Hello from Sweden

[Hajen13]

Alix Hi! Okay i understand thank you. I am sorry to hear that you don't have that many glands left but "good" that you know your state early on. Don't know if you have mentioned it but was your condition also what you think triggered by computer/screens?

I will try it with the Q-tip after the warm compresses, i have nothing to loose as the current method is not doing anything for me Yes it is strange, i emailed him today asking whether or not he knows the status on my glands and if no they have the tools for doing a meibography. Hopefully it will lead me in some sort of direction.

Otherwise i saw that the clinic in Oslo offered this service so that feels comfortable. Yes it really fills me with hope visiting their home page, so glad you mentioned this clinic to me.

[Hajen13]

Me again. Now i know that a meibography has been done and that my glandes in no way are destroyed or anything, they are just producing bad quality oils. Also a test called "PRT" (based on the schimmers test it seems) has been done, here i am scoring 16mm on the right eye and 15mm on the left which apparently is a fully normal result or even good as it should be somewhere between 10-20 mm but i guess most of you already know that

[Alix]

Me again. Now i know that a meibography has been done and that my glandes in no way are destroyed or anything, they are just producing bad quality oils. Also a test called "PRT" (based on the schimmers test it seems) has been done, here i am scoring 16mm on the right eye and 15mm on the left which apparently is a fully normal result or even good as it should be somewhere between 10-20 mm but i guess most of you already know that

This is great news! Based on everything you have said, it sounds like your glands are blocked and it is just a matter of unblocking them.
If you have the full course of 6 x IPL using the correct protocol ie. manual expression afterwards, and you carry on doing warm eye compress, you stand every chance of recovering.

Maybe the clinic will recommend gland probing even? In any case you will find the right answers once you go see the doctors there.

Did they say why you are producing bad quality oils by the way? Have you thought about cleaning up your diet maybe?

As for me they told me my glands have gone due to long time contact lens use plus long periods on the computer at work which has resulted in partial blinking. I am trying to do blinking exercises, but they are not really working.

[Guest]

Hajenthirteen I read that there are cases where IPL started giving improvement after three treatments. Maybe it is your case? The usual protocol is not at least 4 treatments of IPL?

My situation maybe is not severe as your (merging the diagnosis of my 5 opthamologists I have MGD / evaporative dry eye / blepharitis), but this routine is helping me a bit:
- Hot compresses
- Nasal rinse
- Fish Oil + Flaxseed Oil + Strong probiotics
- Healthy diet
- 2 litres of water a day
- Eyelid wipes (if blephaclean doesn't work, try other wipes. They are not all equals)

And you know what? probiotics is the thing that helped me more, but I have to be sure and investigate more.

If nothing worked, maybe the problem is not the eyes. In my case I think it is something else, so very soon I will try to check things like:
- Allergies
- Leaky gut
- Gluten Sensitivity/intollerance
- Hormones (thyroid, insulin, estrogens)
- Sjogren Syndrome (for the second time)

If they will be negative, I will try to do a detox/low infiammatory diet (plus the usual routine). Some studies says that bacteria in your gut may trigger an inflammatory eye disorder.

Have you had a lipiview scan done of your glands and their state? I’d be interested to know, because I too believe that a good diet is so important for reducing chronic systemic inflammation in the body. However with moderate gland atrophy in each eyelid I lose hope with ever thinking things can get better.

[Hajen13]

Alix Thanks for sharing your cause! Are you going back to the London clinic soon?

Yes i guess it's good news that they are still there, but also frustrating that they have not responded at all to the treatments so far but maybe as you are saying it's due to not enough IPL-treatments and the lack of manual expressions afterwards.
I will ask the doctor here in Sweden when returning to the clinic why he has not seen the need for these expressions.
I will refer to this forum and that people are finding it very strange haha.

I did the thing with the Q-tip as you had been recommended, don't know if i am just imagining things but i got the feeling that more oils came out of the glands. Maybe i been doing things wrong all along, now i did like this: https://youtu.be/nYYQrMiebV0 without the spray. Don't know how much to trust her and her boyfriend with the products to use as they always are coming back to their own created products it seems.

