New Member - Happy to meet others in the Dry Eye Community

[Skylex499]

Hi,

I’ve already posted in the general forums, but thought it best to introduce myself. I’m a 24 year old female living in Texas. I’ve worn contacts since I was a pre teen and loved wearing colored lenses and would never miss a day in wearing my contacts and fake, spidery lashes. l was set to be engaged and I felt like everything in my life was going swimmingly well.

Since May, some really scary changes came in my life and I didn’t (and don’t) know how to deal. Anxiety and a touch of hypochondria is something I’ve had to live with through life but these eye issues worsened then. Irritation and grittiness in the morning in my eye started to worry me. I stopped wearing all contact lenses and make up.

The pain felt like a dull, mild irritant in my eye but it was chronic. I went to a string of optometrists who all did a slit lamp on my eyes and told me that I had inflammation. One wanted to put me on OTC drops/Restasis. Two wanted me to clear up the inflammation first via Lotemax Gel. Heaven knows, steroids scare me. (Reading scary reviews online never help) I wanted to cancel the vacation my boyfriend and I had planned for Italy just to be near a local doctor in case of a flare up.

I’ve now begun to feel so scared to travel because of dry eye. This has driven a wedge in my relationship. He was often nicely suggested to me to use a wet towel to cure my eyes, but I don’t know if he can understand perfectly what it’s like to have constant inflammation. Being in this forum and reading the posts have inspired me to learn how many people live life to the fullest inspite of having painful, gritty eyes. To people suffering the worst, I confess that I don’t know the half of it, but I can empathize a little more now.

I wish you all the best and send you my best wishes from Texas.

[Guest]

Welcome, I'm so sorry to hear that you're so upset. This is a challenging thing to deal with, especially when you're young and pretty much healthy otherwise. I'm 38 and this kills me, so I can only imagine how you feel.

I would say forst off find a great cornea and extetbal disease specialist. Local colleges usually have the best equipment and doctors and are easy to find. I went to UIC in Chicago just recently and the doctor there helped a lot. My corneal specialist has helped a lot. It took me 6 doctors before I found these two guys.

Dont be afraid of steroids...you need them to stop this inflammation from causing more damage. Inflammation is way more dangerous than a course of steroids. Easier said than done to let go of that fear...but I promise you, you possibly need medications and procedures now. And that sucks...I am like you. I don't want to put weird and dangerous drugs in my body. Well guess what, sadly, I'm in no position to make those choices anymore. I need intervention...you do too....don't be afraid, find s good doctor, see a few, get multiple opinions.

I think the suggestion to start lotemax or alrex is smart. You could have an issue with your lid from the proteins in your contacts. May not be that big a deal. I sure hope it not a big problem. Good luck.

[hopeful_hiker]

So many young people! It makes me feel better because I am not alone (turned 29 recently) but on the other hand makes me sad, too. No one deserves this problem.

I used Alrex for 2-3 weeks but I made sure to be monitored by the Doc (after 10 days) to check pressure. Restasis and or Xiidra are a long term solution.

Finally, you got to find out what you have: MDG, aqueous or both.

Another thing that may help you is serum drops. I use 100%. Some use 40% +. It is much better than a regular drop because it has healing properties (especially if your eyes were potentially irritated physically by contact lenses). Serum drops are made from your own blood so they are very natural. They are not a substitute for anti-inflammatory drugs.

I am also a bit of a hypochondriac and that amplifies the emotional toll.

[Skylex499]

Welcome, I'm so sorry to hear that you're so upset. This is a challenging thing to deal with, especially when you're young and pretty much healthy otherwise. I'm 38 and this kills me, so I can only imagine how you feel.

I would say forst off find a great cornea and extetbal disease specialist. Local colleges usually have the best equipment and doctors and are easy to find. I went to UIC in Chicago just recently and the doctor there helped a lot. My corneal specialist has helped a lot. It took me 6 doctors before I found these two guys.

Dont be afraid of steroids...you need them to stop this inflammation from causing more damage. Inflammation is way more dangerous than a course of steroids. Easier said than done to let go of that fear...but I promise you, you possibly need medications and procedures now. And that sucks...I am like you. I don't want to put weird and dangerous drugs in my body. Well guess what, sadly, I'm in no position to make those choices anymore. I need intervention...you do too....don't be afraid, find s good doctor, see a few, get multiple opinions.

