Dry eye & loss of vision - nobody seems able to help.

[Jimsin]

Hello all,

I'm new here and quite frankly clutching at straws because I don't seem to be able to get help anywhere else.

A year ago my eyesight was perfect, then suddenly deteriorated within the space of a month to the extent that things about 150cm away looked blurry.

Strange thing is that the extent of the blurryness comes and goes during the course of the day. Whenever I tell anybody about this, I just get told that it doesn't happen & I must be imagining it.

When this first started last October I had 3 eye tests - they said that I have presbyopia (I'm 47, so this is normal), and problems with distance vision, but not really bad enough to need glasses. They also said that I had dry eye and my tears weren't forming correctly.

With such rapid and unexpected deterioration of my eyesight I was concerned that I would go completely blind in a couple of months - but it didn't get any worse untill a couple of months ago. I went back to the optician and was recommended multifocal contact lenses, but they only made my eyesight worse. They also pointed out that my eyes were extremely dry, even though I'd put in viscotears about 20 minutes earlier.

Every morning since my vision started deteriorating I have woken up with my eyes feeling gummed up, and terribly blurred vision. Throughout the day it feels that when I blink there's more friction between my lids and eyes than there should be - and sometimes it feels as if my eyes are kinda 'gummy', as if the tears are more viscous than they should be, and it almost feels as if these gummy tears are what's causing my vision problems.

The sudden deterioration of my vision happening at the same time I started waking up with very dry eyes seems too much of a coincidence for them not to be connected in some way - I was wondering if anybody else has suffered anything similar, and if anybody has any advice. After 5 optician appointments I have lost all hope in them - the blurryness varies at different times of day, and as a result, any glasses prescription would also vary depending on how my eyes were when I took the test. Feel that I'm the only one to experience anything like this, but thought perhaps somebody here might understand.

[Almondiyz]

Re: Dry eye & loss of vision - nobody seems able to help.

Hello all,

I'm new here and quite frankly clutching at straws because I don't seem to be able to get help anywhere else.

A year ago my eyesight was perfect, then suddenly deteriorated within the space of a month to the extent that things about 150cm away looked blurry.

Strange thing is that the extent of the blurryness comes and goes during the course of the day. Whenever I tell anybody about this, I just get told that it doesn't happen & I must be imagining it.

When this first started last October I had 3 eye tests - they said that I have presbyopia (I'm 47, so this is normal), and problems with distance vision, but not really bad enough to need glasses. They also said that I had dry eye and my tears weren't forming correctly.

With such rapid and unexpected deterioration of my eyesight I was concerned that I would go completely blind in a couple of months - but it didn't get any worse untill a couple of months ago. I went back to the optician and was recommended multifocal contact lenses, but they only made my eyesight worse. They also pointed out that my eyes were extremely dry, even though I'd put in viscotears about 20 minutes earlier.

Every morning since my vision started deteriorating I have woken up with my eyes feeling gummed up, and terribly blurred vision. Throughout the day it feels that when I blink there's more friction between my lids and eyes than there should be - and sometimes it feels as if my eyes are kinda 'gummy', as if the tears are more viscous than they should be, and it almost feels as if these gummy tears are what's causing my vision problems.

The sudden deterioration of my vision happening at the same time I started waking up with very dry eyes seems too much of a coincidence for them not to be connected in some way - I was wondering if anybody else has suffered anything similar, and if anybody has any advice. After 5 optician appointments I have lost all hope in them - the blurryness varies at different times of day, and as a result, any glasses prescription would also vary depending on how my eyes were when I took the test. Feel that I'm the only one to experience anything like this, but thought perhaps somebody here might understand.

First, I want to ask you about what you wrote: "After 5 optician appointments I have lost all hope in them -" Did you mean to say Optometrist's or Opthalmologist's? With the seriousness of your description what type of specialist are you being treated for your situation?

Also, you wrote: "Throughout the day it feels that when I blink there's more friction between my lids and eyes than there should be -" Did you mention FRICTION to your doctor(s)? As soon I was referred from an Optometrist to a Corneal Specialist, the first thing she did was place Bandage Contact Lenses in because my blinks were causing corneal abrasio

I have multiple eye conditions; meibomian gland dysfunction, ocular rosacea, recurring corneal abrasions, thin cornea, cataracts...All these = severe dry eye.

P.S. Where do you live? USA, UK...ect.

