M.G.D. and cloudy vision?

[Jenn1]

Hey,

Yes i have heard of lipiflow, rather expensive if you ask me. Would be much better if they could make it affordable and sell them to patients for home use with instructions instead. Floaters are either dark spots, lines, squiggles or small circles you see floating about when you move your eyes. Always stack up on drops with dry eyes lol, weather here is unpredictable and depends on which part you are at, mostly cold and damp.

[jordanh]

Yea i can see it being expensive, looks pretty complicated to be doing it at home if you ask me. I don't have any floaters in my eyes, i tend to only have bit of blurry vision every once in a while, nothing major. I find it weird that my eyes look relatively healthy besides a bit of redness here and there. I was looking at pictures of people with bleph, YIKES!. looks painful... Well cold and damp definitely sounds better then cold, dry, and windy and were heading to Brighton, so south just off the coast. Thank god...

Have you every tried punctual plugs? I've heard great things about them and my ophthalmologist wants to try them out with me to see if it gives me better relief. This would be right before i leave for the UK so i think it would be perfect timing since i'd like to wear my contacts more often over there.

[Jenn1]

Not sure if punctal plugs are of use for someone with a good aqueous layer and just missing the oil part, unless I am mistaken and if it also helps stop evaporation...?

I dont think a home lipiflow machine would be too difficult to use if they can make it compact enough, and I mean women will know what i mean since we have gadgets such as electrolysis machines and laser hair removal machines available to use at home and facial steamers etc.. so wouldnt be that bad.

[jordanh]

I agree with you on that, i need my lipid layer built back up but i think it could help with keeping my tears in for a bit longer and giving me some relief. Maybe my drainage system is malfunctioning..... I guess it doesn't hurt to give them a try right. I'd probably use that machine backwards or something and end up sucking my eyeball out so ill leave it to the professionals lol . I also saw another procedure on the doctors, it was a cream that had testosterone in it. Apparently it helps? I don't know. I think I'm just hallucinating the thought of a cure....

[littlemermaid]

and it seems like when I do the hot towel on my eyes and massage my eyelids "like the doctor told me" it makes my vision look like I am in a hazy somewhat smokey room

Yay, Joseph! Hopefully, this is the release of oils. Docs told us to look for this temporary haziness as a sign of success. (I remember reading some Japanese researchers wondered whether it was a heated, squashed eyeball causing this blur but they concluded probably not.)

- Like Dijon, the MGDRx flaxseed bag (microwaved) works well 1/day for us, although we use a tissue under it next to the eyes to help with hygiene (new one's £20);
- or the hot flannel in the bath/shower (if it's microwaved and steamed airline-style, the heat doesn't last long enough so we make two)
- also, if you like gadgets, we use Blephasteam 1/day which is really fun and stress-free and does a good job in chronic use (but £200...) http://www.spectrum-thea.co.uk/blephasteam.aspx

I like Spectrum Thea a lot. Thanks very much for the Blephagel info, Dijon.

Of course, staying bacteria-free is an issue with all these methods but we just have to be careful. Steamy flannel was recommended as manageable with a child, but as a teenager she does hot steamy flannel in the morning to get clean eyes and keep the mgs moving + flaxseed bag/Blephasteam at night.

Jenn1 - punctal plugs are great for us for mgd because they are helping to pool a decent tear film.

Welcome to the rains of south east England, Jordanh! Plus, if you're lucky, you might get what we call sea-fret (mist). Wraparound sunglasses essential because the sun can be very bright there. Your main pharmacists (chemists) in Brighton would prob be Boots or Lloyds if you want to check their stock on-line in advance.

[Jenn1]

Thanks LM, will keep that in mind. And oh I may just purchase the blephasteam.... can you tell me about how effective it is for you and your family and a review please? Also, how do you manage to sleep well after the hot compresses or blephasteam use as my eyes become irritated and red and can water a little if i use them when trying to sleep and sometimes awake at night and need to add drops? I am sure warm compresses make my eyes more irritated rather than just leaving them alone and using drops... but i guess that would do damage long term to the eyes?

[jordanh]

Is blephasteam those things you heat up for the warm compresses? and yea my eyes also feel irritated after i do the compresses, but I'm pretty sure thats normal since you are applying heat to your eyeballs.... that oil has to release somehow. I've noticed my eyes aren't as bad in the morning anymore, i think the hot compresses have been working. I also would like to mention that i bought an air-o-swiss. Its a humidifier from switzerland, uses ultrasonic vibration to release the steam. It has hot and cold steam and also a gage that tells you the current humidity, i tend to keep my room around 50%. Without it, my room was around 20%, so you can imagine the difference. A bit pricey, with shipping it was just shy of $300. But well worth it. I also have a clean air obsession, includes my dust cleaner and my ionic germ killer .

LM, I'm looking forward to that sea-fret, i might just stand in front of the water and let the mist just illuminate my eyes! Who knows i may come back cured!

Difficult things take a long time, impossible things take a little longer

[jordanh]

Quick adjustment on blaphasteam...... WHY hasn't anyone informed me of this wonderful device before????? does it work? I'll try it right away, $200 seems cheap for a cure to my eyes. I am so down with this apparatus. Any reviews on this? should i buy it?

[littlemermaid]

Hi Jordanh and Jenn1,

A quick search here on 'blephasteam' reveals similar discussion http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...team#post67735 + 'Is it worth £200 + shipping + single-use replacement rings?' That's a toughy when a microwaved sock filled with rice does pretty much the same job!

