eyelid spasms

[Blair]

Hi,

I am a new user of the site. I have serious dry eye. I am on restasis twice, sometimes three, times a day. I have taken patanol, but it does not help. I have had the lower puncti plugged twice, but the plugs fell out. My eye doc did try a different size the second time, but the result was the same. I have also tried lacrisert inserts, but no luck there either! I am an avid walker, but one of my problems is that I can't walk comfortably. I have panoptx wraparounds, but my eyes feel really dry when I walk, and I sometimes have to stop, take off the glasses, and pull my eyes open because the my lids close involuntarily. My usual four mile walks are a thing of the past. This moning, for example, I could do only half a mile. My doctor referred me to an eye surgeon who is going to cauterize the lower ducts. The surgeon thinks the cauterization will help the spasms. Any ideas? Suggestions?

Blair

[neil0502]

Blair,

Hello ... welcome ... and ... I'm sorry for your struggles.

Have you heard about Botox being used to treat eyelid spasm??

http://www.eyemdlink.com/EyeProcedur...ProcedureID=26

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

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

http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/blepha/index.asp

Best of luck. Sincerely. I'm a "recovering" triathlete, hiker, skier, rollerblader, windsurfer, blah, blah, blah, who struggles to find a way to do any of these things with any sort of regularity. I share your pain.

Neil

[Blair]

Thanks, Neil. Yes, I have heard about botox, but my doc does not want to try it at this point. Something about the mechanisms that controls opening and closing are closely located, and if the procedure did not work, I would have to wait a couple of months for the botox to wear off. I will check the info you sent.

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi Blair, welcome to Dry Eye Talk!

I am an avid walker, but one of my problems is that I can't walk comfortably.... I sometimes have to stop, take off the glasses, and pull my eyes open because the my lids close involuntarily....My doctor referred me to an eye surgeon who is going to cauterize the lower ducts. The surgeon thinks the cauterization will help the spasms.

Just a quick clarification... am I understanding right that your doctors consider the eyelid spasms and involuntary closing to be caused primarily by the dryness? Seems unusual. But if not, how would cautery help?

[Rebecca Petris]

p.s. Personally, I would experiment with different plug designs and materials before resorting to cautery. I think cautery can be a good option for some people but it seems reasonable to have an opportunity to test it over a long period before permanent closure.

[Blair]

The doctor seems to think that closing the ducts will keep more tears in the eye and lessen the spasms. I've been reading some of the links and posts; I'm beginning to reconsider. I may try a new opthamologist. I've had two so far, and neither one explained plug options.

[Etta]

I am sorry I have seen your post so many months after you made it, and possibly you have your answers by now, but the eye-lid spasms sound very much like blepharospasm. That also goes hand in hand with dry eye. Try going to www.blepharospasm.org and see if their site will help you. Good luck, Etta