new here, dry eyes

[acarol]

hello, i'm 29 and from Ireland. Have been experiencing dry eyes for over a month now and can safety say thats its the worst experience i've ever had. Never really had a problem with dryness before - use to wear contact lenses a lot but cut down on the use of them about a year and a half ago (because i didn't want my eyes becoming dry...)

I also get a burning / stinging sensation when i shut my eyes, i've tried lots of drops (Artelac and Clarymist mainly - both are preservative free), they give temporary relief, i also bathe eyes with baby shampoo and warm water in the morning and evening but nothing really helps. I've seen an optician and eye specialist - they said my eye lids are bit inflamed and could see dry patches show up with the floresent dye - they just said continue using drops, i actually HATE putting drops into my eyes and i feel their just making them worse, i also have quite promient red veins in my eyes - one more than the other. I really am at my wits end at the minute and i'm becoming quite reclusive - staying at home instead of going out. Can't tolerate contacts at the minute either which is torture too.
Please help.....

[Terri]

If your lids are inflamed, I strongly recommend you follow Dr. Latkany's home eye spa procedure (and if you haven't done so, read his book, "The Dry Eye Remedy"). Until you can get a copy of the book, read section 2 on the Dry Eye Treatments web page, which tells you how to address Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, which could be the cause of your inflamed eyelids, as well as the cause of your dry eyes.

It won't hurt you to read the other sections on the Dry Eye Treatments page also. When I first read Dr. Latkany's book, which led me to this site, I was desperate, so I did EVERYTHING in order to find relief. As I began working my way through the remedies and narrowing down the cause of my problems, I simplified my routine by eliminating unnecessary steps. You might want to keep a log of what you are doing and try to measure what's working and what's not on a daily or weekly basis.

[acarol]

Thanks for your reply but shouldn't the eye specialist have told me that i have Meibomian Gland Dysfunction or is it hard to diagnose, i'm due to ring her again tomorrow so i'll mention it to her - she doesn't seem to be taking my problem seriously at all, in Ireland you see i don't think there is that much of it because we don't have very hot weather... typical i'm the rare one to get it!! How do you manage yours now and is it under control?

[NYer]

acarol, Dry Eye is not a byproduct of hot weather. Take a look and you'll notice how many people are on this web site from the UK!
I live in New York, for example, where it's only "hot" for three months of the year. Nevertheless, my dry eyes bothered me all winter.
And although there are plenty of eye doctors here and plenty of people with dry eye, you'd be amazed how many people on this site have been to multiple eye doctors who show complete disinterest in dry eye and/or don't even know much of anything about it.
So the problem is not you. The problem is your eye doctor.
As Terri suggested, read that book. At the very least, after you read it, you can highlight points in the book that you feel may pertain to you and bring it with you to your eye doctor to show her what it says. If she's a good doctor, she'll work with you and acknowledge that maybe there is something new for her to learn. Otherwise, find a new doctor.

[acarol]

hi, thanks for that, ya i must buy that book and your right some eye doctors just think oh its a temporary thing - it'll go away! It really is a most cripping thing because you just don't know if it will clear up or not and a lot of people on this site have it for years and years with no joy.

[Stanza]

it's a good book to get and you'll get some tips from here. It took me six months to get some relief and I still have bad days but the ''good'' days can be found

[mflores22]

doctors doctors doctors

You would be shocked at how many optometrists know so little about dry eye. When I went to see my optometrist, my eyelashes were matted and pointing straight down, my lids were inflamed, and I was complaining of dry eye. She put me in Acuvue Oasys and shuffled me out the door. She said my only option was to get plugged if the new contacts didn't work out. When I got insurance, I went to a dry eye specialist, and he diagnosed me with blepharitis and ocular roscea in what felt like 5 seconds. My point is that doctors are only as good as their training. If your doctor has no experience with dry eye, they are not capable of diagnosing dry eye. My advice would be to seek out a specialist. You'd be shocked to see how many doctors people have to see before they get good help for their dry eye. Dr Latkany's book is great, I read it and go back to it often as a reference. But to be honest, nothing beats an accurate diagnosis from a qualified dry eye doctor. You'll be swimming with questions until you know exactly what's going on.

[IanJ]

Hi,

Here's what I do, it really does help for my Bleph/dry eye problems.................

First thing in the morning before I shower I bathe my eyes with a warm flannel for 5 mins and then perform a lid massage, i.e. to try to extrude the oils out of the bunged up glands.

