Help!

[Barbara Kaplan]

Hi. LIke all the other people here I am battling dry eye and related stuff. I could really use a new direction or any helpful hints. So here's my story:

Dr. #1 said I had dry eyes. Recommended Systane. That was over a year ago and I wan't having a big problem then. A year later I was miserable. I'd tried all sorts of OTC drops without success. Dr. #1 said eyes were really dry. Gave me restasis. Said lay off the other drops. Two months later I was back and more miserable than ever with swollen eyelids. Dr. #1 said gee I don't know and sent me to Dr. #2.

Dr. #2 said EVERYTHING was wrong. I had blepharitis, rosacea, blocked meibonian glands. Put in two punctal plugs took me off restasis and put me on Lotemax. Also said use Refresh PM at night. I went to see a dermatologist who said I DON'T have rosacea, but gave me doxycycline anyway. I've ben on that for a month without any relief.

Dr. #3. Three weeks later and no change, I had an appt so I figured what the heck. Dr. #3 said taper off the Lotemax and add the restasis again. Still no change.

Dr. #2 called to check on me and when told my eyelids were still sweling, blamed the cat and said use cold compresses and cucumbers. Suggested a plastic surgeon??? But I just spent 9 days in Italy in nice clean hotels and no cats, so I can't see why I should ditch the cat.

It seems that whatever OTC drops (Refresh Endura is the latest) I try, they work at first and then it is back to the same old thing -- eyelids that want to stick to my eyes, light sensitivity and eyelids that swell as the day progresses.

I have tried drinking lots of water and I have a vaporizer in the bedroom. It's gotten really scary driving and playing tenis (my passion) has gotten pretty tricky with all the squinting. I also wear wrap around sport lenses when I play and I always play indoors.

I am ready to go anywhere, see anyone or try anything to get this under control. I am hoping somewhere out there has some good suggestions.

It's nice to know there's a forum out there like this. Thanks.

[brd888]

Hello

Hi,
You are so like lots of people on here like me.

My advice is 1 - Keep playing Tennis! Don't let the dry eye stop your passion!
2 - Can you travel to New York to see Dr Latkany - he is active on this site and is dedicated to dry eye patients. I would like to see him but I live on the other side of the Atlantic.

Another thing - Systane and all other OTC drops - good for people whos eyes are sore after 14 hours on the computer but pretty much hopeless for you and I with deficient tear films.

Best of luck,
Bruce

[Terri]

Barbara: I agree with Bruce's recommendation about seeing Dr. Latkany. It sounds like all your other doctors are just guessing about the cause of your dry eye, and the stuff they're prescribing is probably making it worse.

Buy a copy of Dr. Latkany's book, the Dry Eye Remedy, and start following his home eye spa procedure to deal with your eyelids. Try Dwelle as your only drop for two weeks and see if you dion't notice a huge difference in how your eyes feel. And, lastly, buy some 7Eyes or other goggles that not only wrap but form a seal around your eyes. If you buy them with 24/7 lenses, you can wear them indoors as well as when you play tennis.

Terri

[dianat]

Barbara,

Where in Ohio are you? I see a doc in Louisville who specializes in dry eye. I'm in Cincinnati. It takes me two hours get there. Depending on where you are it could take you a lot longer...but it's certainly no worse than New York... You'll definitely want to read Dr. Latkany's book, however.

Diana

[Barbara Kaplan]

Help!

Diana --

I live closer to Akron so Louisville is a bit of a drive. Could be worth it. What's the doc's name. I am definitely ordering a copy of Dr. Latkany's book today. Sounds like a start. NYC doesn't scare me either. I was raised there.

I do appreciate everyone's suggestions and will follow up. thanks.

[Rojzen]

OSU Optometry: Dr. Holly's posts here, in light of your Dx

Hi, Barbara: I've had some good experiences over at OSU Optometry School with the head of Ocular Diseases (a faculty member). OSU, moreover, (in Columbus), has an acclaimed dry eye researcher (Kelly Nichols) on its faculty. She sometimes enrolls patients in clinical trials. . .(Her interest is lipids and epidemiological patterns that may relate to hormones.)

Regardless of what you discover, as you see more doctors, I would highly recommend that you read over the posts, here at DEZ, by Dr. Frank Holly. He is a lacrimologist who has studied dry eye from an intensely scientific vantage point, incorporating both engineering and physics into his understanding. The result has been the product line that is available here at the Shop, along with a prescription product called FreshKote.

Not everyone responds significantly to the Dr. Holly drops, but many of us do. . .and many here, like me, have found that the Dr. Holly drops achieved what years and years of more ordinary therapies could not. I was on Restasis for 4 years, Doxycyline for nearly 6 years, and all manner of Systane, Refresh, Soothe, and ointments for a total of 10 years. Nothing ever made a difference until Dwelle. . .So think about looking into this as you continue your journey. . .And if you do try Dwelle, please try to give it a good college try. . .For me, its full benefits started to solidify after 7 months, upon which I entered what feels like a significant remission of my dry eye.

