Dry eyes caused by permanent eyeliner

[geminijo]

Please help! I am desperate to make contact with anyone who has had permanent eyeliner and then developed dry eyes or has had an allergic reaction to the dye used. I had permanent eyeliner applied to top lashline only on the 12th April this year, the biggest regret of my life. Not long after this procedure I developed severe dry eye, (eyes lubricating for 3 seconds between blinks) I have never had any issues with my eyes in the past. Have just finished a 3 week course of flurometholone which did seem to help however just two days later the burning sensation in both eyes is back.
My Optometrist has given me Systane drops and gel to try for next 4 weeks before eyes retested but the gel made my eyes feel so weird have just been using drops but such temporary if any, relief. Am also taking high doses of fish oil, flaxseed oil, have cut out caffeine and alcohol and drinking lots of water daily, and now resorting to acupuncture. I am wondering if I am having a reaction to the dye but have been told this is virtually unheard of. I am beginning to feel desperate, my quality of life has diminished so greatly and cannot see a light at the end of the tunnel (excuse the pun). My job involves a lot of computer work which I am finding exceedingly hard to keep up with. Oh how I wish I knew of these potential complications before I did such a regrettable thing, it was made to sound like an every day, non invasive simple procedure that would enhance my once active life, now my life is confined to getting through each hour of the day. Please if anyone could point me in any direction, would dearly love to know if anyone else has experienced a similar thing, although would not wish this on anyone! I live in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Thanks for reading,
Jodi

[LaDiva]

I am so sorry to hear you are having problems Jodi. We have talked about permanent eyeliner on this board before because most of us who have very dry eye can no longer wear eye makeup comfortably. I am hoping your eyes will heal, and that you will hear from some people on this site who have had the same procedure. I have friends who have had this done, and they have never had any problems, so please don't blame yourself. I don't know why some do well and others do not. It is the same for Lasik and other eye enhancing surgeries. Some of us end up with very dry eyes, and some do not. You might consider getting some goggles or biker's glasses with sealed lenses to retain the moisture on your eyes so that you are comfortable for the time being. It really helps. Sending you good wishes and hoping your problem resolves.

[waterbee]

Please help! I am desperate to make contact with anyone who has had permanent jetliner and then developed dry eyes or has had an allergic reaction to the dye used. I had permanent eyeliner applied to top lashline only on the 12th April this year, the biggest regret of my life. Not long after this procedure I developed severe dry eye, (eyes lubricating for 3 seconds between blinks) I have never had any issues with my eyes in the past. Have just finished a 3 week course of flurometholone which did seem to help however just two days later the burning sensation in both eyes is back.
My Optometrist has given me Systane drops and gel to try for next 4 weeks before eyes retested but the gel made my eyes feel so weird have just been using drops but such temporary if any, relief. Am also taking high doses of fish oil, flaxseed oil, have cut out caffeine and alcohol and drinking lots of water daily, and now resorting to acupuncture. I am wondering if I am having a reaction to the dye but have been told this is virtually unheard of. I am beginning to feel desperate, my quality of life has diminished so greatly and cannot see a light at the end of the tunnel (excuse the pun). My job involves a lot of computer work which I am finding exceedingly hard to keep up with. Oh how I wish I knew of these potential complications before I did such a regrettable thing, it was made to sound like an every day, non invasive simple procedure that would enhance my once active life, now my life is confined to getting through each hour of the day. Please if anyone could point me in any direction, would dearly love to know if anyone else has experienced a similar thing, although would not wish this on anyone! I live in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Thanks for reading,
Jodi

Hi Jodi
I would want to find out what type of dry eye they think you have, an allergy to the permanent makeup I would of though would react differently for instance to a aquatic deficiency. You need lots of answers to on your dry eye type so you can take charge and start reading up on it and trying new ways to improve it (don t forget many people do make 95 percent recovery once they find the right thing for them).
Don't lose hope, it's early days for you and almost everything that helps dry eye takes time to work, fish oil can be 3-9 months (and even then it's first finding the right brand for you). I know from my own experiences to your likely to be frustrated and depressed at this stage, but try not to cry as the salt makes eye pain much worse, this is the one thing I wish I knew at the start, as it really started a. Cycle that tested my saintly (I had no clue I would get a big improvement once I stopped. ) hope this helps, I really do understand how you feel, your not alone.

