Dry eye man from Norway -Tired of this!

[redandsensitive]

Hi!

(Sorry about my poor English)

I've been reading here some months now, and when I read how sympathetic you are to each one, I want to share my story. Maybe it could help someone, and maybe I can get some help : )

I'm a 20 year old man from Norway and I have had the diagnos dry eye syndrom for two years now. I think it all startet when I got a job at a gas station where there was strong lighting and bad air conditions (I was making a lot of hamburgers, and so on), and at this point I was also using the computer a LOT in my speartime when I was at home. I startet to get comments at school that my eyes where red, but I didn't think about it, it took some months before I startet looking in the mirror all the time, and startet experiment on what could trigger this, so the journey began ...

I've been at the doctors office a lot, and tried different eye drops (steroids, antibiotics, fake tears drops, fake tear gel and Zaditen (antihistamin drops). I have been at an eyedoctor, and she said I have dry eyes, nothing more. I have taken a lot of blood tests to see if I have allergies, but they came out negative, but I am using Zaditen (antihistamins drops) whitch helps a lot, so I don't get that?

I don't really have any pain, just half red eyes. Computer use, TV gaming, dry wind and strong fluressent lighting are sutch a trigger for me eyes, that I almost don't dare to do anything whitch relates to this.

I have developed a strong negative feeling about this, I look in the mirror all the time (I have small mirrors with me all the time, not because I'm fixing my hair.. you get the ide). If my eyes are red, I don't, for example, dare to go to the store to buy food, even when I'm really hungry. My social life is down to a minimum, and I have developed social anxiety. I've quit school two times and I've quit 3 jobs, all of this because of my red eyes. I don't want a bad reputation because of my red eyes (maybe people will think I've been drinking or smoked marijuana, even tough I don't drink and surtanly not smoke anything!)

So I feel for all of you that have this problem
It's just a stupid way to get a life ruined. Before this, I had good confidence, had good chance among the girls and got compliments about my looks, now -nothing.

So any surgestion on how to get better, are most welcome : )
I've heard good stories about flaxseed oil, but is it really working?

Thank you for reading my story, it was a lot of emotions in it, but I just had to tell someone..

[Bekkestad]

I strongly recommend flaxseed. See my thread http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...9276#post39276

[Toril]

Redandsensitive:

Hei! ...Så er jeg ikke eneste nordmannen her inne likevel! If you want to get in touch with me, and maybe share some experiences with being a dry eye patient in Norway, please feel free to contact me! I've got very dry eyes since 2003, and have been struggeling to be taken seriously, and to get the help that I need.

Hilsen fra Toril

[beachblanketbingo]

Hello

I can relate - I got red eyes in high school - people used to call me Veg - because I would not look at anyone - its like I was a vegatable - just existing....

Mine started due to flourescent lights - This was 30 years ago - Go to an opthaqmologist - see if you have dry eyes - if so they can put plugs in, etc...

For me I used OTC eye drops for like 20 years until I had to get off them - My eyes did become dry -

[redandsensitive]

I understand, it's almost impossible to look another peron in the eye, especially where there is flourescent lights -damn, my eyes look like they have the worst infection. The best light is natural light (sun).

Since I think I have allergies, I don't know if it's sutch a good ide to get the plugs since I need to wash away the histamins and allergens in the eye with tears, if you know what I mean.

I've been at a opthaqmologist and she gave me the diagnos dry eye.

I've been taking omega 3 for some days now, and I must say, I think I notice a difference

[sanna]

Hi,

I feel the same way about having a social life. I donīt want to go out and meet any people, and to go to the store, noway not looking like this. The red eyes is not just a cosmetic problem, it is MORE than that. I wish doctors would understand that. I know that healthy eyes SOMETIMES are red if youīve been out drinking you can wake up with red eyes but thats normal and the next day it will go away but the problem is when they look red all the time. It is not fun. If you know a good doctor in Norway please let me know. I live in Sweden.

[Toril]

Sanna:

I'm from Norway, but were not able to find a good dry eye doctor here, and had to go all the way to Paris to find one. Now I travel there about 2 times a year for check-ups. It's costing a fortune, but I feel I don't have any choice as I've got severe dry eye due to autoimmune disease.

[calcan]

Please know that you are not alone. Several of us on here, including myself, suffer from the embarassment of red eyes. I have been to several doctors over the years who say it's allergies and/or blepharitis.

Lately, I have self-diagnosed it as ocular rosacea, which may be what you have. Strong lighting, stress, and other triggers really make my eyes red. I know this isn't much help, but all we can give you is support and recommend fish oil and flaxseed oil, which isn't a cure, but it helps somewhat.

I always thought I was alone with this condition, because I have never run into others with it; now, I think perhaps I haven't run into many people with it because they are socialphobic because of it. I am a public school teacher, so I have to face people everyday. I wear glasses (not tinted - I haven't figured out which tint is flattering for this condition - I tried amber once, but I think it made my eyes look worse.) I have always been extremely self-conscious because of this condition - doctors aren't all that sympathetic, because they don't know how to cure it.

Anyway, hang in there, and know that you are not alone.

[sanna]

Toril

Toril

so you are going all the way to Paris? Do you only have dry eye problems or do you also have red eyes? Because thats my big problem. Red eyes all the time I have only used eyedrops without perservative (utan Konserverings medel) but that seems to make my eyes get even more red. Although the Doctor told me that eyedrops like that are not dangerous... yeah right! but he is so wrong...

[Toril]

Hei, Sanna!

...yes...all the way to Paris! You can read about my story here (my testimonial posted on the webpage of a French eye association): http://keratos.free.fr/english/testi...ne-dry-eye.htm

My eye situation is a little bit better now and it seems like the treatment I've got has managed to get my eyedisease under control (and seems like it has stopped developing), but my eyes are still very very sentitive when being in wrong enviromements (buildings with dry air, planes, etc). My eyes are never totally white, but it could be worse when it comes to redness. I often don't feel comfortable with how my eyes look though, as they tend to look like I have allergies, have not been sleeping enough or have cried.

Toril

[sanna]

Toril:
So sorry to read about what your eyes have caused you. I think that not so many people can understand how hard it is to all the time use eyedrops and that you just can not sleep sometimes, you have to use eyedropps in the middle of the night and all that. I am so lucky right now because my eyes are a little better but the red vein is not gone so I donīt feel so good anyway. Because I have always had white clear eyes.

I am also having a hard time to go to work, but I am studying right now so I donīt have to go out all the time. I can sometimes study at home. But my reason is more depression because of the red eyes.

I have heard that there is an dry eye doctor in Stockholm. Did you know that? maybe you have tried that already? Maybe it is not so expensive for you to go there, it is not so faraway anyway. I mean, I have been in Norway many times and I took the bus and it was not so expensive. But if you have a good Doctor now, why change.

[redandsensitive]

Thanx for the feedback I've learned now that this is something I just have to accept and can't let it ruin my one life ...