All in my right eye! Help?

[LasikRelatedDES]

Been reading about all your experiences since I joined a few months ago... worsening symptoms and sense of losing my mind are now compelling me to post.

Quick story:
LASIK in 2007 gave me 20/20 in the left eye and 20/40 in the right eye, which is strange since I had okay vision before the surgery, so basically it did little to improve my right eye's ability. Felt eye strain at times and some headaches. Dry eyes in AM only - easily alleviated by drops. All in all, not a terrible LASIK experience....

Flash forward a year:
I'm volunteering in Vietnam for the year and notice that I develop under-eye "bags" within the course of a month, MUCH worse on the right side. Dry eye in the right eye becomes nearly constant. I got sick quite a few times over there and lost a lot of weight... I figure when I get back to America, things will return to normal.

Currently:
I've been home six months and it just has gotten worse and worse. Over Christmas, I had a huge eye "bag" under my right eye and a small one under my left, was using drops 15 times a day/gel at night. Dryness is constant but almost completely localized in my right eye.

I went to a D.O. who put in one punctal plug in each eye with no effect. Strangely, it was my family doc that helped more. He thought I might have sinusitis and put me on Ceftin (antibiotic) and Nasacort (steroid). Noticed an improvement in dryness and a sense of pressure around my eye. But after I completed the treatment... it's ALL coming back.

Anyone have dryness in just one eye? Any connection to under eye bags? Feeling of pressure around and behind your eye?


I feel like I'm going nuts and I've started to struggle with severe anxiety regarding the dryness and my diminished appearance. I have appointments with an ENT and an ophthalmologist next week. Praying for good news!

[LasikRelatedDES]

By the way, my user name might be a misnomer. While I think LASIK caused my dry eye initially, I'm not sure what has made it and my other issues increase in severity.

[Aaron77]

LRD,

your symtoms seem similar to mine, both eyes seem to be dry but the right eye is the worst, has a feeling of pressure around and behind the eye, with occasional muscle spasms, a little bit of puffiness below the eye, and seems to get stuck wide open if I've been staring at something for a long time. I aslo have a bit of trouble focusing and severe eye strain if I'm trying to work on a computer or read a book.

Have you had any success eliviating the problems you've ben having?

How has your vision been affected?

[LasikRelatedDES]

LRD,

your symtoms seem similar to mine, both eyes seem to be dry but the right eye is the worst, has a feeling of pressure around and behind the eye, with occasional muscle spasms, a little bit of puffiness below the eye, and seems to get stuck wide open if I've been staring at something for a long time. I aslo have a bit of trouble focusing and severe eye strain if I'm trying to work on a computer or read a book.

Have you had any success eliviating the problems you've ben having?

How has your vision been affected?

Thanks for the reply Aaron. I've gotten my first bit of relief recently since this all really started acting up about 14 months ago. First, I started sleeping with the Tranquileye goggles since I've learned I don't close my eyes fully at night. (not sure if that applies to you too) They helped immediately.

Next, I got a full opthalmalogical exam at Johns Hopkins. They started me on Restasis which helped alleviate the burning but not the puffiness, spasms, or difficulty focusing.

After that, I went for a second opinion with a doc that seemed to "get it". She removed my punctal plugs, diagnosed me with posterior blepharitis, ocular rosacea, and meibomian gland dysfunction (all kinda the same thing/related). I started taking 100mg of doxycycline every night about 5 days ago. That doc thought I should stop the restasis but agreed that since it alleviated the burning a bit, I could complete the course.

I have noticed a significant change already. I do not have trouble focusing currently. I still have intense dryness, esp. in the morning, but that constant burning has subsided. My eyelids still feel sticky during the day.

The puffiness under my right eye seems to be improving slowly. I don't think I look like the walking dead anymore, but I still don't look like I used to.

My best advice, get immediate help. "A little puffiness under my eye" is how it started with me and after a year, strangers were coming up to me to ask me if everything was ok or if I had been in a fight. That caused me incredible anxiety.

