severe pain in eyelid with mgd.

[cherrybrandy]

I was thinking how can such severe pain in my eyelid the worst affected one just be caused by mgd i am past myself worrying that such pain maybe something worse...has anyone else got such pain with mgd and blepharitis, i can hardly open my eye and a trip to the shops today had me in tears, does mgd affect the optic nerve or something, gotta wait three months to see eye doctor again but have taken 28 tabs so far of doxy..i would love to hear from the people that doxy helped at all at least that way i would know there is hope for at the moment i cant see any...am so low...love.cb

[katia]

I was thinking how can such severe pain in my eyelid the worst affected one just be caused by mgd i am past myself worrying that such pain maybe something worse...has anyone else got such pain with mgd and blepharitis, i can hardly open my eye and a trip to the shops today had me in tears, does mgd affect the optic nerve or something, gotta wait three months to see eye doctor again but have taken 28 tabs so far of doxy..i would love to hear from the people that doxy helped at all at least that way i would know there is hope for at the moment i cant see any...am so low...love.cb

Hello Cherrybrandy,

We are on same boat... 35 days Doxy for me, and NO IMPROVEMENT at all... in fact last 2 days I started having blurred vision in one eye.. never happened so far. From what I have been reading, MGD doesn't cause ddamage to the optical nerve. I hope I am right here.
I don't know where you are, but here in FL the sun today was so strong and UV is 5 so I had the same pain going out of the house too.
I also would like to see some people report some improvement with Doxy, but I have only seen reports pretty depressing

[Eli]

Severe Pain

Dear CherryBrandy,
I'm so sorry that you're in such pain. I have some sort of MGD myself and am taking minocycline for it. On that note, yes doxycycline has been shown to be effective in treating MGD, I have seen many references during my online searches. Although the Meibomian glands stop working (at least temporarily) because they get inflamed, that in and of itself shouldn't be causing you that much pain. (Although it certainly can be very uncomfortable) As you know by now, lack of oil from your meibomian glands leads to increased tear evaporation causing symptoms of dry eye. The surface of your cornea has an incomparably higher density of nerve endings than your eyelids-so if you're in severe pain my guess is that the source is probably your eye, and not the lids. When the pain started, were you outside in the wind or in a really dry environment? What kind of pain is it? Burning/Stinging, a gritty feeling? The other thing I was thinking of is that apparently some people's eyelids get really red and swollen with MGD. That could presumably irritate the surface of your eye too. My suggestion is NOT to wait 3 months to see your doctor again. If your eyes/eyelids have a lot of inflammation, there are topical steroids that are available for short term use that might be helpful in reducing inflammation. Don't suffer in silence. Call your doctor and tell him exactly what is happening, and when it started. He might be able to treat your condition more aggressively if you are really miserable. Also, consider finding a specialist in your area. The first opthalmologist that I saw was NOT very competent with treating dry eyes. He didn't even mention that I had Blepharitis and just wanted me to use Restasis. The second one was only somewhat better, and finally I went to a specialist who actually had a clue. I am actually even going to seek a second opinion from yet another corneal specialist just for fun.
I really am confident, based on my internet research and listening to others on this site that you will be able to find some relief. Again, I'm so sorry you're suffering-I feel your pain. Call your doctor!
Eli
P.S. If you're not already, start using preservative free tears-that can make a big difference with eye irritation. The effect of preservatives can be cumulative also. Lastly, if you're in a really dry environment, consider buying a humidifier. That has made a HUGE difference for me!
As far as the optic nerve goes, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[YGB]

CB - doxy helped reduce the eyelid inflammation in my case. It did take 4-6 weeks to see it working and it did not get rid of the inflammation, but it knocked it down a good amount. Unfortunately, it seems that virtually all dry eye medications (and progress) work relatively slowly so be patient (but diligent). Hopefully you are also doing warm compresses and have also found wetting drops that help you for at least some time.

In my opinion, it is best to try to rest/baby your eyes as much as possible when they are severely dry and causing unremitting eye pain. I would think that the eyes are asking for this since pain is usually a sign that the body is trying to send to get relief. Obviously this is easier said than done since many of us need to work, go to the grocery store, etc., etc.. However, whenever possible, rest your eyes, do warm compresses a couple of times a day, try tweaking your dry eye routine based on various suggestions from your MD/others to see if it helps your eyes.

Also, I agree that seeing a good MD sooner than later will help. I know that when my eyes were severely dry and causing unremitting eye pain, I insisted that I be seen weekly even though the MD felt that I could be seen every 3 weeks. You need to be your eyes best supporter. Best.