New to Posting; Severe Dry Eye Sufferer

[LindaLa]

Hi everyone: I am new to posting, but have been viewing this forum for some time now. I have found it to provide a wealth of information. A little about me. After reading through many of these posts, I guess my story will sound all too familiar. I began to suffer from severe dry eye about 18 months ago. Prior to that, I was being treated for rosacea which had begun to affect my eyes. I would say that my eyes were dry at that time, but other than some discomfort, it was not something I was bothered with everyday. I was on doxycycline (oral 100 mg) and metrogel. I would use hot compresses when I felt some discomfort. I had the condition fairly controlled. Then I took a trip to the beautiful island of St. John. My dermatologist instructed me to go off the doxycycline for 2-3 weeks prior to the trip due to the issue of sun sensitivity. On the flight back home, I began to have the sensation of something in my right eye. I swore that I must have gotten some sand in my eye. The sensation continued through the weekend and by Monday morning, I was in such discomfort that I made an appt. with the opthamologist. My regular doctor was not in, but I was able to see another dr. in the practice. He said that I didn't have any sand in my eye, but that I had an abrasion on my cornea. He treated me with antibiotic and steroid drops and instructed me to go back on the doxycycline. This was the beginning of my severe dry eye saga. I felt some relief after a day or two, but as soon as I went off the drops, I began to experience the same symptoms. I was back to the eye dr. - next time seeing my regular opthamologist. She put me on Lotemax and told me to use it whenever I had a flare up. She told me to stay on the doxycycline. I didn't want to be on antiobiotics all the time, so when my rosacea was under control, I would stop the doxy. In hindsight, I think that going off the doxycycline would cause a flare up in dry eye symptoms. The lotemax would help with the grittiness and the feeling of having something in my eye, but after a week or so, I began to develop blurried vision/cloudiness in my eye. She was hesitant to put me on a different steroid, so I stopped using the Lotemax. The question became do I prefer blurry vision or be uncomfortable with feeling I had something in my eye all the time. With so much discomfort, I had to go back to see the doctor. The next time around, I saw another dr. (this ia a fairly large practice). Finally, I felt that someone was was listening to me. He told me he didn't agree with my dr. (I no longer see her) regarding the steroid use. He diagnosed me with blepharitis, ocular rosacea and corneal abrasions. My tear film is not good. He said I had so many things going on and that we would begin to try some things that could help me. I was put on antiobiotic and steroid (not lotemax) drops to clear up the abrasions. My right eye is worse than my left, but I still have issues there which don't affect my vision as much. I am still on doxycycline (I work with my dermatologist with that). I have permanent lower plugs, long term temporary plugs in the upper. I have been on restasis for just over 2 months now. I would love to say that I am better, but I still have more bad days than good. I am determined to see if the Restasis will work. I need to give that some time. I can't even count the number of times I have been back to the dr. I do hot compresses twice a day. I love Genteal Gel and TheraTear drops. (I have tried so many different types.) I take fish oil, TheraTear gel caps with flaxseed. I drink coconut water. I am not certain if any of it helps, but at least I am doing something. At my next visit, I need to talk about gland expression. I have had styes and chalazions in the past which indicate that there could be a problem there. I am also considering going to an allergist. I have ordered Dr. Latkany's book. This has become a quality of life issue for me. If I am having a bad day, driving at night becomes problematic. I love to read, and I just can't do that as much as I would like. When you tell someone you have dry eyes, I don't think that they have a clue as to the impact it has on someone. I will continue to read these forums and hope that I will be able to post my successes here one day! This is a wonderful forum and site. Thank you all for your advice and concern for all who post here.

[regina]

Hello back! You sound a lot like me in your symptoms and what you are doing. It a ongoing battle that seems your goal is just to heal your eyes one issue at a time till you get some relief! Everyone is different and their answers to what helps them are different too! Just keep trying different things till it helps! Read all what you can here and find people with issues like yours, read their posts and blogs and hopefully someone will have some ideas for you! Dont give up! I know I was at my wits end lots of time...but I kept trying and finally saw some light at the end of the rainbow! Im not perfect but at least I can enjoy some things that i was afraid I was never going to be able to do!

[Beatriz]

I love to read, and I just can't do that as much as I would like. When you tell someone you have dry eyes, I don't think that they have a clue as to the impact it has on someone. I will continue to read these forums and hope that I will be able to post my successes here one day!As a fellow suferer I sympathise with you; I too love reading and even belong to a book club. I can carry doing it thanks to my Kindle keyboard; not only can you adjust the font to larger so it's easy to read, but you can have your book read to you with the "Read to me" function. Good luck