2 Years 8 months post Lasik. Need encouragement.

[DryEyeNJ]

I am embarrassed to write this, but here it goes. I had Lasik on 7/14 and my eyes have not been the same since. I had mild dry eye prior to the surgery, but my condition became severely worse after. On top of experiencing severe dry eye, I had developed an epithelial ingrowth in my left eye that I had removed a month after surgery. The procedure to remove the ingrowth was the most painful surgery I have ever done.

I am now 2 years and 8 months post op. I am losing hope that I will ever be able to regain the life I once had. I have been to numerous specialists and have gotten the same diagnosis (MGD/Bleph). I have tried absolutely everything from punctal plugs, Lotemax, Restasis, Xiidra (started a week ago). The only thing that moderately helps is warm compresses. I have great vision now at the expense of severe dry eyes. I don’t want things to be perfect again, I just want to be able to live a normal life without constant burning pain.

I have been reading this forum almost every day for encouragement. I hope to one day be able to overcome this and be able to tell about my triumph. Unfortunately for me I am trying to just live my life day by day and take any minor improvement as a victory. It sound cliché, but it feels very comforting to know I am not alone and have a forum to express my grief.

[ths14]

Have you tried flaxseed oil for MGD? I take 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil liquid a day it really helps but it takes one month to start noticing a difference
http://www.spectrumorganics.com/spec.../flax-oil-org/ if flaxseed oil doesnt work for you after one month maybe try this fish oil http://www.barleans.com/swirls/fish-...r-16oz-be16fkl 2 tablespoons a day you should feel better

For blepharitis these drops are really good http://www.melcare.com/optimel-manuka.html but you must use them for 3 months but you can see results in 1 month oh and they sting on contact but that is normal and u must use them twice a day maybe in the morning and at night they're not regular eyedrops btw they are manuka honey eye drops they are supposed to kill the bacteria in ur eye and allow healing but use them for 3 months atleast

You can order them from here if ur interested http://www.eyesat.com.au/all-product...a-eye-gel.aspx they ship them internationally

if you use both u might get better results

[DryEyeNJ]

Have you tried flaxseed oil for MGD? I take 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil liquid a day it really helps but it takes one month to start noticing a difference
http://www.spectrumorganics.com/spec.../flax-oil-org/ if flaxseed oil doesnt work for you after one month maybe try this fish oil http://www.barleans.com/swirls/fish-...r-16oz-be16fkl 2 tablespoons a day you should feel better

For blepharitis these drops are really good http://www.melcare.com/optimel-manuka.html but you must use them for 3 months but you can see results in 1 month oh and they sting on contact but that is normal and u must use them twice a day maybe in the morning and at night they're not regular eyedrops btw they are manuka honey eye drops they are supposed to kill the bacteria in ur eye and allow healing but use them for 3 months atleast

You can order them from here if ur interested http://www.eyesat.com.au/all-product...a-eye-gel.aspx they ship them internationally

if you use both u might get better results

I am currently taking 1000mg flaxseed pills daily with no signs of improvement. I have read about optimel, but it seems rather expensive and I have read mixed reviews.

Someone please tell me it does get better from here. I am clinging on to my desk job for dear life. My eyes burn 24/7 and I don't know how much longer I can go.

[ths14]

dude take the flaxseed liquid its better trust me you need like 7 pills to get the same omega 3 as a tablespoon of flaxseed oil

[ths14]

Have you looked into getting moisture chamber glasses for your work? they reduce 90% of the symptoms if you dont mind looking a litle funnny but if u tell ur coworkers and ur boss they will understand u

[Neerav1989]

DryEyeNj,
Have you tried scleral lenses ?

I am suffering from severe post lasik corneal neuralgia since 2 years and 4 months now. I have almost given up now. I am also in need of a lot of encouragement. But it all seems hopeless to me now. Anyways if your problem is severe dry eye, sclerals should help. They won't help me because my tear film is absolutely normal. You should also try Autologous serum drops. its been helpful to many others.

[DryEyeNJ]

Have you looked into getting moisture chamber glasses for your work? they reduce 90% of the symptoms if you dont mind looking a litle funnny but if u tell ur coworkers and ur boss they will understand u

I don't know about moisture chamber glasses at work, but I will definately give the flaxseed liquid a shot.

[DryEyeNJ]

DryEyeNj,
Have you tried scleral lenses ?

I am suffering from severe post lasik corneal neuralgia since 2 years and 4 months now. I have almost given up now. I am also in need of a lot of encouragement. But it all seems hopeless to me now. Anyways if your problem is severe dry eye, sclerals should help. They won't help me because my tear film is absolutely normal. You should also try Autologous serum drops. its been helpful to many others.

I haven't tried them yet.

I am sorry to hear about your conreal neurolgia issue. I originally self diagnosed myself with that before seeing a MD specializing in dry eye. I'm surprised no doctor bothered examining my lids for inflamation or blocked glands. Right now I have been on Lotemax for the last two weeks (completely sucked and caused more dryness) and just started Xiidra.

Hopefully there is something else my MD can suggest that I haven't already tried. At this point I feel hopeless and am throwing money at a problem with no fix.

[Neerav1989]

Get a trial of sclerals and start with serum drops. It works like magic in many cases. I seriously believe it should help you if yours is a genuine dryness issue. For me the damaged nerves keep sending wrong signals and abnormal unbearable sensations to brain even though my tear film is absolutely normal. You can also explore Intense Pulse light treatment for MGD.

