor, in fact my test results will be given me tomorrow. My doctor is being thorough but after examining for swollen glands and questioning me he feels the tests are just to rule these out, but we'll see. I'll know more tomorrow. It would be great to nail down the cause(s) that made my dryeye since birth suddenly be so debilitating. Then I could get on a track to healing.

Which brings to mind a question. Has anyone tried acupuncture? (no no, not needles in the eyes, yikes, but maybe stimulating tear production). I'm open to anything, as I'm sure many of you are.

[sazy123]

Froniga:

this is off the topis of eyes, but you said you know alot about sinuses. Ive had this what i think is sinuses pressure constantly for past 2 months, been on 4 lots of antibiotics which still has not cleared it up. They have helped somewhat (i think). I dont have any nasal symptoms, so im worried that this isnt a sinus problem at all and is something else. becuase i have read its rare to have sinus pain without nasal symptoms. do you know anything abou this? the pain is exactly where my sinuses are. and dont have any symptoms of any other headache. I have used a netipot to irrigate them with salt water, hydrogen peroxide-which i read loads of places helps, it helps but not for long. im being refered to an ENT. Have you had the pressure without the nasal symptoms?

also do your dry eye feel better during a sinus infection? mine have felt good the whole time ive had this pressure!

[froniga]

Hi Sazy

In my experience with sinuses, sometimes you need to irrigate with a neti pot often. (and yes, drops of hydrogen peroxide help) You may need to do it repeatedly to get relief if indeed there is plugged up condition. Do you get any sinus dripping (like a tickle in the throat?) Does your nose run after the neti pot? I'm glad you're off to see an ENT on this problem to explore all the causes.

The eyes, sinuses, nose are connected, be sure to tell the ENT about the dry eyes. They may compartamentalize parts of the body, but we live in all parts and often the causes are connected. I noticed since I got plugs in the tear ducts and humidify my bedroom at night I can wake with a sinus headache which is relieved with a neti irrigation or two. You should be safe doing the neti pot as often as needed, per their instructions. Sometimes after a neti pot procedure my eyes do seem moister for a bit.

Good luck on your doc visit. I'm off to see mine and get test results today for possible underlying causes.

ta
Froniga