I think the suggestion to start lotemax or alrex is smart. You could have an issue with your lid from the proteins in your contacts. May not be that big a deal. I sure hope it not a big problem. Good luck.

Thank you for the support. How old were you when you found out about your eyes? Hopefully your family and those close around you understood. It’s strange but I never imagined that this would one day happen.

I am definitely going to see if I can find a cornel specialist, and perhaps one whom can help with my issues as I’m in the middle of a particularly unpleasant flare up, especially in one eye. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience with the Lotemax Gel. It caused a painful, pressurized ache in my eyes which slowly came down to a burn when I realized how parched they were. It seems that the dry eye community has mixed reviews on Lotemax, but my understanding was that it was supposed to being relief and not extra pain.

[Skylex499]

So many young people! It makes me feel better because I am not alone (turned 29 recently) but on the other hand makes me sad, too. No one deserves this problem.

I used Alrex for 2-3 weeks but I made sure to be monitored by the Doc (after 10 days) to check pressure. Restasis and or Xiidra are a long term solution.

Finally, you got to find out what you have: MDG, aqueous or both.

Another thing that may help you is serum drops. I use 100%. Some use 40% +. It is much better than a regular drop because it has healing properties (especially if your eyes were potentially irritated physically by contact lenses). Serum drops are made from your own blood so they are very natural. They are not a substitute for anti-inflammatory drugs.

I am also a bit of a hypochondriac and that amplifies the emotional toll.

Agreed! Especially because it’s something we will have to tackle in the years ahead. This community, though, seems to be helpful in the sense that many have tried solutions and understanding the irritation of chronic eye issues. I don’t like to discuss eye issues with others because I hate troubling people, but also because it seems that they find the issue to be a mild/occasional inconvenience to me, instead of an actual issue.

How did Alrex work out for you? When I was initially told about it, my doctor only told me it was for Allergic Conjunctivitis. I found out only later that it was a less concentrated version of Loteprednol, but in the same family. Since this developed this year, I am reading and educating up on the condition to find out what I have.

And thanks for the suggestion of serum drops. I will definitely check them out as I do like the idea of natural remedies to complement a routine. If you have any other suggestions about treating inflammation, please let me know. At this point, I’m happy to prevent, too.

It’s a goofball move but I’ve actually disabled google on my phone at work to avoid googling symptoms. It’s now the upcoming travel that is causing me some anxiety. Does it make you nervous traveling to other countries/places? The plane air can be quite drying, and you’re far from your regular docs.

[Guest]

Thank you for the support. How old were you when you found out about your eyes? Hopefully your family and those close around you understood. It’s strange but I never imagined that this would one day happen.

I am definitely going to see if I can find a cornel specialist, and perhaps one whom can help with my issues as I’m in the middle of a particularly unpleasant flare up, especially in one eye. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience with the Lotemax Gel. It caused a painful, pressurized ache in my eyes which slowly came down to a burn when I realized how parched they were. It seems that the dry eye community has mixed reviews on Lotemax, but my understanding was that it was supposed to being relief and not extra pain.

I'm lucky and unlucky as far as my age and family situation. I feel unlucky because I'm young...I felt like if this happened to me late forties or fifties, I could easily say, well, it was bound to happen. However I had MGD and then got debris in my eye...so that accelerated my dryness. I'm very lucky that I have a great wife that supports me. She doesn't get the pain either, no one will but us. However, she's still stood by me through all the depression, crying, breakdowns, doctors visits. We just had a baby girl and when she was born, I was at my worst. My wife did pretty much everything and that compounded my guilt over my injury. I wanted to be the dad that got up in the night and helped...that was taken from me for 6 months. I'm finally feeling better. I'll NEVER be right again, but if I can have a relatively pain free life, even if I'm limited, I'll be happy for that.

i wonder if it was the gel or the steroid that bothered you. I've only taken the drops, never the gel, so I can't comment. I'm lucky enough to have a great set of doctors now. I get methylprednisone compounded preservative free, I get 50% serum tears, I feel lucky to have the access to this medicine. Just bring up the fact that you had an issue with the lotemax gel so they can find another avenue for you to reduce the inflammation.

