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Hello to all forum members. Dry eye is the last condition I learned that I had. My mother had glaucoma and narrow-angle, and so I passed on this information to my optometrist, getting annual exams since about age 45. Here is how I began my dry-eye journey.
In 2017, noticing consistent mucus in my left eye for about 6-9 months, I knew something was wrong. I felt moved to visit an optometrist at our church for a second opinion on my eyes, but put this off--a decision I have regretted. A few months later, I awakened to extreme left-eye pain, and with the third occurrence, I could not go back to sleep, suffering about 45 minutes before it subsided. Between these 3 or 4 throbbing, pressurized pain periods in the night, I experienced what I later learned was an erosion in the left eye. Calling my then-optometrist after the suffering of throbbing pain, he diagnosed the erosion and prescribed Muro 128.
Thankfully I scheduled my yearly exam for a week later, where he saw negative dying, and concluded the erosion was the problem. However, after at least 2 more throbbing-pain episodes and an office visit, he wondered if I was experiencing narrow-angle closure.
Visiting 2 different specialists, it was confirmed that my angles were very narrow. (Pressures during the daytime were only 14-18, but must have risen greatly in the early morning hours.) Because of the closure episodes, I had the second specialist perform a PI (who is part of an eye clinic with other ophthalmologists). Follow-up visit showed the narrow angle grades at 0 and 1 (out of preferred 2, on a scale of 4 being no angle danger). I knew my next option was refractive lens replacement, and logically cataract surgery, since the specialists both diagnosed moderate cataracts.
My then-optometrist never diagnosed cataracts or anything other than the narrow angle (thanks to my disclosing so on my initial intake!), but now I know that the mucus symptom clearly indicated I had dry eye.
Sometime after the PI, I discontinued regular use of the Muro ointment and drops, and began initial communication with that second optometrist.
While awaiting cataract surgery (which is a whole learning curve itself), how much better prepared I would have been if I had known that I had dry eye that needed treating! During this waiting period, the discomfort seemed to shift from my left to my right eye; hind sight: the discomfort I felt most nights during this time was related to dry eye, NOT narrow angle (I was afraid of the scarring possibility with angle grades still so close, although the imminent angle closure was treated by the PI).
Just days before my left-eye cataract surgery (which was done before the right eye, since all problems began in the left eye), my first official visit to new optometrist diagnosed map-dot-fingerprint distrophy (EBMD/ABMD). My thoughts were focused so much on the narrow angle, I scarcely considered much, except the alarm of yet another diagnosis. During left-eye cataract surgery post-op, examining ophthalmologist's look brought up the word "guttata" which I later learned--from my optometrist--means Fuch's 1+ (out of a level of 4).
Erosions have been minimal in my left eye since the first one (maybe 3-4), while my right eye began eroding within a couple of weeks after the cataract surgery (performed 116 days ago), and escalated to RCES about one month out from surgery. At one point I had 3 erosions within 12 hours.
Punctal plugs, all brands of PF drops, ointments, contact band-aids, nighttime goggles--nothing prevents RCES in this right eye except a pressure patch each night (suggestion of my optometrist). Even preventing an erosion does not prevent dry-eye pain in the night.
I have visited 2 corneal specialists recently for my RCES, in desperation. Understanding that EBMD with dry eye may be the trigger for RCES (esp. dry eye untreated for about a year, subjected to PI and cataract surgeries).
One specialist wants to do an SK, and the second specialist wants to do a PTK. Whether or not a do any further procedures, I realized that my dry-eye condition will not go away ("it's like managing high blood pressure" says one specialist), but I hope to manage/minimize the symptoms!
Even though the pressure patch is keeping the RCES at bay, the dry eye pain means about 2 vials of Oasis per night, which means continually interrupting needed deep sleep!
I have really only been treating my dry eye for the disease it is for about 2 months. It seems to be the pivotal condition to address in all this new disclosure I've experienced in the last 12 months since first realizing the additional mucus wasn't right.