[geminijo]

Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement LaDiva, I implore anyone who currently has dry eyes and is thinking about permanent eyeliner DON'T DO IT! In fact I would tell anyone regardless of having dry eye or not, DO NOT RISK IT! How I WISH I had read a post like this previous to making the decision to get permanent eyeliner....I really had no idea I was putting my precious eyes in danger...and even now knowing about Meibomian glands and their function on the eyelids, I was totally unaware beforehand and I believe the function of these glands should be made aware of to ALL individuals before undergoing such a procedure. I have already purchased some clear safety glasses so I can continue to walk my dog while protecting my eyes from the wind on cloudy days and intend to look into the goggles also. Thanks again and best wishes also LaDiva.

[geminijo]

Hi Waterbee,
Thanks for your reply and the comfort it offered. Gosh, I was unaware about crying, after a miserable day yesterday I had a good long cry and ended up in bed so early as my eyes were too painful to contemplate anything else. Thank you for making me aware of this as I can see the viscous cycle it would create. And yes, I would love more information on what type of dry eye this is and will demand more from the optometrist on my next visit, I am beginning to think a referral to an ophthalmologist might be more useful as the optometrist has never had a patient with permanent eyeliner before and doesn't seem to be concerned about the connection to the procedure, just focused on treating the dry eye.
I am wondering if anyone else on here has had any experience with acupuncture for dry eye, I have had 5 sessions now and get almost immediate relief, unfortunately it is not long lasting. Thanks again Waterbee, is comfort to know I am not alone as up til now has been a completely isolating experience.

[LaDiva]

Hi Jodi,
Yes, I tried acupuncture for several years, and it did not work. I actually found Reiki meditation more helpful, but it did not cure the eye problem, just made it a little easier to live with. With dry eye, an ophthalmologist is a must, so you are right on target with that. At one point, I was sent to a corneal specialist. Thank you for your good wishes. I truly hope your eyes clear up.

[Amyfloor]

Hi,

Sorry it took me so long to respond. I had permanent eyebrow makeup done several months ago with no ill effects. I asked me corneal doc about permanent eyeliner and she said absolutely not. I believe she was worried about damage from the procedure though, not an allergic reaction. I would make sure that there was no damage from the needle and then go from there. Please keep us posted.

[geminijo]

Hi Amyfloor
Would the optometrist be able to see any damage from the needle, I asked him if my actual eyeballs looked ok and he said yes, but honestly, during the procedure the pressure was pretty intense and was worried about the effect on my actual eyeballs throughout. I cannot believe I let someone do this to my eyes, have had a really rough few days and is making life such a misery. I have HUGE empathy for every single person on this forum, I would give anything to have this pain ANYWHERE else in my body, anywhere except the eyes.

[savino]

............

[waterbee]

I remember stumbling upon this study when I was searching for a solution for my dry eye.

Eyelid Tattooing Induces Meibomian Gland Loss and Tear Film Instability.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25933400

If it's even possible, I would focus on trying to find a way to remove the dye which is obviously the cause of your problems. Anything other than that is just treating the symptoms. An ophthalmologist won't do anything for you except make money off of your problems.

I don't agree they are all like that, it's just a matter
Of finding one that is supportive and will work
With you. I met two unsupportive ones before I found my current one
Who is amazing, and has been a great help to me, not only that she suffers from
Dry eye herself so completely understands. It's just a matter of finding the right
Person.

[savino]

.............

