dry eye and depression

[vikkigirl]

Hi, I was dx with dry eye from sjogren's in 6/06. Has anyone experienced depression. Was dx with servere depression during my first time with sjogrens.
When the dry eye improved, depression got better. This is my 3rd time with the dry eye. The dry eye comes first and then within a couple of weeks and the depression comes next. This is the third time I have had to take off work. Have plugs in both eyes and use restasis. Thanks for yourfeedback.

[dianat]

Vikkigirl,

Dry eye and depression most certainly go hand in hand. I learned a great deal about this the years following my LASIK surgery and immediate onset of debilitating dry eye.

Once I got my dry eye under some amount of control, my psyche improved as well. Our eyes are designed to be sensitive can really be maddening when they are not comfortable. It's a shockingly difficult condition to cope with.

Best of luck with this bout of dryness you are experiencing. Take good care of yourself, cut yourself some slack and get plenty of water and rest. Do consider an antidepressant should your symptoms of depression further interrupt your life. I have been helped by these meds in the past and was grateful to have them available to me.

You can do searches on this site regarding the various side-effects. Some people are affected and some are not. You'll never know how they work for you unless you try...that is, if you feel you need them at all.

Diana

[vikkigirl]

Dry eye and depression.

Thanks for getting back to me. This is the first time I have ever gone on a site like this. I found your response uplifting. My husband says I am too hard on my self. Have you ever had blurred vision with your dry eye. I also have difficultly with concentration and memory.

[Rebecca Petris]

vikkigirl,

Welcome!

Here are a few links you may want to check out as you explore the board & site:

Our forum about depression and dry eye

Dry Eye Encyclopedia page on depression and dry eye

[Silverlady]

Another link

Vicki,
If you haven't found it already, I'd like to add the link www.sjogrensworld.org
It's a site for people who suffer from Sjogren's Syndrome. And has discussions about all aspects of the disease.

Billye

[dianat]

Vikki,

Oh, yes, concentration and memory were very much a problem for me. When my anxiety was at its height, I remember trying to follow a recipe and I just couldn't do it.

I also tended to "pull in" more things into my conscience mind to be upset about...things that weren't currently relevant, nor that had anything to do with dry eye.

For example, I actually worried how I would be able to handle my daughter's wedding day with my horrible burning eyes. This may seem like a reasonable thing to worry about except that my daughter was like two-years-old at the time.

Depression is terribly destructive.

It makes me happy to know I have been helpful. Your husband sounds like he's right on the money. His support is so valuable.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Diana

[vikkigirl]

New information from Dr, Appt.

I had an appointment with a eye specialist at Hershey Medical Center in PA.
I told him all the problems I was having with my eyes and not being able to work for the last 3 weeks and the blurred vison was really causing me a problem with my life. Everyting I look at was blurring. He ran several tests and they were normal, but he informed me I had catarats. Boy was this a blow. Had no idea.The reason he mentioned it was because I told him how this was inpacting my life. Have to have a consilation (sp?) with this dr again along with a another eye spectalist within the next 2 weeks. I feel that this dr. may be on the right tack for me getting my life back. Did some
research and found that steriod use can cause cataract. Hve been on steriods at one dose or another for 11-12 years.

[dianat]

Wow, that's a lot of steroid use. Did a doctor prescribe that? I'm sorry to hear about your cataracts, but am glad to know you have an answer to your problem.

Diana

[Rojzen]

consider looking at the NAC eyedrop data, for cataracts

To Vikkigirl - - as you prepare to confirm that cataract diagnosis, and then proceed to treatment, if necessary, please consider looking at some older information on this site regarding use of NAC eyedrops for treatment of cataracts. . .There is a particular NAC ophthalmic product that appears to have undergone some serious testing, and which may be, at worst, harmless, when tried for the treatment of cataracts.. .I mention this because with dry eyes, it is always good, I think, to minimize the numbers of surgeries one has, as each can affect the ocular surface, even in only temporarily. . .and to use nonsurgical methods, if they exist. . .Possibly these eyedrops are not very effective, but the testimonials are impressive. . .Oddly, there are a few testimonials out there on the possible benefits of this same dry for DES, itself.. Maybe one of your eye docs will know about the drops, though I imagine these are not popular among conventional practitioners. . .

Anyway, look up the NAC drops here, and also check out: http://www.smart-drugs.net/carnosine...ps-article.htm