Eye Mucus

[Rocklobster]

Hello everyone,

I've been dealing with perpetual eye mucus since I was 18 (7 years now). I've seen 6 ophthalmologist over that time span and feel like my eyes have just gotten worse over time. Supposedly I have blepharitis, and I have tried all the treatments that are currently available. Not only is there eye mucus build up every couple hours, but my eyes are covered with red vein clusters and burn constantly. To keep things short, I've tried copious amounts of eye drops, omega 3 supplements, and warm compression twice a day. I'm currently instilling 1 drop of Alrex in each eye everyday to deal with the burning and redness. I don't like the idea of using a steroid long-term, but at this point it's the only thing that allows me to go about my day.

Just wondering if anyone has advice of what I can try next. All the ophthalmologist have given up on me, and just prescribe alrex/lotemax and say there's nothing they can do. Appreciate the help!

[littlemermaid]

Rocklobster, Have you got any skin trouble? Noting you've improved with anti-allergy meds, but do you have any other signs of allergy?

We've done well on short 6-day courses of Azyter to clear the MGs, occasionally use anti-dandruff shampoo in the shower in case it's Malassezia, and courses of very dilute teatree shampoo eyelid scrubs to control demodex. Also it looks like antibacterial facewash does good with some people.

All this has had to be as allergen and perfume-free as possible, to avoid any more reactions.

Are you using a daily eyelid margin cleaner or wipes? Is it mucous strings you are dealing with, or general gunk? Is there any chance it's an untreated infection instead of allergy? Is it the same in any environment?

Is It Dry Eye, Allergy Or Infection? 'Although these conditions are usually easy to identify, they can sometimes mimic one another', Christopher Kent, Senior Editor, Review of Ophthalmology 11/11/2014 Dry Eye Issue.

[Rocklobster]

Thanks for the reply!

I don't have any skin issues that I am aware of besides oily skin. Currently I use warm compressions at night followed with Ocusoft lid scrubs with Omega 3 Theratears supplementation. Then in the morning I insert 1 drop of Alrex in each eye to help with the redness. It's actually mucus strings that form, and when my eyes are more irritated than normal, they are more prevalent. I've been to many different areas/countries and never had a day with out mucus build up... so I don't think it's the environment playing a factor. I remember asking my opth. about if I have dry eye or allergies. He replied that I could have a mixture of both. I think it's more dry eye related for 2 reasons. When I go surfing/drinking my eyes become unbearably painful -- both activities induce extra dryness in the eyes. So still in the same boat of taking it day-by-day and hoping to find a cure somehow. I'm open to all suggestions!

[Rebecca Petris]

I'd be cautious with the Alrex given your description... Sometimes the things that help us hurt us too. In fact based on what you say I'd be awfully cautious about putting ANYTHING in your eyes. One way to test if the stuff is contributing would be to limit yourself to totally non chemical drops, like maybe autologous serum drops and saline and nothing else, for awhile and see how you get on. Doctors probably would push back on the serum idea if you don't have blatant dry eye signs but your symptoms sound severe enough that a GOOD dry eye doctor should at least be willing to investigate further and consider something off the beaten track.

Any diagnosis of filamentary keratitis? maybe ask about it?

There are so many things that can cause mucous. I have had mucous pouring out of my left eye for nearly a year, off and on, because of a chronically infected nasolacrimal duct. Not suggesting you're similar, just saying, it can sometimes take a lot of persistence to get a specific enough diagnosis. I find unpreserved saline a useful way to rinse strings out without introducing chemicals or irritating the eye further. Cold compresses are helpful too.

[Rocklobster]

Thank you for the reply Rebecca.

I did ask the ophthalmologist about the safety of long-term use with Alrex. He replied saying it would be okay... but I don't like the idea of being on a steroidal drop indefinitely. When I use preservative free drops they feel good upon installation, but I feel like they make my eyes more dry later on. I'm stuck because Alrex is the only thing so far that makes my eyes manageable throughout the day. I also started a new job so I can't take time off to visit the ophthalmologist. Out of all the doctors I have seen, the only common diagnosis they had was blepharitis. The last doctor I saw was highly recommended by my other doctor... but ended up doing the same thing as the rest. Lotemax for a couple weeks, then Alrex. Both work wonders but I know I need to try and find another solution.

I'm interested in the autologous serum drops, but they sound pricey!

[Rocklobster]

Also, would it be possible to give me a list of questions that I should ask the ophthalmologist to narrow down the cause of my issues? I'm at a cross-road right now because my eye doc I saw last is only open on the weekdays, but my original eye doc who recommended me to see the new one is open on the weekends. Should I even bother going to the former, or take time off work to go to the new eye doctor? I'm sitting at work right now and it's really hard to look at a computer screen at the moment. Appreciate anyone's input!

[spmcc]

Also, would it be possible to give me a list of questions that I should ask the ophthalmologist to narrow down the cause of my issues?

In the past, Rebecca has posted some questions that you can ask your doctor to help figure out what's going on:

1) How is my tear quantity?
2) Do you see any dry spots?
3) Can you check for staining?
4) Can you press on my meibomian (oil) glands? Are they releasing oil? Is the oil clear and flowing freely? If not, what does it look like?
5) Do you see any signs of allergies?
6) Do I have any lid closure problems (e.g., lagophthalmos)

Good luck.

