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**kitty** · 22-Sep-2008, 18:04

Welcome. I'm sorry that you are having such a rough go of it. I did as well when I was first diagnosed. Has anyone told you what kind of DES you have? For many, punctal plugs can provide some relief. There is no cure for this, but over time you learn to manage it. Give each drop at least a week or two to see if it will work for you before you give up on it. Avoid fans and wind, and use a humidifier if your environment is dry. Look around this site for lots of suggestions and information. Be sure to check out http://dryeyezone.com. There you will find lots of information on what DES is and how it is treated. You might also want to post in the UK forum to see if someone can refer you to a good DES specialist.

**bernmee** · 22-Sep-2008, 22:57

Deep breath time!!

You have done yourself a great favor by getting on this site. Things will get better.

First off get yourself a notebook and start writing things in it. You are going to read a lot of new info and terms here. Best to have a notebook to put it into.

There is a book by Dr. Robert Latkany, "the dry eye remedy". If you can get hold of this and read it in a day then you will be ahead of the game in this dry eye thing.

I think you should ring up your Dr. and confirm what is going on. Two types of dry eye are either
1. A lack of production of tear...Schirmers test
2. A lack of quality of tears...Tear Break up Time test.

It sounds like you have the second...have a look at Meibolium Gland Dysfunction which is a form of Blepheritis. The oil glands in the eye lids get blocked, so without proper oil in the tears they evaporate, leading to "dry eye". Here is an excellent link that explains this further. The Dr. in this video is promoting the use of Azacite, but I am posting this video just so you can see what is going on. There are many links in this site explaining MGD.

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showthread.php?t=7022

Is it allergies? Could be. I think a lot of people with MGD may be asking them selves the same question. What is your skin like, do you have rosacea (red facial skin) There is often a connection between MGD and Rosacea.

As for treatment, punctual plugs, omega 3 oils, eye lid care, warm compresses, anti-inflammatory diet, and yes, all those drops in an effort to find the right one. Dr. Robert Latkany will explain all this in detail. Many people take Doxy, an antibiotic to try and clear up there MGD, others are trying Azacite, which is drop that people are just starting to use. Humidifiers, day time protection for the eyes to stop the wind getting to the tears and nightime protection. If you have a look at the link that Kitty posted you will get somemore details.

This is a very general list of what goes on in dry eye, and it sounds like you have a problem with the tears evaporating. This will get you started and give you some tips as you start looking through the site.

This site has so much detail that its hard to know where to start, and what with sore eyes it can be hard to spend the time getting through the info. But keep looking and you will get a feel for the site. And the info will be invaluable.

Good luck and I'm sure we will talk again.

Bernadette

**fed up kate** · 24-Oct-2008, 07:04

hey guys

sorry i didnt reply sooner only just worked out how find me way round the site.
thank you so much for your help i areally appreciate it.
so glad ive found this site and see that im not the only one.
i have posted another message regarding what eye drops work,do you know of any that do really help.
well ive been told that my tears evaporte in 3 seconds and didnt realise that there a few dry eye problems.
but latly i feel like there is no moisture at all im worrying incase this is true and be well and truly dry as a bone.
i know as you get older your eyes dry out anyway but with being 25 is it gona cause aslot of problems i later life???

thank you so much again

**sazy123** · 24-Oct-2008, 08:11

Hi i was in the exact same position as you 4 years ago, im now 23.

I saw countless eye specialists, NHS and private. None of them diagnosed me properly. Some said allergies, some said didnt have dry eye, some said i do, TBUT was 5 seconds etc. Finally i figured out what the problem is and whats causing from my own research and putting two, three, and four together. I have MGD (which is the main form of evaporative dry eye) causes by ocular rosacea of the eyelids, this also takes the same appearance as allergies, but it is a grey area, it crosses over with dermatology so most eye doctors dont know about it.

Some questions-

Your TBUT is 3 seconds, that probably means you have MGD. Did you have a schimmer test to see if you are aqueous deficient?

MGD can be caused by blocked glands- look at your lid margins (other side of eyelids), are there any white little lumps- protruding? thats a sign of blocked glands.

Or MGD can caused by obstructed glands due to inflammation and dialated blood vessels- caused by ocular rosacea, allergies, bleptheritis

Read up on dryeyezone and look for the signs.

**fed up kate** · 24-Oct-2008, 08:21

hey sazy123

thanks for your post

its really frustrating that something so common is not well known with specialists as its like they dont know what it is.
i think ive seen about 6 specialists now and spent hundreds of pounds and still no better off.
well ive never had the test done with the paper as cant find anyone that does it,where are you from?have you had that done?
so ive only had my tears counted but i do have a few papilers i think there called on the under neath of my eye lids but i was told from one guy thre breaking up my tears and from the last guy i saw said there no different or ab normal from anyone else so i really dont know.
and not sure if ive already said this but one guy said some glands are blocked but i dont know who to believe as there all telling me differnet things.
i use hot compresses twice a day and clean them twice a day and still get no where.
how did you get answers?
do you use any drops at all
sorry for all the questions but im at a loose end with this

thank you

**sazy123** · 24-Oct-2008, 08:45

I sent you a PM.

Its taken me a while, but i have come to my own conclusions.

Yes i have papillary as well, i have mild hayfever. But i dont believe that is whats causing the problem as my eyes are no better no matter what time of year it is, and i have had three allergy tests which only brought up slight hayfever, no dust allergy.

**gz9gjg** · 24-Oct-2008, 10:03

Hello fed up kate,

I sympathasize with your problems, many of us have gone through similar bad times. It sounds like your bout started with an eye infection, and maybe a reaction to the steroid drops.

I had an eye infection in April, and I have allergies that give me mucous in the eyes, sinus congestion, and lots of drainage. Plus I wear RGPs. I was given Tobradex for 2 weeks & Allrex for 2 weeks. Both are steroid drops. I also got Patanol, which is a less concentrated version of Pataday, which helps reduce allergic response. I am lucky, everything cleared up and I am now back to normal.

I am no expert, but I think you might want to try to use eye drops as little as possible. They can alter your tear making, and can dilute your natural tears. The same thing can happen with excessive tear production, such as when you cry or get an irritant into your eye. The general rule is: drops when you wake up, drops in the evening, and maybe twice during the day. Anything more than that is over use.

Every morning when I first get up, I use Nutra Tear. After a few minutes, I use Pataday to help calm down the allergic response, it's more of a maintenance thing that for immediate relief. I use one Aleve (naproxen) tablet each morning, also to calm down inflammation. In the eveing after removing my RGPs, I use NutraTear again, I think it helps keep my eyes healthy and improves tear quality.

When I am outdoors, I wear sun glasses with foam gaskets. They hold moisture around my eyes so and keep dust away from my contact lenses.

Good luck,

Lynne

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