However, LM says the steam is comforting and good but that she feels a bit of a plonker using it on sleepovers (which I suppose you would...) but she's even got over that so it's actually very handy for travelling if you can plug them in. It's certainly helping keep the eyelid glands clear without contact heat at random temperatures. NB you buy rings for each use to dip in water to make steam. Still trying to work out how to keep the insides of the goggles bacteria and mould-free so I'm going to ask the manufacturers because dryeyeshop.co.uk said just use anything but I'm worried about keeping the rubber good. http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...ht=blephasteam

As previous discussion, the blurb from Spectrum Thea says:
'Meibum from subjects with MGD were observed to begin melting at 35°C, whereas meibum from normal subjects started to melt at 32°C (6). It is important in MGD patients to warm the eyelids up to 40°C to ensure successful melting and outflow of obstructing meibum.'
'What temperature is reached by Blephasteam®? The safety and efficacy of Blephasteam® have been evaluated in many clinical studies. The level of temperature and moisture combined with the length of the treatment has been shown to be safe and comfortable for use. Blephasteam® heats your eyelids to 40°C, which has been demonstrated to be sufficient to melt the obstructing meibum with no risk to your eyes and eyelids.'
'Safety: Blephasteam® has been designed and developed to ensure efficacy and safety. The temperature of the eyelids never rose above 40°C.'

As Irina Ganelis MD says http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...team#post64936, they seem to do a great job on warming the meibom and keeping things moving without pressure on the eyeballs, but you've got to remember to keep your eyelid margins clean too if you have mgd.

I am sure warm compresses make my eyes more irritated rather than just leaving them alone and using drops... but I guess that would do damage long term to the eyes?

Jenn1 - Worse inflammation with heat is a worry. In rosacea skin and eye flareups we use cool compress or nothing until under control again (by steroid, unfortunately) + saline eyedrops from the fridge. She is specifically using warmth, steam and gentle eyelid cleaning with warm water to manage obstructed mgd and keep the meibom good in remission. Also fresh food diet + fishoils + rosacea inflammation diary looking for flare-up triggers (see Spmcc's posts). People without this sensitivity say they do well on eyelid cleaning products + their favourite lubricants but she is better on saline in chronic use, esp in flare-up. It's difficult. This is the problem for all of us, isn't it, when the eyes are becoming increasingly sensitive from poking about, chemicals, and surface is changing from chronic use of drops. It's finding what helps v. what makes it worse. When I'm feeling lost, I look back on Rebecca's experience in posts and blogs about reducing intervention and becoming sensitive to what's needed and when, and tapering off intervention as sensible to enable the eyes to recover after a problem's been dealt with and keeping the eye surface protected to help it recover. Also re-reading about the dangers of damaging the eyelid glands (not just meibom) Maintenance or murder? Hope you are getting more comfortable.

On Blephasteam again, Moorfields have recommended them for Lacrima so assuming they like them for obstructed mgd, if that is what the problem is.

Jordanh - Good point, I wish I'd bought a humidifier with a humidity detector now. Although we are also drying towels on radiators which does the job even better when the central heating's on! - not sure what those words are in Canadian or American )

[Jenn1]

@LM, very informative post as always, ty.

Does anyone also use the supranettes sterile eyelid wipes and how good are they? I think its about time the shops started to sell the blephasteam machines and eyelid washes, wipes and lotions so that they are easily purchaseable and accessable. I like the blephaclean wipes too, esp the mesh material and lotion but they arent readily available or cost effective. Does anyone purchase these products from their opticians? And would normal make up remover pads make the eyes irritated more?

[spmcc]

Blephasteam

Just FYI - Blephasteam is a medical device and for the moment they are not allowed to sell it outside Europe.

They can sell and deliver to France, Germany, The United Kingdom, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland and Switzerland.

If you're somewhere else, you'll need someone to buy it in one of those countries and send it to you.

[jordanh]

Good thing I'm heading to UK in 4 weeks XD
Thanks for the informative post LM...

Ill pick one up in the uk, i need to try this gadget out. Maybe seems to good to be true but at this point in time, the warm compresses are just not doing the trick. Time for something new. Quick side note here, i tend to always feel oily in and around my eyes, is that maybe because my glands are blocked so its secreting outside my skin? or is that just ludicrous... and should i keep doing lid scrubs to keep it dry and clean from oil?

[AprilShowers]

Use An Hot Water Bottle:

I tried the usual warm flannels tricks but found them too fiddly for my liking and can't say I noticed any real improvement. I now put a thin cloth over my face and hold to my face by hand an 1/2 filled hot water bottle. The heat maybe excessive at times but it appears to work. The hot water bottle rests on my forehead and it lays on top of and over both eyes without actually touching them. At other times I hold the lower corner of the hot water bottle on one eye only, then switch it to the other eye which is better. The first time I did this was at night and the next morning I found on waking both eyes had discharged 'yellow peril' during the night and both eye - rims and eyelashes were coated in custard dust. That morning whilst looking at my right eye in a mirror a gland emptied without any prodding or prompting. I was pleased with the result.

In a national UK newspaper some firm was advertising for £300-00 [$500 dollars] an electric eye warmer device, looking at it I thought surely an hot water bottle would do the same job. Further explanations: [1] I put a cloth or towel on my face because hot water bottle rubber is facially unpleasant [2] the cloth or towel protect the face and eyes [3] A beer bottle or any clean glass bottle filled with hot water would do the same job and probably do it better [4] Always wash your eyes for a 1/2 minute or so each day. [5] For safety a drop of saline might assist. Please try this suggestion and one hopes you might gain some relief. I think you should do this every two days for a week, then miss the next week, then recommence treatment on weeks 3-5-7-9 -11 etc. Your eyes are delicate and this maintenance advice is also gently does it advice.