Hello all, 26 year old male here, been suffering with dry eyes for a few years now. Someone on reddit recommended this forum.
My eyes get sensitive to light, and also have an urge to squeeze my eyes. Even when my eyes are shut, I still blink / squeeze. They burn all day. When I am driving, I notice my eyes are blinking really fast. This one's a bit harder to explain, but when I am walking around in places like Costco, Rite Aid, CVS, etc., my eyes feel drowsy and I just don't want to look for whatever I'm looking for anymore.
Just some background info on my medical history (ophthalmologist says it may be related)
Year 2010: Signs of papillary carcinoma thyroid cancer -- performed thyroidectomy. Few months after, had a radioactive iodine treatment
Year 2011: More signs of cancer on the lymphnodes -- performed bilateral neck dissection. Few months later had radioactive iodine treatment again.
Medication: Levothyroxine, Calcium carbonate, calcium acetate, calcitriol,hydrochlorothiazide.
I played a lot of computer games as a teenager to my mid 20s, which may also be a cause for my dry eyes. I work as IT help desk support, so I am in front of a computer all day.
Started seeing ophthalmologist last year, around winter time. She has had me on restasis since then and told me to frequently use eye lubricant (Systane balance, Soothe XP, Retaine, etc). Night time before I sleep, I put on the Genteal gel, and use a hot compress on the eye a few times a week. She then referred me to another doctor this year, around May to get punctal plugs. Still have terrible dry eye symptoms. I plan on driving more often next year, so I really want to drive with not so severe dry eye symptoms.
Some other things I've heard of but yet to try out are Xiidra, the blood serum, scleral lens. Based on everyone's experience and knowledge, and given my history, would these help?
My eyes get sensitive to light, and also have an urge to squeeze my eyes. Even when my eyes are shut, I still blink / squeeze. They burn all day. When I am driving, I notice my eyes are blinking really fast. This one's a bit harder to explain, but when I am walking around in places like Costco, Rite Aid, CVS, etc., my eyes feel drowsy and I just don't want to look for whatever I'm looking for anymore.
Just some background info on my medical history (ophthalmologist says it may be related)
Year 2010: Signs of papillary carcinoma thyroid cancer -- performed thyroidectomy. Few months after, had a radioactive iodine treatment
Year 2011: More signs of cancer on the lymphnodes -- performed bilateral neck dissection. Few months later had radioactive iodine treatment again.
Medication: Levothyroxine, Calcium carbonate, calcium acetate, calcitriol,hydrochlorothiazide.
I played a lot of computer games as a teenager to my mid 20s, which may also be a cause for my dry eyes. I work as IT help desk support, so I am in front of a computer all day.
Started seeing ophthalmologist last year, around winter time. She has had me on restasis since then and told me to frequently use eye lubricant (Systane balance, Soothe XP, Retaine, etc). Night time before I sleep, I put on the Genteal gel, and use a hot compress on the eye a few times a week. She then referred me to another doctor this year, around May to get punctal plugs. Still have terrible dry eye symptoms. I plan on driving more often next year, so I really want to drive with not so severe dry eye symptoms.
Some other things I've heard of but yet to try out are Xiidra, the blood serum, scleral lens. Based on everyone's experience and knowledge, and given my history, would these help?
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