No they have not told me the possible cause to the bad quality oils. Yes the diet is very good and green since a couple of weeks ago even though it has never really been that bad i think.

[Alix]

Alix Thanks for sharing your cause! Are you going back to the London clinic soon?

Yes i guess it's good news that they are still there, but also frustrating that they have not responded at all to the treatments so far but maybe as you are saying it's due to not enough IPL-treatments and the lack of manual expressions afterwards.
I will ask the doctor here in Sweden when returning to the clinic why he has not seen the need for these expressions.
I will refer to this forum and that people are finding it very strange haha.

I did the thing with the Q-tip as you had been recommended, don't know if i am just imagining things but i got the feeling that more oils came out of the glands. Maybe i been doing things wrong all along, now i did like this: https://youtu.be/nYYQrMiebV0 without the spray. Don't know how much to trust her and her boyfriend with the products to use as they always are coming back to their own created products it seems.

No they have not told me the possible cause to the bad quality oils. Yes the diet is very good and green since a couple of weeks ago even though it has never really been that bad i think.

Hi no I'm not going back there, there isn't anything else more they can do for me. I have another check up appointment at Moorfields though soon.

It makes sense that the q tip rolling motions are working, after all you are directing the oil along in the same direction as the glands.

Do keep us updated, and good luck at the clinic!

[Guest]

Thank you, i will!

[Guest]

Thank you i will!

[Hajen13]

Thank you, i will!

[Meibum Ian]

HI Hanna: Just a note to let you know that drugs are VERY expensive in the US, they are much cheaper in Canada. Xiidra in Canada costs about $70 USD ($100 canadian) for a one month supply. It actually does me 2 months because I can get a total of 4 drops out of a container so only use one/day, not 2.

Hi, I'm curious about this. Also interested in travelling from the UK to Canada in order to get Xiidra.

Phoned a couple of Pharmacists in Toronto to get the price of Xiidra and was quoted 255 CAD for 60 vials. If it's possible to get 2 months of use from it that's not too bad but i'm interested to know how you get it so much cheaper?

I also think I've read on here that it can be prescribed by optometrists and not just ophthalmologists. If you have any knowledge on that as well I'd appreciate it!

[Hajen13]

Recently i saw an orthoptist as i've earlier been hearing from an optician that he thought i had a very slight strabismus (hope it is the right word) and apparently there has been coming more and more science which are showing a connection between this and dry eyes so i just wanted to check it out so i could stop thinking about it.

No strabismus was found but the orthoptist thought that i should get regular glasses (i am only having "working glasses" in front of the computer/tv today) as she thought it would be helpful.

But before i go spend about 600 dollar (yippie!), any thoughts if this could help my dry eyes or not? These are my numbers, i hope they are understandable:

Right eye: -0,25 -0,25 x55
Left eye: -0,50 x80

[Fenix]

I think you must ask it to a doctor. But for me your numbers seems to low to prescribe glasses. When doctors found me a difference of -0.25 between glasses and the current sight, they have always said "it's not necessary to make new glasses".

Are the glasses so expensive in Sweden?

[Hajen13]

Yes i will do that. Also what i thought that it wasn't necessary with glasses when having theese kind of numbers but it would ceirtanly be interesting to let the eyes "relax" at all time.

They told me about 450 dollars (4000sek) for the glas it self, maybe that the frames dont have to have to be that expensive though.

Thank you for your answer.

[farmgirl]

HI Ian:

When you get it prescribed most prescribing doctors will give you a card that allows you to get it 1/2 price. Then you need to get it from Costco they are by FAR cheaper (like 50%). Costco requires a membership but maybe you can get a temporary one and have it filled that day. Either that or if you know of someone who has one maybe they will go with you and you can fill it using their membership. Mine costs $100.

[Yzhfd]

I am sure Yzhfd that your doctors are not stupid, they are just not educated on dry eye and how to diagnose and treat it, there is a difference.

Yeah, they are not educated on it, that's a problem. I still call them stupid because they cannot think outside the box, can't learn anything on their own, all they can do is cram information from a book into their heads and then barf out the same information I can find on google. They are not scientists, just glorified mechanics, I've lost so much respect for doctors. I've had to do everything myself.