[Fitch]

i had the same fluctuating vision and was told i was imagining it and felt like the 10 opthamologists i saw thought i was crazy. Mine was in response to a lasik enhancement and only through my own search for help was i finally able to get functional again. I am still having discomfort but nothing like it was before. For me the fix was using blood serum drops with and without custom fit scleral lenses. I went to dallas to see Dr. Greg Gemoules who fit me with custom comfortable scleral lenses. These used in conjunction with the blood serum drops and i have recently added 1 percent lacosamide drops have finally given me some life back. Scleral lenses were the first step for me. I was never diagnosed with mgd, rosacea, aqueous tear deficiency, etc. but the sclerals gave me immediate relief just by themselves but combined with the blood serum and lacosamide additions healed me even faster. Good luck to you and dont give up. It took me 10 opthamologists until i found one who finally got it and started prescribing the drops for me that i needed. Hope you are feeling better soon, Fitch

[Jimsin]

Many thanks to both of you for your replies. Much appreciated.

Almondiyz. I live in the UK (Scotland). You asked if I'd seen an Optometrist or an Opthalmologist, and the answer is that each time I have seen an Optometrist. I have explained my symptoms in varying degrees of detail, but they have all been pretty dismissive when I have told them about the sudden onset of my vision deterioration, and the fact that my visual acuity appears to vary throughout the day is giving misleading results with regards to glasses / contact lenses prescriptions. I have asked outright for a referral to an Opthalmologist on one occasion, but was told that there was no basis for such a referral and I just need glasses. They also discounted what I said about my eyesight rapidly deteriorating within a month, and said that it's a 'straw that broke the camel's back thing', and just appears to worsen suddenly because you become aware of something that is happening gradually. This is nonsense. I also went to my doctor and had a number of blood tests for diabetes or some sort of dietary deficiency, all came back fine. I asked my doctor for a referral to an Opthalmologist, but she said that this can only be done via an Optometrist - so I was back to square one. Since I can't get a referral to an Opthalmologist I have asked the last two Optometrists whether they can suggest anything for my dry eye problem, but they said there wasn't anything that can be done other than eye drops (including the thicker overnight ones), when I pressed the issue, I was told that some people say that flax seed oil helps, but there is no evidence to back this up.

As a part time shop worker with no savings, I can't afford private treatment, but getting to see an Opthalmologist otherwise feels like an impossibility.

I didn't mention the word 'friction' at any point to any of the optometrists - but certainly would if you reckon it would help (I'm currently disheartened and feeling there is no point in going back a 6th time). Strange you mention bandage contact lenses actually - I always think this sounds ridiculous, but when I was prescribed contact lenses to help with my vision, they made my eyesight worse, BUT when I took them out after a few hours, everything felt much better. Not just better compared to how I was seeing with them in - but better than since all this started. I was actually thinking that some sort of clear, non-prescription contact lens might be of some benefit, but anybody I've told has said this is crazy, and that contact lenses tend make dry eye worse, not better.

Fitch - thanks for sharing your experience - knowing you have seen 10 opthamologists makes me feel better about my 6 optometrists :S ... interesting to hear about blood serum drops and scleral lenses. I'm not sure if there would be any way of getting these in the UK without seeing a private opthamologist, and whether they would be out of my price range (again, I have very little money) -but it's good to know there's something I could try.

Oh, and after about a year of searching, I found an article which seemed to back up what I've been trying to say all along about dry eye causing variable vision problems - I'll link it here in case anybody is experiencing something similar: http://www.revophth.com/content/d/fe.../1210/c/22811/

[Jenn1]

Hi Jimsin, fluctuating vision and dry eye is very common, and many of us have experienced and continue to be seen by unsympathetic and often ill informed eye specialists. Like the others have said, you do need to be seen by an opthalmologist as they are the real eye experts and you must keep pressing the doctors and optometrists to refer you to an eye hospital even if it means going back again and again, because you are entitled to such professional medical treatment!

We all believe you when you state you have differing visual problems as we have experienced these symptoms ourselves, and these medical experts are taught to dismiss most concerns to keep the system (medical) from being over loaded. I had severe eye pain burning stinging for over two whole years and was getting nowhere, but kept trying to find answers from both opticians and opthalmologists, there are some good ones out there who will listen so keep pressing to be seen. I was eventually sent to the eye hospital and met a very impolite opthalmologist and sat waiting with burning eyes for more than 5 hours until i was seen! I was surrounded by the elderly, they are regulars at hospitals esp eye clinics and they are one reason the system is so packed full that numbers are kept low for referrals.