[geminijo]

Wow, thanks Savino, there it is in black and white. My TBUT is 3 in each eye, previous to this procedure hadn't been to the optometrist in years as eyes were fine. I cannot believe this procedure is allowed when this study clearly shows the damage it can cause. And why oh why did I not stumble across this study when I was researching permanent eyeliner before I had the procedure done I just need someone to be able to tell me if it is the dye or the damage done by the actual procedure that is now the issue, unfortunately Savino the dye is permanent and from what I have read because it is around the eyes not much can be done to remove it If anyone knows differently please advise. And if there is ANYONE out there that has been through the same thing I NEED to hear from you about what the outcome is....Is it possible to repair the tear film and when the study says "Meibomian Gland Loss" does this also mean the gland loss is irreversible, up til now I believed that it was just a matter of getting them functioning again. Any advice, thoughts appreciated...this is dominating my life in the worst possible way.

[sazy123]

Wow, thanks Savino, there it is in black and white. My TBUT is 3 in each eye, previous to this procedure hadn't been to the optometrist in years as eyes were fine. I cannot believe this procedure is allowed when this study clearly shows the damage it can cause. And why oh why did I not stumble across this study when I was researching permanent eyeliner before I had the procedure done I just need someone to be able to tell me if it is the dye or the damage done by the actual procedure that is now the issue, unfortunately Savino the dye is permanent and from what I have read because it is around the eyes not much can be done to remove it If anyone knows differently please advise. And if there is ANYONE out there that has been through the same thing I NEED to hear from you about what the outcome is....Is it possible to repair the tear film and when the study says "Meibomian Gland Loss" does this also mean the gland loss is irreversible, up til now I believed that it was just a matter of getting them functioning again. Any advice, thoughts appreciated...this is dominating my life in the worst possible way.

Hi geminijo,

I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you.

Do you know the ingredeants of the permanent eye liner? I have heard that tattoo ink (not sure if it's the same ink) contain heavy metals (in particular mercury). Heavy metals get stored in the cells and cause inflammation and cause them to malfunction. The glands don't produce the oil due to inflammation caused by the metals.

If your eyes don't improve I would consider this. The cause of my dry eye was heavy metals and detoxing them with a natural healing programme has been the answer for me.

I wish you well and hang in there! It will get better.

Sara

[geminijo]

Hi all,
Has been awhile since last post, things seemed to be improving but now feel as if I am going backwards and starting to feel the despair and desperation that comes with trying to fight this battle alone. Sara, am no longer sure if it is the ink I am reacting to or if the procedure damaged my meibomian glands. Four weeks ago I hit the 6 month point after the procedure and finally started to have hope I was going to be alright, eyes were feeling better, not as dry or painful, was down to 2 -3 lots of lubricating drops a day and finally felt like a relative normal functioning person again. Less than two weeks later my eyes were extremely gritty, then dry and back comes the burning/stinging sensation. Back to wanting to isolate myself and sleep the days away, hard to get out of bed knowing the pain each day would bring. Can't pinpoint anything specific for such a decline, almost feels like my eyes have had enough of the drops (Systane Restore) as now sting after using almost immediately, just started on the Systane Lubricating gel to try and get some relief from intense dryness/grittiness. I just can't believe this all stems from a procedure that many are undergoing every day with no repercussions. If I could just make contact with one other person who has had an adverse reaction to permanent eyeliner I would be so grateful although in saying that would not wish this existence on anybody.

[waterbee]

Hi gem

Sorry to hear things haven't improved, on a positive note, I seems things did for a while and that means they can again.
I actually read some thing on line only a few months ago that was basically asking some thing similar here's the link :
http://m.geteyesmart.org/?ref=https%...cfm&width=1280

Aside from that, the fact your symptoms can come ago could point to a hormonal link or even vitamin deficiencies -there's loads to research on it, I've been reading loads and I think there are answers out there, we just have to find them ourselves.