[Rocklobster]

Update: I'm trying to avoid using Alrex all together. Been 3 days since I stopped using it and still having the same issues. I'm hoping that continuing warm compressions and taking Omega 3 supplements will help. Still having mucus build up every couple hours... not sure what I can do to prevent this.

[Rocklobster]

Quick question that I had on my mind. If it is allergies that are causing my symptoms, what can I do to help since antihistamines=dry eye, Zaditor=BAK=dry eye, Alrex=steroid/BAK= dry eye...

[Rocklobster]

Update for those who have been following the thread:

I saw the ophthalmologist recently and asked the questions that were given (thanks spmcc). Apparently I do not have dry eye nor allergies, just blepharitis -- he did say it looked a lot better since the last time I visited. Sadly he was stumped when it came to the problem of the excessive veins and eye mucus. He took pictures of my eyes and explained that usually there would be a growth where all my veins lead to, but in my case there's none to be found. He did prescribe Lastacaft to combat with the redness. So far I'm not impressed. Seems that every eye drop makes my eyes more irritated. At the moment sticking to Omega 3 (thera tears) eyelid scrubs and warm compressions. I also asked about Prokera, Eye-bright, and Lipiflow... but he did not recommend using any of these procedures. Luckily he said there's nothing threatening my health concerning my eyes. So if anyone has any recommendations I would be more than grateful and promise to update to help any others in the same boat.

[Rocklobster]

One month update:

Completely cut out all eye drops since the beginning of January. Continued with taking Omega 3 supplements and eyelid scrubs every night. Overall my eyes do feel a little better, but the redness and eye mucous still persists. I was lucky enough to visit Hawaii for a week and noticed my eyes did feel a lot better. I live in LA so I'm guessing all the smog and debris in the area isn't helping... plus combining that with 10 hours on the computer ( I have no choice=Job) everyday isn't helping. Would love to move to Hawaii, but's its not feasible at the moment. Still open to suggestions to help combat the redness and mucous.

Thanks for reading!

[KarenRB53]

Hi...just found this site and so glad I did. Wondered about your progress. I have the same isssues with mucous everyday. Hopefully you are doing better.

[Rocklobster]

Hi Karen,

So I decided to go completely cold turkey on everything. No drops/compressions/scrubs etc... So far I haven't had as many flare ups as I usually do. Unfortunately, my eyes still are not comfortable and still produce eye mucus every couple hours. The redness in both eyes has decreased a little, but still noticeable. Still debating whether or not to see my ophthalmologist; I've tried pretty much every eye drop that's on the market. What are your symptoms and how long have you been dealing with it? Do you notice certain things that exacerbate it? What helps?

Welcome to the board!

[herefishy]

I'd be cautious with the Alrex given your description... Sometimes the things that help us hurt us too. In fact based on what you say I'd be awfully cautious about putting ANYTHING in your eyes. One way to test if the stuff is contributing would be to limit yourself to totally non chemical drops, like maybe autologous serum drops and saline and nothing else, for awhile and see how you get on. Doctors probably would push back on the serum idea if you don't have blatant dry eye signs but your symptoms sound severe enough that a GOOD dry eye doctor should at least be willing to investigate further and consider something off the beaten track.

Any diagnosis of filamentary keratitis? maybe ask about it?

There are so many things that can cause mucous. I have had mucous pouring out of my left eye for nearly a year, off and on, because of a chronically infected nasolacrimal duct. Not suggesting you're similar, just saying, it can sometimes take a lot of persistence to get a specific enough diagnosis. I find unpreserved saline a useful way to rinse strings out without introducing chemicals or irritating the eye further. Cold compresses are helpful too.

Rebecca, I'm just starting down this path, and am wondering about your reply to Rocklobster, do I just get regular unpreserved saline, or does it have to be opthalmic? And the cold compresses are a novel idea, as I use warm compresses quite often, maybe I need to try the opposite. Use them after an eyelid scrub like I do the warm? Or just randomly throughout the day? Do I have to find a compounding pharmacist to do the autologous serum drops, or how does that go? I'm one of the lucky ones, just one eye affected, and no real pain, just watering and mucus strings.

[KarenRB53]

[/B]

Hi Karen,

So I decided to go completely cold turkey on everything. No drops/compressions/scrubs etc... So far I haven't had as many flare ups as I usually do. Unfortunately, my eyes still are not comfortable and still produce eye mucus every couple hours. The redness in both eyes has decreased a little, but still noticeable. Still debating whether or not to see my ophthalmologist; I've tried pretty much every eye drop that's on the market. What are your symptoms and how long have you been dealing with it? Do you notice certain things that exacerbate it? What helps?

Welcome to the board!

Thanks for the Welcome. I've had problems with eyes for about a year now. Always thought it was allergies. Then my eye dr told me I have ocular rosacea. I also have rosacea on my face which is kept well under control by prescription cream. She suggested using antibiotic eye drops as well as eye drops for dry eyes. The Patanol and Pataday didn't help. Tried Simaliasan and several other drops which have not helped much. Now I wake up every day with mucous in eyes and they are crusty and stuck together. So Dr has me on antibiotic eye drops which aren't helping. On my 2nd refill. Don't know what to do. So glad I found this site!