[hopeful_hiker]

Skylex499 Alrex worked according to the docs not so much for my symptoms though. I’ve tried doing the same with google at the peak of my issues.

[Skylex499]

I'm lucky and unlucky as far as my age and family situation. I feel unlucky because I'm young...I felt like if this happened to me late forties or fifties, I could easily say, well, it was bound to happen. However I had MGD and then got debris in my eye...so that accelerated my dryness. I'm very lucky that I have a great wife that supports me. She doesn't get the pain either, no one will but us. However, she's still stood by me through all the depression, crying, breakdowns, doctors visits. We just had a baby girl and when she was born, I was at my worst. My wife did pretty much everything and that compounded my guilt over my injury. I wanted to be the dad that got up in the night and helped...that was taken from me for 6 months. I'm finally feeling better. I'll NEVER be right again, but if I can have a relatively pain free life, even if I'm limited, I'll be happy for that.

i wonder if it was the gel or the steroid that bothered you. I've only taken the drops, never the gel, so I can't comment. I'm lucky enough to have a great set of doctors now. I get methylprednisone compounded preservative free, I get 50% serum tears, I feel lucky to have the access to this medicine. Just bring up the fact that you had an issue with the lotemax gel so they can find another avenue for you to reduce the inflammation.

It is so nice when you have a supportive household member - it’s tough going through chronic difficulties alone. Someone who can hold your hand after a long day or provide comfort is worth its wait in gold. For me, I’ve been afraid of being dismissed or the condition severity not quite known. Do you find that you are more possessive of your sleep now? I find that sleeping is one of the few times that I seem to get relief, so I enjoy it immensely.

Life may not be quite the same; you are definitely right. I believe it can be good and worthwhile and infinitely rewarding because of the lives we can still touch. I’ve found that this condition has increased my empathy for others’ suffering, especially for chronic conditions. (As cheesy as that sounds)

Doctor seemed quite exasperated by me today since Lotemax Gel is apparently well tolerated by most and I was on a conservative dose, but we will keep looking at other avenues, maybe the serum tears. It’s quite helpful to see the suggestions on here.

[farmgirl]

Doctor seemed quite exasperated by me today since Lotemax Gel is apparently well tolerated by most and I was on a conservative dose, but we will keep looking at other avenues, maybe the serum tears. It’s quite helpful to see the suggestions on here.

Seriously your Dr is exasperated with you because you can't tolerate something you put in your eye. Out of 100 products I can tolerate about 2 so WTF? Can you get unpreserved liquid steroids where you live. They are available in Canada Minims by Bausch and Lomb. Those I can tolerate but ointments not so much.

[MGD1701]

Hi Skylex
welcome. put inflammation under control is most imporant, effective/safe lid cleaner + healthy diet help a lot. Good to avoid sugar and wake-up - even make-up removals contain BAK.

perhaps my earlier posting #30 might help you.
http://forum.dryeyezone.com/forum/dr...k-milner/page2

[Guest]

It is so nice when you have a supportive household member - it’s tough going through chronic difficulties alone. Someone who can hold your hand after a long day or provide comfort is worth its wait in gold. For me, I’ve been afraid of being dismissed or the condition severity not quite known. Do you find that you are more possessive of your sleep now? I find that sleeping is one of the few times that I seem to get relief, so I enjoy it immensely.

Life may not be quite the same; you are definitely right. I believe it can be good and worthwhile and infinitely rewarding because of the lives we can still touch. I’ve found that this condition has increased my empathy for others’ suffering, especially for chronic conditions. (As cheesy as that sounds)

Doctor seemed quite exasperated by me today since Lotemax Gel is apparently well tolerated by most and I was on a conservative dose, but we will keep looking at other avenues, maybe the serum tears. It’s quite helpful to see the suggestions on here.

My sleep sucks...I have to sleep with eye shields on. If I don't, I sleep with my eyes open and they dry out so bad I can't catch up. I wish I still had my sleep, I'd sleep all day. I'm glad you can still get comfort in sleep.

if your doctor is put out because you can't use lotemax gel, you need a new doctor. Someone curious enough to want to find what helps you. if you can get your steroids compounded, do it. Just pay for it, makes a huge difference.