[DryEyeNJ]

Get a trial of sclerals and start with serum drops. It works like magic in many cases. I seriously believe it should help you if yours is a genuine dryness issue. For me the damaged nerves keep sending wrong signals and abnormal unbearable sensations to brain even though my tear film is absolutely normal. You can also explore Intense Pulse light treatment for MGD.

Sclerals are a possibility, but I can't see my MD prescribing serum. I hope this is something that will pass and I won't have to be conscious of it for the rest of my life

I've done some dumb things in life, but LASIK takes the cake.

[Hokucat]

Hi DryEyeNJ. Sorry to hear all you've been through. Things will get better. I was in a stage of hopelessness for several years where I had to quit my job and was basically homebound, but am no longer.

Like Neerav suggests, you may want to try scleral lenses. If you are able to wear them, this could give some immediate relief to your symptoms, so If I were you, I would look into this sooner rather than later. I wear my Boston PROSE scleral lenses 12+ hours a day, and would not be able to do all that I do each day without them.

When looking for a specialist to fit you for these lenses, make sure they have significant experience fitting sclerals. That can make a big difference in your success wearing them. Below are some links to different scleral lenses where you can get an overview as well as locate a practioner near you. I have been very happy with my Boston PROSE lenses, and the practioners are all well trained and experienced.

http://www.bostonsight.org/PROSE/PRO...ats/Post-LASIK

http://www.bostonsightscleral.org/

https://www.eyeprintpro.com/patient/

After this, find a doctor who can truly evaluate your meibomian glands and recommend treatment specific to these glands, otherwise the dryness could get worse. Often these are the doctors who provide the treatments like IPL, meibomian gland expression and probing, and they are often more familiar with other treatments like the serum tears. Some of these more in-depth treatments may help, given you were diagnosed with MGD/Bleph, and warm compresses seem to be helping you.

Hang in there. I know it seems impossible to get better right now, but you will.

[DryEyeNJ]

Hi DryEyeNJ. Sorry to hear all you've been through. Things will get better. I was in a stage of hopelessness for several years where I had to quit my job and was basically homebound, but am no longer.

Like Neerav suggests, you may want to try scleral lenses. If you are able to wear them, this could give some immediate relief to your symptoms, so If I were you, I would look into this sooner rather than later. I wear my Boston PROSE scleral lenses 12+ hours a day, and would not be able to do all that I do each day without them.

When looking for a specialist to fit you for these lenses, make sure they have significant experience fitting sclerals. That can make a big difference in your success wearing them. Below are some links to different scleral lenses where you can get an overview as well as locate a practioner near you. I have been very happy with my Boston PROSE lenses, and the practioners are all well trained and experienced.

http://www.bostonsight.org/PROSE/PRO...ats/Post-LASIK

http://www.bostonsightscleral.org/

https://www.eyeprintpro.com/patient/

After this, find a doctor who can truly evaluate your meibomian glands and recommend treatment specific to these glands, otherwise the dryness could get worse. Often these are the doctors who provide the treatments like IPL, meibomian gland expression and probing, and they are often more familiar with other treatments like the serum tears. Some of these more in-depth treatments may help, given you were diagnosed with MGD/Bleph, and warm compresses seem to be helping you.

Hang in there. I know it seems impossible to get better right now, but you will.

Thank you for your support, it means a lot.

I went to a dry eye specialist a few months ago and he used Lipiview to examine my glands. Most of them were clogged. He didn't mention anything about expressing them and heavily pushed Xiidra. The while office visit seemed more like a sales pitch than anything. I received multiple calls from his secretary after the visit pushing me to fill my script (which I eventually did).

My issue is mostly with my left eye. Immediately after LASIK I felt a foreign body sensation whenever I closed my lid. This FBS turned out to be an epithileal ingrowth which was removed a month later. I still have the FBS feeling/visual flucations until this day and the eye hurns like heck 24/7. The right eye is also not what it used to be, but I hope one day the left will mirror the right.

As selfish as it sounds, I am trying to avoid putting any lenses into my eye to wear longterm. My next step is to try another nighttime ointment and goggles. My problem starts in the morning when I wake up with sticky eyes. If I can alleviate that, I'm hoping the rest will fall into place.

[ths14]

Have you tried theratears nutrition? https://www.amazon.com/TheraTears-Ey...ds=thera+tears they are really good you need to take 3 capsules a day and u will feel relief in one month after taking them every single day

[DryEyeNJ]

Have you tried theratears nutrition? https://www.amazon.com/TheraTears-Ey...ds=thera+tears they are really good you need to take 3 capsules a day and u will feel relief in one month after taking them every single day

I appreciate your help, but unfortunately I don't think there is a magic pill (whether it be flaxseed, omega, etc.) that will work the same with everyone here. I wish it were that simple, but dry eye syndrome is a very complicated issue.

[mecoker]

Are you still using Xiidra and if so, is it working? I have had great results. Restasis, punctual plugs, lipiflow, cauterized tear ducts, fish oil, Freshkote, ....I can go on and on. Nothing has helped me until Xiidra. I get it for $60 as a 3 month supply. Anyone with DES needs to at least try it. I am so grateful to have found relief.