That's my story currently. I hope to learn more, and make informed decisions, and this forum seems to be an intelligent place to help me do so.
In 2017, noticing consistent mucus in my left eye for about 6-9 months, I knew something was wrong. I felt moved to visit an optometrist at our church for a second opinion on my eyes, but put this off--a decision I have regretted. A few months later, I awakened to extreme left-eye pain, and with the third occurrence, I could not go back to sleep, suffering about 45 minutes before it subsided. Between these 3 or 4 throbbing, pressurized pain periods in the night, I experienced what I later learned was an erosion in the left eye. Calling my then-optometrist after the suffering of throbbing pain, he diagnosed the erosion and prescribed Muro 128.
Thankfully I scheduled my yearly exam for a week later, where he saw negative dying, and concluded the erosion was the problem. However, after at least 2 more throbbing-pain episodes and an office visit, he wondered if I was experiencing narrow-angle closure.
Visiting 2 different specialists, it was confirmed that my angles were very narrow. (Pressures during the daytime were only 14-18, but must have risen greatly in the early morning hours.) Because of the closure episodes, I had the second specialist perform a PI (who is part of an eye clinic with other ophthalmologists). Follow-up visit showed the narrow angle grades at 0 and 1 (out of preferred 2, on a scale of 4 being no angle danger). I knew my next option was refractive lens replacement, and logically cataract surgery, since the specialists both diagnosed moderate cataracts.
My then-optometrist never diagnosed cataracts or anything other than the narrow angle (thanks to my disclosing so on my initial intake!), but now I know that the mucus symptom clearly indicated I had dry eye.
Sometime after the PI, I discontinued regular use of the Muro ointment and drops, and began initial communication with that second optometrist.
While awaiting cataract surgery (which is a whole learning curve itself), how much better prepared I would have been if I had known that I had dry eye that needed treating! During this waiting period, the discomfort seemed to shift from my left to my right eye; hind sight: the discomfort I felt most nights during this time was related to dry eye, NOT narrow angle (I was afraid of the scarring possibility with angle grades still so close, although the imminent angle closure was treated by the PI).
Just days before my left-eye cataract surgery (which was done before the right eye, since all problems began in the left eye), my first official visit to new optometrist diagnosed map-dot-fingerprint distrophy (EBMD/ABMD). My thoughts were focused so much on the narrow angle, I scarcely considered much, except the alarm of yet another diagnosis. During left-eye cataract surgery post-op, examining ophthalmologist's look brought up the word "guttata" which I later learned--from my optometrist--means Fuch's 1+ (out of a level of 4).
Erosions have been minimal in my left eye since the first one (maybe 3-4), while my right eye began eroding within a couple of weeks after the cataract surgery (performed 116 days ago), and escalated to RCES about one month out from surgery. At one point I had 3 erosions within 12 hours.
Punctal plugs, all brands of PF drops, ointments, contact band-aids, nighttime goggles--nothing prevents RCES in this right eye except a pressure patch each night (suggestion of my optometrist). Even preventing an erosion does not prevent dry-eye pain in the night.
I have visited 2 corneal specialists recently for my RCES, in desperation. Understanding that EBMD with dry eye may be the trigger for RCES (esp. dry eye untreated for about a year, subjected to PI and cataract surgeries).
One specialist wants to do an SK, and the second specialist wants to do a PTK. Whether or not a do any further procedures, I realized that my dry-eye condition will not go away ("it's like managing high blood pressure" says one specialist), but I hope to manage/minimize the symptoms!
Even though the pressure patch is keeping the RCES at bay, the dry eye pain means about 2 vials of Oasis per night, which means continually interrupting needed deep sleep!
I have really only been treating my dry eye for the disease it is for about 2 months. It seems to be the pivotal condition to address in all this new disclosure I've experienced in the last 12 months since first realizing the additional mucus wasn't right.
That's my story currently. I hope to learn more, and make informed decisions, and this forum seems to be an intelligent place to help me do so.
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