Everyone is entitled to treatment, but in my case, most of these other patients had conditions that were not causing them severe pain and some were there for check ups only, yet i was waiting to be seen with bloodshot severely painful eyes and felt very neglected, and add to that the fact that my old doctors were refusing me even the basic eye drops to keep my eyes from burning that i eventually left the old doctors surgery for a new one. When i was finally seen at the eye hospital it was very quick and basic advice on my eye condition and how to treat it, thats why this forum is a lifesaver, and i have learnt so much here that i am confident in looking after my eyes myself.

You need the correct diagnosis so keep making appointments until you get that referral! Then once seen you will know what condition you have and how to treat it, then its mainly up to you to look after yourself, i'm sorry to say, but you will have to teach yourself in most cases to keep your eyes healthy because once you get checked you may be given another appointment, but they will discharge you and some wont even bother giving you the correct advice on eye maintenance routines as with meibomian gland dysfunction which is what i had. Sometimes it does feel as though eye specialists will only bother seeing you when youre totally blind and even then they will just add, 'oh btw... you're blind!'

I'm a lot younger than yourself but eye issues are scary at any age and you have my sympathy, but vision loss is rare and youre right to keep trying to find answers to your problems and help, so keep pressing for it. Good luck.

[heyjude0701]

Sorry I'm so late to reply to this thread, but I wanted to mention to Jimsin to print out some of the articles on Dry Eye from the articles section of the DEZ to take to your optician. Maybe if he sees an article written by an MD he will take it seriously. Hang in there, and keep trying to find the right doctor who can help!

[Logandly]

Hello,

Have you tried high dose Taurine supplements? They restore vision and there is much documentation by multiple sources about the necessity of taurine for vision and reversing vision loss.

Also questions for you: do you suffer from high blood pressure or diabetes?

Logan x

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11877192
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8481550
http://www.smart-publications.com/ar...cose-tolerance

[duncangasmith]

Sorry for such a late reply as I'm new to the forum.
I get ghost images, mostly vertical, to go with the dry eyes. But "variable" just doesn't do it justice.
The condition seems to constantly change through out the day but usually getting worse in the evening. But then there are good days and bad days, One eye can be ok the other dreadful and then they swap round later that day. It just baffling and apart from a few general trends there seems to be no pattern.
The specialists at the hospital just says its due to dry eyes so i'm sick of wasting time seeing them.
I live down in Cumbria so we share similar weather/environmental conditions.
Sorry, no answers but you're not just making it up.
Duncan

[heyjude0701]

Sorry for such a late reply as I'm new to the forum.
I get ghost images, mostly vertical, to go with the dry eyes. But "variable" just doesn't do it justice.
The condition seems to constantly change through out the day but usually getting worse in the evening. But then there are good days and bad days, One eye can be ok the other dreadful and then they swap round later that day. It just baffling and apart from a few general trends there seems to be no pattern.
The specialists at the hospital just says its due to dry eyes so i'm sick of wasting time seeing them.
I live down in Cumbria so we share similar weather/environmental conditions.
Sorry, no answers but you're not just making it up.
Duncan

Unfortunately, if it is not a surgical problem, many ophthalmologists don't believe it is a problem. If your vision is not blurry when they test it, they won't take your word for it that sometimes your vision gets blurry (which is very common in people with dry eyes). I also get vertical ghost images, which make reading difficult and is very annoying while driving. There is much information and many suggestions on the dry eye zone, so keep reading and hopefully you'll find some relief. For me, that relief came with PROSE scleral lenses. They keep my corneas lubricated, and I no longer get the blurry vision or ghost images while I'm wearing them. When I am not wearing them, the symptoms return.

[Jimsin]

Many thanks to all of you who replied, I really appreciated hearing back from each of you. I'm really sorry that I haven't replied earlier, can't believe 11 months have passed - thought I'd come here to give an update on my problem for the benefit of anybody reading this who's going through something similar.

