florescent lights and air ventilation systems to dry eye?

[glenda]

Hello my name is glenda. I have developed severe dry eye in a very short period of time. When I go to work or drive I cannot keep my eyes open. They are so light sensitive and sensitive to the airflow in the car or my classroom. I have had to quit driving and now am on a medical leave from my job. Any ideas on coping skills. I can only use a computer for 2 or 3 minutes at a time.

[spmcc]

Hello Glenda,

When you're in this period of extreme dryness, moisture chamber glasses are the best thing to use. They'll help you out of the pain that doesn't allow you to even think clearly. I wear mine 24/7... they keep me sane (well, as sane as I'll ever be!).

Please see Rebecca's guide to moisture chambers here: guide.

Call her toll-free and she'll walk you through your best options. Everything can be shipped to Canada (I've done it plenty of times... very easy). You can also call around to stores to see if they carry the items.

Also, if your eyes are bad in the morning, you should really be covering them at night when you sleep. Some options are Tranquileyes, Quartz Onyix, sleep mask, micropore tape, or Glad Press N Seal (the Dry Eye Shop also offers most of these).

Beyond physically covering/protecting your eyes, you need to find the best preservative-free drop too. This is generally a matter of personal preference. I stick with Muro 128 drops and saline. And because I use eye cover/protection, I get away with putting less chemicals/drops on my sore, sick eye surfaces.

Finally, you really do need a diagnosis - and something better than "dry eyes".

From The Dry Eye Zone homepage, you can access Rebecca's Coping 101 series:
- How to start feeling better right now
- How to get better care from your doctor
- How to find a better doctor

Also
- How to get a better diagnosis

I know it's hard to read (or do) anything when you're in such bad condition. So please, get some onion goggles at the very least and then you'll be able to read and work at getting better.

All the best,
Sheila

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi Glenda & welcome

Sheila's right on target with advice as usual. Please do call if you can. Sounds like this is having a huge life impact for you right now and if there's anything I can do to help I'd sure like to. 877-693-7939. Phone's mostly going to voicemail as I'm out of the office a lot this week but if you leave voicemail with a good callback time I'll do my best.

Hang in there It's not going to stay like this!

[mgshutterbug]

Glenda, I have the same problem in the car, where I use usually put drops in right before I start driving, then use airshield moisture chamber glasses. I have been wearing them more than a year, all waking hours. I do take the insert out when driving for safety (no peripheral vision when wearing them), but they wrap around so much, and come down the cheeks so far, they do still provide some barrier to the air.

I also adjust the air vents in the car either to face the passenger seat, or down at the floor so they don't blow in my eyes, and never turn the fan on more than medium. If I'm driving longer than 45 min., I may have to pull off somewhere to add drops, but that doesn't happen too often.

When wearing the moisture chamber glasses, they do an excellent job for me in blocking currents of air when in a/c, as well as preserving the moisture in the eye for an extended period of time. I'm trying using the onyix at night, have only done so twice. I can see where they would really help alot. Mine are getting pulled by my bipap mask when I turn on my side to sleep, so some air is still leaking in. But I'm working on that.

Also, I find using very warm water on a washcloth, and placing it against the eyelids very helpful. I do have to keep rewarming the washcloth with warm water, but you could give that a try.

For eyes super sensitive to light, I wear very dark sunglasses outside, and always wear a wide brimmed hat. I do not stay outside long when it's very sunny. Still gets painful. Inside, I wear tinted moisture chamber glasses. I find if I keep my eyes moist, the light does not seem to hurt as much.

I get abrasions and recurrent corneal erosions (RCEs) very easily. When I have them, my eyes are incredibly light sensitive. It might be that you are having them chronically, or intermittently. A good ophth could tell you for sure if that's so. I wish you more comfort. I know my eyes feel much better than they did before I found this forum. Folks here have experiences they relate which I've found very helpful.

Maria