Hello

[brd888]

Hi there I am new here.
I first noticed my dry left eye in November 2005. At first I thought it was a scratch on my upper eyelid causing irritation when blinking. After 10 days I visited my doctor who had a look but she couldn't see anything - she gave me some antiseptic ointment. It didn't really work.
Anyway it seemed to disappear over christmas but flared up again around February. I visited another doctor who had a look - he said he noticed the left pupil was reacting slower than the right. and referred me to hospital. Over the next few weeks I sometimes noticed when the left eye was feeling dry the pupil looked larger than the right. I got the hospital appointment in May during which the eye was suffering from dryness again. However, the pupil was reacting normally and the doctor at the eye clinic said it was "just" dry eye - I got some gel and drops for it.
I have not been back to the doctors since then but the dry eye continues - it only seems to effect the left.
I'm just back from holiday where the eye was a nuisance constantly.
After driving home yesterday, the eye was really bad. I think it is more of a depressive thing, the constant annoyance is hard to put up with.

I also came to a conclusion that the problem started 2 months after I moved work - to an air conditioned office. However, being away from work for several days didnt do anything to help.

Can the air-con have an affect which lasts for several days? I use a PC all day, immediately below an air duct. Maybe the driving irritates the eye?

After the bad episode last night, I ordered two types of drops to try out. It isn't so bad today.

Regards.

[kitty]

Welcome! I am sorry that we had to meet because of your discomfort. You will find much support and great information here. Everyone is different, but I find if I am in the wrong environment for an extended period of time, or try to wear my contacts, my DES flares for several days following. Using a PC and driving can result in less frequent blinking, which increases dry eye symptoms. At work, I asked the maintenance department to turn off the vent that was directly overhead. They could not turn it off but they were able to change the direction in which the air flowed. That helped considerably. In the car, if I have to use the vent or fan, I use only the settings that blow air down by the floor and I make sure the upper vents are adjusted so no air is blowing directly into my face. Wearing wrap around sunglasses also helps in breezy environments. My DES also first showed up in November of 2005 and at that time was the worst it has ever been until I figured out which tears worked best for me. That took several months. It also flared in the spring during allergy season, that was resolved with steroid drops and allergy drops. I wish you the best and feel free to ask questions!