I was advised to use Viscotears and Lacrilube at night, which I did for a while, but I never felt that they were benefiting me - especially the Lacrilube. After a few months I just stopped using them, and somehow over time the condition seemed to get better by itself, in that I stopped waking up in the morning with painful eyes. The fluctuating eyesight I had been experiencing also seemed to stabilize, but at around +1 and -1 (in terms of prescription) ... so I couldn't see anything clearly that was very close to my face, or further than the distance of my outstretched arm. I have spent the last 10 months wondering around with this very narrow band of vision and everything else being a blur.

Last year I had tried varifocal lenses but it felt that they made my vision worse - but recently I'd read that another approach is to try out lenses to help with distance vision, and reading glasses for close up stuff (which is made even more blurred when the distance lenses are in) - I tried this out and it was literally Amazing - everything beyond around as far as I can reach with my arm is crystal clear, and it is only when something comes closer that it becomes blurred and I need to put on the reading glasses. Now I'm desperate to get the lenses in so I can see what's happening outdoors, but if I'm reading, looking at my phone etc, then I can't wait to get them back out again.

Thought I might try Varifocals again because I couldn't help feeling that the blurry variable vision caused by the dry eye was messing up my eye test results and had left the wrong prescription - however the day before going to try these out, I woke up with my eyes in agony again, and with the 'swimming' variable vision in evidence. Went for another eye test and again I could see differently from one blink to the next. Optician seemed irritated by what I was telling him I could see and what I hadn't - I mentioned dry eye, and he said that yes, dry eye could cause that - said there wasn't anything that could be done about it though, and packed me out with some -1.25 contact lenses.

I realise this is a long, rambling account - in a nutshell I'd say that my dry eye seemed to have fixed itself but my vision had deteriorated - but either coincidentally or otherwise, wearing contacts for a couple of days seems to have brought it right back. Also it seems impossible to get accurate eye test results with this dry eye problem because vision changes from one blink to the next, and after 8 eye tests now, I still haven't found anybody who will take into account the fact that this is playing havoc with the results ... I've had 3 eye tests in the last two weeks and have been given 3 different prescriptions!! ( L -1.25 R -1.00 ) (R -1.00 L 1.00) & (R -1.25, L -1.25)

I don't think this will be of much interest to anybody, and I'm not asking for any further assistance - just writing it all down for completeness and to say thanks to those who replied to my original post.

[eye_allergy-kids]

Hello all,

I'm new here and quite frankly clutching at straws because I don't seem to be able to get help anywhere else.

A year ago my eyesight was perfect, then suddenly deteriorated within the space of a month to the extent that things about 150cm away looked blurry.

.

I like to share one thought regarding your gluing of eyes (my son had this I struggled a lot ) Please read my thread how I cured it.

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...pathy-Ayurveda

blurriness should be you are stressing your eyes very much. try eye relaxing exercises. may be Tai-chi

[drewlizard]

Anyone here got blurriness from blepharitis? Im really worried right now because few days ago i had pain in my eye so i took off my contacts.
I then used wetones as i been using it since earlier this year but it seems like both of my eyes, i have lot of broken skin inflamed around my eyes. This isn't the crust on the eyelids like i had back when i started having blepharitis.


The thing is my lower eyelids are very red both left and right. Also my eyes are bit red and the area around each each is very sore.
The thing that worries me the worst is few days ago when im using my computer... note i use the computer all day and night...i noticed i could not see letters/numbers on my screen. Everything is extremely blurry... i then opened the tv and noticed this as well.
Then yesterday i used computer in the afternoon it was okay for a bit but then i could not see any letters/numbers at all on my computer. Im wearing glasses and everything is REALLY BLURRY that basically its like me looking at a computer screen where im not even wearing any glasses at all. Its been like this for a few days already. Should i be really worried?
Basically if im on the computer for a bit, i basically cant see words/letters at all and i never ever had this problem ever. Is this temporary? I had thought it was just 1 day or so but its been a few days like this already. Also i can open my eyes so why is this happening? I know back then when i first got blepharitis and it was really bad, i couldnt open my eyes much b/c of the pain and thus i couldnt even use computer much b/c of the pain opening my eyes.


Does anyone have any advice on this? Few days ago i also put some manuka honey directly on my lower eyelids both left and right for few hours then washed it off. I did this b/c i read about manuka honey and b/c since i had the blurrieness the day before, i decided to try the honey. I think some honey could have gotten in my eye but thing is i already had the blurriness before this the day before.


Does anyone know what i can do now? Im still using the wet one wipes but im very worried why i have this blurred vision when on the computer.