Newbie, stressed out and in pain!

[Phe]

Hi there - i'm Felicity, from melbourne australia (any other aussies here?). I've recently been told i've got dry eyes, after experiencing a year of pain, discomfort and vision problems. No idea where i got it from, maybe the pill, maybe acne medication. WHo knows.

I'm thrilled to have found this site because i thought that i couldn't possibly have dry eyes, as how can something so simple sounding cause so many problems. Seems i was wrong, and that i'm not alone.

I'm in the middle of my final law exams, and i cant even bare to look at my reading. Looking at the screen to type this is excrutiating. Not sure how i'm going to get through all the study i need to do but i'm thinking of getting tranquileyes - anyone know where to get them in Aus?

Thanks

[Reggie]

Hey Felicity,
You could order the goggles from this site. I'm not sure how long it'll take to get down there, but you may not be able to find them anywhere else. I hope you find some relief from your symptoms. God bless.

[Sam1]

Hey Phe,
I just discovered this site yesterday and it looks really helpful. I'm from Melbourne too. I got dry eyes three months ago from out of the blue, no idea why - I was a completely healthy and fit 27 year-old guy on no medication. I just finished a PhD last year, and had a really great job lined up overseas. Then 3 months ago I suddenly got really dry eyes, and it hasn't gone away. The pain is really debilitating, although I've found that goggles really help (yes I look like a crazy person!). I've ordered some Panoptx off ebay, which look just like sunnies. I am seeing an opthamologist who has no idea how to treat me, so I was hoping that I could get some advice from this site.

Good luck with the study!

[Guest]

Hi Felicity and Sam1

I would have used Gidday but it doesn't sound right coming from me anymore, I am a fellow Australian living in the UK but due to my laser induced dry eyes I am coming back to Australia to spend the next 3 months with my family in the humid climate of south east Queensland and I am so looking forward to it.

I couldn't bear another winter in the UK with the heating at boiling point and my eyes at burning point and am hoping a change of weather will result in a positive change in eye health.

Welcome to the site, I am sure you will find some really useful information here and most importantly find some support from people who have walked this road long before us and have a wealth of knowledge to share.

No doubt you have already had a look through some of the archives and I can highly recommend the Dry Eye Encyclopedia if you want some technical answers/suggestions.

My experience from the last time I was "home" is that a lot of the medications/drops mentioned by people on this site are the same drops and appeared to be readily available in Australia.

Felicity - you mentioned Tranquil Eyes, don't know about availability in Oz, so I emailed the manufacturer to ask, when I get a reply, I will post it here. International shipping is available from the Dry Eye Shop. The manufacturer website is Eyeeco.

I wish you both well.

Ian

[Dotanne]

Kiaora Felicity and Sam
I am from NZ (dry eyes from Lasik 2 yrs ago) and I have had no trouble at all ordering from the dry eye shop. Goods are sent out very quickly though to get the drops I have friends in US that send them on to me after the shop send them to their address. I think the Traquil Eyes and goods other than drops can be sent direct. Do try the DEZ drops. The Dwelle and Dakrina may be a bit grabby for a start but they do help. They do not blur the vision as much as other gels. I like the Systane Free(not available in NZ) too as it keeps the vision clear and is comfortable but the DEZ drops have a more lasting effect for me especially on the bad days.
Good luck with the law exams Felicity.
Cheers
Dot

[Silverlady]

Email from Eyeeco

I emailed Eyeeco (they manufacture the goggles) and asked about availability of the goggles in Australia.

Here is her answer: "Australia… we have had tons of interest from Australia, from the get go. The environment is so severe, I really feel for people there suffering from chronic dry eyes.

We do not have a distributor there however we do offer folks from Australia the SSF discount of 15% off their product purchase to help offset the extra shipping cost. We also ship via US mail which is lower. I received an email today from someone in Australia requesting info… I’ll email them the same. Maybe it is the same person."

If the Australian People order from Eyeeco they will give you the SSF discount. I'm not sure if the store does or not.

Billye

[Phe]

Thank you so much! Thats really helpful.

[Rebecca Petris]

Just an FYI since it's not always easy to find this information on internet stores, shipping to Aus from the Dry Eye Shop would be $15.

[Guest]

Billye

I emailed Eyeeco and got the same response verbatim, so I won't bother posting it again.

My only advice with Tranquil eyes when you are comparing prices is to compare like with like, some packs include replacement pads, some don't, some include cleaning product, again some don't - just a word or advice.

Cheers
Ian