[tobhealthy]

Hi Barbara. Try using MINI DROPS EYE THERAPY BY OPTIC> After you put drops in close your eyes and count slowly to 50. Open your eyes and blink several times. You really should see a specialist not an optomitrist. Your sun glasses should be polarized with a gray tint. These drops worked like no other drops. A pharmacy tech told me about them. They are non preservative also. Warm water compresses help too. Warm not hot. I put a cold wash cloth over my eyes to help me relax and fall asleep at night. Use these drops four times a day or more if needed. I stopped using them when my eyes felt better and the dryness came back so continue even if you feel better. Once you have this condition you will always have it. Good Luck hope this helps Fran Ca.

[calcan]

supplements

You didn't mention supplements, although I assume you've included them in your regimen, but fish oil and GLA are most important in fighting dry eyes.

[tobhealthy]

You didn't mention supplements, although I assume you've included them in your regimen, but fish oil and GLA are most important in fighting dry eyes.

I take two 1000 omega 3 fish oil capsules each day and a eye supplemen Bayer Nutritional Science Eye Health Vitality 2 pills each day. Got this at Rite Aid drug store. I checked all supplements for eye health. This contains more of everything for eyes. I eat salmon for dinner twice a week too. I plan to keep this up the rest of my life for once you hsve dry eyes you always will have dry eyes so do not stop the drops just because you feel better. I did once and the dry eye came back twice as bad. Now I know better.

[NYer]

Has anyone else here ever heard of or used MiniDrops? The only time I've ever seen them mentioned on this site is twice today by "tobhealthy".
It's rather unusual that there would be such a drop out there (I checked out the web site) and no one on this site ever mentioned them before. Any good references?

[Lucy]

I've seen them in stores, but have not used them. Here's the link below to their website. It shows they're available at (almost) all drug and other stores.
Maybe I'll buy a bottle or box and see what they're like. Lucy


http://www.minidrops.com/html/dry-eye-care.html

[Rojzen]

I've tried Minidrops; Optometrist can be great; why forever???

I used Minidrops for a while, and found them to be pleasant, but not therapeutic for me. They felt soothing, like most drops, for the first few minutes, but my condition never changed while I was on them. Minidrops are a simple combination of PVA and Povidone, very similar to the original Refresh drop. They are nothing like Dwelle, which also contains PVA and Povidone, but which is compounded to achieve high oncotic pressure.

I must disagree strongly with advice not to see an optometrist. Many optometrists are specialized in dry eye, and many are more creative and motivated than are some cornea ophthalmologists, who can be preoccupied with delivering LASIK or performing other surgeries. The optometrists at OSU School of Optometry gave me the most thorough eye exams I have ever had.

Finally, I STRONGLY disagree with any statement to the effect that once one has dry eye it will last forever. Many people do remain chronic, yes (albeit managing well), but some also go into complete remission. I consider myself to be in near-complete remission after 10 years, as a result of carefully selected therapies. There is absolutely no benefit, I think, to assuming that a condition will last forever, and there can be real detriment to such an outlook, too. The good news is that even chronic dry eye can often be managed well. . .Better news is that when one keeps an open mind, and tries different strategies for well-constructed reasons, based on good science, the condition can sometimes really improve...

[NYer]

Touche, Rojzen! I couldn't agree more with everything you said. And it's really nice to get a reference on any eyedrops from you. You delve into the depths of ingredients and purpose of drops more than anyone on this site!

I'm so very glad to hear the degree to which your eyes have improved, Rojzen.

I completely disagree with the statement that "dry eye is for life". No doctor worth their salt would ever make such a statement and, certainly, a non-professional has no basis in saying such a thing. Especially given the variety of conditions that cause dry eye. There are a myriad of reasons why people have dry eye and many, in fact most, are reversible over time - and at the very least, able to be made better.

[eva]

I assume that dry eye may not last forever unless of course people have Sjogren's in which case it's forever. Lucky us.

Anyway, I found that all drops/gels are hugely helpful as long as they are preservative free.

Until I figured that out, I used to get very slight infections - only lasted a day but that was enough.

Personally the preservative gel during the day works best for me but I know it's different for other people.

Since my "marriage" with SS is forever (I wish we could divorce) I will never put any OC stuff in my eye unless is preservative free.

eva

[acarol]

Hi Barbara. Try using MINI DROPS EYE THERAPY BY OPTIC> After you put drops in close your eyes and count slowly to 50. Open your eyes and blink several times. You really should see a specialist not an optomitrist. Your sun glasses should be polarized with a gray tint. These drops worked like no other drops. A pharmacy tech told me about them. They are non preservative also. Warm water compresses help too. Warm not hot. I put a cold wash cloth over my eyes to help me relax and fall asleep at night. Use these drops four times a day or more if needed. I stopped using them when my eyes felt better and the dryness came back so continue even if you feel better. Once you have this condition you will always have it. Good Luck hope this helps Fran Ca.

How discouraging to say that once you have dry eye you will always have it, if you read the 'dry eye triumphs' on this website you will see that a lot of people have recovered from Dry Eyes