Another vasoconstrictor eye drop user bites the dust

[blef]

i always grew up thinking "get the red out" drops were something harmless, kind of like artificial tears. I mean not once did I hear anything bad being mentioned about visine and similar products; not through my parents;not through my friend.All I knew was what it advertised to do "get the red out" and that many people used them such as young kids who smoke weed.

So when the moment presented itself (the day i began noticing my eyes becoming red from computer usage/not enough sleep) I didn't hesitate to go get some clear eyes (i think) from the pharmacy.

I began using it off and on for maybe 1 or 2 months until I discovered through searching on the net that they were bad for your eyes. I quit cold turkey thinking that I did so in time and avoided damage to my eyes. That wasn't the case. I developed MGD/meibomitis as a result of these eye drops that society portrayed as being innocent.

It's been a year since and things seem to slowly be getting worse as time passes. It went from no symptoms to dry eyes,photophobia and very sticky eyelids in the morning.

I'm 21 years old and feel that I ruined my chances at a happy life all because I didn't bother reading the label or doing some research before hand.

hopefully someday medical science can help us all.

[Judy]

Hey Blef,

You are not alone. I did the same thing with the drops, but more like in my 30's. I was single again and would go dancing at the bars where the smoke was incredibly strong and I also wore contacts at the time. So I was using all kinds of drops for the red eyes which would work for a bit, then I'd have to switch to something new. I now have MGD Blepharitis, photophobia also and very dry burning eyes. You are not alone. I do find that cold rinses with Unisol4, eyelid scrubs with the foaming cleanser sold at this website and warm rice baggy treatments really do help used consistently.... You are not alone! God bless!

[Rebecca Petris]

Sorry to hear about what you're going through.

I began using it off and on for maybe 1 or 2 months... I quit cold turkey... I developed MGD/meibomitis...It's been a year since and things seem to slowly be getting worse as time passes. It went from no symptoms to dry eyes,photophobia and very sticky eyelids in the morning.

I'm not a doctor but I think it's extremely unlikely you've got hopelessly advanced MGD or MGD exclusively resulting from vasoconstrictor use. Sure, those drops are evil stuff but permanent damage from a couple months use is another matter... My guess would be that there is more to your meibomitis than vasoconstrictors - especially if things are continuing to get worse. Sometimes there are triggers that put us over the edge but also other causes going on.

What kind of treatment are you undergoing for it now? Judy has good suggestions. Please read up on this site about MGD (see the encyclopedia for more). And if you're not in the hands of a good doctor it's important to get one who can help you get onto proper treatment and monitor your progress.

I'm 21 years old and feel that I ruined my chances at a happy life all because I didn't bother reading the label or doing some research before hand.

I can't argue with your feelings - our feelings are what they are - but I do want to give you some assurance that you've got lots of happy life before you and that you should not beat up on yourself! It's far more likely that your condition is reversible than otherwise. Hang in there.

[Judy]

Yes, I did not mean to infer that the eyedrops were what caused all my eye issues. Rebecca is right, it can be a combination of many different contributors and things most certainly will get better for you soon!! As Rebecca said, you need a good doctor to help jumpstart your recovery!