Glad to have found this site

[MarilynS]

I too am glad to have found this site. I had no idea so many people suffered from dry eye. Do others have "good days" and "bad days"? Yesterday was a good day- only occasional moments of severe scratchiness and minimal pain. Today is a "bad day"- lots of blinking, scratchiness and almost constant pain.What amazes me is what a negative effect it has had on my life. I have really developed an appreciation and gratitude for the good days.
Has anyone had success with Omega3-6-9 supplements?? I am trying them along with drops, hydration and hypnosis.
Any thoughts??
I'm looking forward to learning from others!

[Caroline]

Hello Marilyn

Hello Marilyn.

Yes I have bad days and good. Today being worse, with more dryness and some burning. I can't wait for my panoptx glasses to come so that at least (hopefully) I will have something to ease any discomfort.

I can't say that the Omega oils worked for me. But i did read that i was using the wrong ones. Apparently only the fish oil ones are good as the vegetable ones contains something that the body has to convert into Omega or DHA/ EPA (not sure which way round) and apparently the body is not very good at converting. I have read others have only seen a difference when they start using the fish oils so try these first. It can take 8 weeks to notice a difference. Unfortunately I'm not very good at taking vitamins, i give up after 3 weeks as i forget to take them.

The thing that has worked best for me is daily lid scrubs with cotton bud and mild solution of baby shampoo, followed by a rinse with cotton bud of dissolved sodium bicarbonate, then followed by a drop of sterlile saline solution in the eye(available from you doctor on prescription in plastic vials). You need to do lid scrubs morning and night. I put drops in about 3 to 4 times a day . I have been diagnosed with a mild case of blepharitus but a hospital doctor told me that everyone has a mild case of it. I think in dry eye patients that is because we have less natural tears (that contain natural antibodies) then we can not keep these irritants (i,e. bacteria) at bay. This is what can contribute the grittiness and burning/ itching. Thats why saline solution is good because salt when its disolved natually kills bacteria. Its not a full proof system as my eyes still get dry (from having had LASIK) so it will never completely clear up but this gives me some control and makes my dry eye symptoms more bearable. I recently tried refresh endura, an eyedrop that has an oil layer in it i.e. castor oil. I had heard with continual use that it can clear up blepharitus. I used them for 2 weeks and hated using them as made eyes blurry and feeling worse but i perserved. Once i stopped my eyes felt great for 3 days with no dry eye. Which was interesting. I think the castor oil did get the blepharitus and inflammation under control. However whilst using it it makes things worse so i have given up. Hopefully along with panoptx glasses things will improve. I do not get along well with any eye drops. I have tried about 20 different types. I find they blur my vision and make them feel worse after 5 minutes. Also they leave a flaky residue on my eye lashes that i think contributes to the blepharitus.

I think you need to find your own ways of coping with either eye drops/ saline solution/ lid scrubs/ diet (foods to reduce inflammation are onions, garlic, red grapes, yummy pineapple, ginger) / wrap around glasses or ordinary glasses/ low heating no air con/ humidification etc. Just research as much as you can on the internet, there is a lot of useful advice from putting your computer and tv at low level to night gear ( i wear a simple aeroplane mask to keep moisture in at night). I also found yoga really helps me when i am disiplined enough to do it. I read a study on the internet saying yoga helps reduce symtoms in dry eye suffers. I think its because yoga reduces general inflammation in the body. This is very important as many inflammatory conditions also cause dry eye at the same time e.g. arthritus and Lupus. I think I read its because these conditions create inflammatory cells in the blood or something. Also getting organised has helped me. Having a routine helps get me through the bad days, I do what I can, try and stay on track and on top of things by doing more on good days. I just have to remember its only dry eye, its not life threatening (unless you let it really get you down). You are in control and there are many solutions to try. I picked up the saline solution for blepharitus from a guy on the internet who swears its the only thing that works for him. That was just the other week after having 3 years of this. Also only recently discovered this good site. So things will get better for you, it will just take time. I know what you mean about appreciating the good days more, I hope you have more good days than bad very soon.

Best wishes

[Rojzen]

look up the special eyedrops available here

So glad you're with us, MarilynS. . .As you can see, there is so much to be shared, in the way of experience. . .

There are Archive folders here that address just about any issue one can think of. . .For now, I'll flag two directions, covered well in our active and Archived postings and in the reference documents Rebecca has created, that have been of essential help to me: the use of protective eyewear on a steady basis, and, more importantly, the use of high oncotic pressure drops, which are generally not found on store shelves. . .

Since you have pain and scratchiness, I am going to guess that sustained treatment of your ocular surface will help greatly. . .The products called Dwelle and Dakrina, which are high oncotic pressure compounds, have a good track record, clinically and in the lab, in this area. The creator of these drops, Dr. Holly, has a section here that makes for truly fascinating reading. . .

Please keep us posted, and please be confident that you will get better. . .If you can believe it, I experienced a quantum leap in improvement after 10 years with severe dry eye (meibomian/blepharitis-involved; not LASIK-related). . .I now believe that anyone can improve. . .If you do try the Dr. Holly drops, please give them a while to do their work, and don't use them too often. . .They're safe for frequent use, but they need not be used frequently in order to work quite amazingly, in some of us. . .

[liz56]

Hi, MarilynS.

You are already getting good advice here. Do you notice different times of the day that your eye bother you more or less? I am always looking for pattern, and the weird thing about dry eye is that it can be so individual. Perhaps looking around the site, you will see some signs that look familiar and can find accompanying ways to cope.

Welcome to the DEZ.

--Liz

[MarilynS]

Thank you

Thanks very much to everyone who has replied to my first message. This is the first time I've ever joined an online group, so please forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong spot or not observing protocol....
I really appreciate hearing from all of you . It's good to hear that others have figured out ways of coping, to hear your stories and to receive your support and encouragement. It was also good to be reminded that this is, after all not life threatening, just life changing. I was feeling pretty miserable the day I wrote my first post.
I'm an RN and accustomed to helping others deal with their illnesses and problems, but haven't really had any health challenges myself up to this point. RNs make notoriously bad patients!
My dry eye has been going on for about 18 months. I've been to 2 Optometrists and have been referred by them to 3 different Opthalmologists. I still haven't been able to get in to see one of them. The Canadian health care system seems to feel that wait lists of up to a year or more for a specialist are OK. In some provinces you can pay to jump the line, but not where I live. It's egalitarian, but frustrating when you're the one waiting!
I will make lists of all the suggestions and ideas you've given me, and when I (finally) get in to see one of the specialists on April 1st (ironic that it's April Fool's Day?) I will ask what he suggests and what is available in Canada.
I plan to continue with the hypnosis, as well as the other strategies I'm currently using, and will let you know if it seems to be helping.