I then have my shower and use Head & Shoulders to wash my eyes & eyebrows. The point of this to me is to rid the eyelashes and eyebrows etc of any dandruff.

Out of the bathroom I immediately apply eye drops. I use Ocumed-II and Systane. Throughout the day I'll apply eyedrops as and when necessary.
Sometimes throughout the day in the company washrooms I'll wash/bathe my eyes with warm water(no soaps).

Last thing at night I'll either warm flannel & massage or just wash/bathe with warm water. Sometimes I'll use Sterilid to clean my eyes if I feel my eyes are dusty/dirty.

My opinions:-
- Baby Shampoo does nothing for me.
- Clarymist is no good for me, it makes my eyes sting and I just believe it just assists in clogging up the eyelashes with dust/dirt from the air.

Ian.

[NYer]

Hi Ian,
1. Do you find that the Head & Shoulders does actually clear up the "dandruff" on the lashes?
2. Does it sting? I've been nervous about trying dandruff shampoo on my eyes, even though it sounds like a good idea. They make such a point of warning you not to get it in your eyes.
3. Which Head & Shoulders do you use? They have a number of different versions now.
Thanks!

[acarol]

Thanks so much for ye're help - it really is comforting to know other people know what i'm going through, i have another appointment this afternoon with the eye specialist so i'm going to tell her how much this is really affecting me, the last time i think she thought i was just going through a phase of temporary dryness.. What kind of questions should i be asking her (besides the obvious ones that is)

[Terri]

acarol: Here's what you should expect from a thorough exam (this is all from Dr. Latkany's book):

1. The doctor should first observe you and take your history. Observation includes things like how often you blink, what the facial structure around your eyes is, whether you show signs of rosacea, etc. Taking your history will establish what medications you're on (which can contribute to dry eye), how long and what types of contact lenses you've been wearing, family history of eye disease, etc.

2. Next you should have an examination with a slit lamp (the thing you put your chin on and press your forehead against the bar). The doc should take a good look at your eyelid margin, check for meibomian gland dysfunction and be able to determine if you have blepharitis. He or she may also be able to determine if your eyelids close fully or if you have lagophthalmos.

3. You may get a Schirmer's Test, which is supposed to determine if your tear production is normal or not. However, that test is not considered very reliable by many good dry eye docs because it can say you're producing tears (when you're not) or that you're not producing tears (when you are).

4. The doctor may put dye in your eyes to assess the condition of the ocular surface. There are three different dyes that are commonly used: fluorescein (yellow), lissamine (green) and Rose Bengal (red). The doctor may use more than one, since they detect different problems. The staining also enables the determination of "tear break up time" (TBUT), or how long it takes for a break to occur in the tear film. Unlike the Schirmer's score, this is a useful number for you to know.

5. The doctor may also dab a small piece of filter paper on your eye for a clearance test, which will see if the dye washed off the surface of your eyes in a normal amount of time. Failure to clear is a result of inflammation, and it can allow inflammatory substances to remain on the surface of your eye, aggravating dry eye problems.

6. Another test is for tear osmolarity, which is its ability to be diffused between membranes. The doc will capture a sample of your tears and measure its concentration. High osmolarity means a less watery tear film, or one that will not diffuse over the surface of the eyes easily.

7. One last test can measure the proteins found in the tear film. A lower number or concentration of proteins in the eye are a signal for DES.

It's not likely your doctor will perform all of these tests, but lack of familiarity with them or unwillingness to take the time for numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are big red flags in my book. I wouldn't return to an ophthalmologist who didn't have the training or interest in doing those.

[acarol]

Thanks for that - well just back from my appointment and she said she could see very little dryness in my eye (yet i have all the symptoms and pain!!). She examined my eyes with the slit lamp and also inserted dyes to check tear break up time, she said she could see very little dryness. She said there was a little inflammation under the eyelid alright. She prescribed me vexol - its a steroid drop.
What do ye think? Am i back to square one again.........

[calli66]

Just wanted to add one thing to Terri's comprehensive list (good list! I haven't had half these...).

When you go in the exam room, make sure the tech who comes in first to do the initial acuity test and ask questions---make sure that person DOES NOT do the glaucoma pressure test BEFORE the doctor comes in. They put in 2 different numbing drops for that test that totally throw off your tears and make it difficult for the doctor to see your true condition. They can do the pressure test AFTER the exam.

C