Let me know your progress.

[bernmee]

Hi,

How long ago did you get the plugs removed that you started to notice a diference?

Did your Dr. remove the plugs because you had MGD? My new dry eye Dr. and me myself are really on the fence about removing or keeping the plugs in due to my MGD. We are at a wait and see stage right now.

Please keep us informed of your progress. One persons solution can give great clues to others seaching for relief.

Bernadette

[LasikRelatedDES]

Hi,

How long ago did you get the plugs removed that you started to notice a diference?

Did your Dr. remove the plugs because you had MGD? My new dry eye Dr. and me myself are really on the fence about removing or keeping the plugs in due to my MGD. We are at a wait and see stage right now.

Please keep us informed of your progress. One persons solution can give great clues to others seaching for relief.

Bernadette

Bernadette,

I do not know if I can attribute any progress to the removal of the plugs. I did often notice that I felt burning on my right lower lid around the plug area. It also felt like it was scratching my eyeball at times.

However, the doctor did not remove it because of that, she removed it because I have great tear production. The Schirmer strips fell out of my eyes before the 3 minutes because they were so weighted down with tears. (Thank God...) My problem is the lack of oil in the tears. Having plugs does not help me with that problem.

So, to answer your question, I noticed a difference the next day. However, I'm not certain if that can be attributed to plug removal or starting the doxycycline. I can say that removing the plugs has not hurt me.

Hope this helps! Keep us updated on what you do.

[bernmee]

I too have great tear production but have MGD, ocular rosacea and bleph. I am a little scared to get one of the plugs out incase it makes things worse, but would love to get one out if it would make things better.

Did your Dr. tell you why she was taking the plugs out? I know there are some issuses about the plugs keeping the bad stuff in the eye rather than letting it drain.

I just can't decide.

Berandette

[LasikRelatedDES]

I too have great tear production but have MGD, ocular rosacea and bleph. I am a little scared to get one of the plugs out incase it makes things worse, but would love to get one out if it would make things better.

Did your Dr. tell you why she was taking the plugs out? I know there are some issuses about the plugs keeping the bad stuff in the eye rather than letting it drain.

I just can't decide.

Berandette

She just said the ophthalmologist that put them in had no idea what he was doing (and I agree wholeheartedly). She said that for me it just did not make sense to have them.

I think the question you need to answer is: Did you notice an improvement after you had plugs put in?

[sazy123]

I too have great tear production but have MGD, ocular rosacea and bleph. I am a little scared to get one of the plugs out incase it makes things worse, but would love to get one out if it would make things better.

Did your Dr. tell you why she was taking the plugs out? I know there are some issuses about the plugs keeping the bad stuff in the eye rather than letting it drain.

I just can't decide.

Berandette

Im the same bernmee, i got smart plugs put in when i first got this dry eye, there isnt much in the UK for dry eye, and it was a specialist optomotrist, he just thought plugs would help me coz i had dry eye. I have perfect tear quantity but no medium oil, so they didnt, but as it was ages ago im worried by eyes would feel dryer without them- doubt it though, also money and time is stopping me getting them out at the mo.

[bernmee]

My Lasik surgeon put them in, and from all the contact I had with him I can safely say he knows nothing about dry eye...or decided not to help me....I'm not sure which one if true, but that is another story.

I didn't notice a change with the pugs, but my eye was so messed up with inflammation and I believe at the time I was not producing tears, though my Lasik surgeon never performed the schirmers so I can't be sure, but it was a couple of weeks of the plugs in before my first tear "fell" out.

My new DE Dr. is one the fence about keeping them in or out as I have seen an improvement over the months. Its my call but like sazy123 I am afraid in case I make it work. I will take the plunge some time soon, I'm just snooping around in the hope another posting will reassure me that it will be ok, I'm so afraid of making things worse!

Thanks for your replies, I will sit on this a little longer but I believe I will get at one of them out sometime soon. Sazy, i will let you know I get on "when" I decide to get them out.

Bernadette