Post Your Daily Routine

[clairvoyant]

not that my opinion matters but if u are not happy I would save yourself the time and go see a doctor with a really good reputation.

you might have to demand help but this is your life

[calli66]

I think you're doing what's right for you.

You're using FreshKote and Pataday, which are sort of drops. And your doctor said your tbut has improved and your eyes are healthier now. I can't see how "not using drops" would be setting you back, especially since your current routine is making things better.

I tend to do better without too many drops, myself. I use FreshKote only twice a day. I really can't do without Genteal Gel at night, though.

Keep on going. I think we all forget how long it takes for the body to heal itself in these chronic conditions. I have had a few conditions (other than dry eyes) that aren't diseases or life-threatening, which give me daily pain and irritation. But when I look back over the course of a year or even 2 years, I can see that I'm better. Not cured, but improved.

C

[Jen72]

Just curious- What is wax free mascara and what brand? I have pretty much had to give up eye make up, plugs and eyeliner dont mix. When I do wear mascara its different now.

Re. the plugs- For me, it has been the only thing that has worked for me. I noticed immediate improvemnt and now its bearable but my eyes are still uncomfortable. I think that Restasis is starting to work a litttle, I notice more tearing lately.

Thanks for the reminder of daily routine, I have been lazy lately with all of my compresses and potions. Even though I am feeling more comfortable I could probably feel better if I really committed to water, oil, compress etc.

[autumnn]

Hi All-

Am I the ONLY one who is trying to manage dry eyes WITHOUT drops? As much as I try, I cannot tolerate lubricating drops (tried more than 10) and the days when I use any drops are filled with dry "rebound" sensations! As I have posted before, my right eye is pretty much "normal" again and my left is (fingers crossed and a prayer sent up to God) I think slowly catching up.

My big question is- do I need drops even if I dont think they help? Am I causing a vicious cycle of dryness without them? All I remember about having this problem in the past is that it went away when I gave up on treating it with drops and eye doctor visits.

Anyway, my daily routine is this:

Wake up- hot shower, eye lid massage and cleaning with Steralid, wellbutrin 300xl, Orthotricycline Lo.

Smoothie with a lot of flax

Daytime- perhaps a drop of Freshlote in left eye once or twice, Doxy 100mg

Dinner-ish time- often a drop of Pataday (my eye doc doesnt seem to think I have an allergy but I look at my dogs and think- better safe than sorry!)

Before bed- warm compresses (5 minutes) lid scrub with steralid, half an ambien and eye mask.

Careful with diet- avoiding what I have been told causes me inflammation (mainly eggs, dairy and wheat)

Please note- in the past I have stopped all medicines thinking that they caused my dry eye and had no improvement. It has been almost 2 months since going back on them- I am not aqueous defficient so maybe this is why there is no effect from them.

Sorry to be redundant- but if any of you also feel drops make your days harder and have improved mainly with lid hygine please let me know because I sure feel like the minority here!

[Lucy]

Portgirl-It helps when you post your routine, especially for newcomers who are at a loss where to begin. Your post is great and can be simply followed by others, changing it up a bit if they want.

About the contact lens wear, I don't know if you'll ever return to them and that's your decision. It certainly sounds possible after awhile if you choose to. Please be aware (I'm sure you are) that many people in your position will turn to laser surgery (Lasik) as "a solution" for this problem. Many people on the forum were like you, unable to wear contacts and thought Lasik would fix everything. Doctors don't always mention dry eye is not especially friendly for Lasik.

Please keep us posted with your success. Lucy

[bernmee]

So here is my daily routine...I will up date this as I improve (hows that for positive thinking)

On waking, Refresh plus p.f. drops, then every hour or two.

Warm compress, massage and scrub, three times per day.

Dwelle, morning and afternoon.

Azacite, one drop per day (week 6)

Doxy, 50mg (month 4)

Genteal pm at night (going to try using Dwelle instead)

Plugs, top and bottom.

Flaxseed, 4000mg per day.

Wileys throughout the day, eye mask at night.

In addition to this I'm having acupuncture once a week, and being very careful about my diet. I've started drinking wheatgrass juice and veggie juice throughout the day, it tastes so bad it just has to be good! I'm also taking spirulina , grapeseed and bilberry and a probiotic.

[portrgirl]

The current state of affairs with me and my eyes

I took a break from focusing so much on my eyes (while still caring for them well), but I'm back here because I've been thinking a few things lately...

I've been on Restasis for about four months. I don't attribute any improvements in my dry eye to the drops but rather to changes in the care of my eyes:

• I rinse my eyes out at night after taking my makeup off, so no particles linger.
• I don't use powder eyeliner anymore, so none of that is getting in my eyes throughout the day.
• I use a wax-free mascara, which comes off completely.
• I haven't worn contacts in over six months.
• I use Genteal Gel at night.
• I use Walgreens brand equivalent to Refresh Plus, NutraTear and Dwelle throughout my work day.

I find that staying up late, using the computer, watching TV, lowered water consumption, and alcohol consumption exacerbate my dry eye. Also, when I don't take breaks every 30 minutes at work to look away from the computer and blink and put a drop in each eye, my eyes are significantly worse. When I go an entire weekend day without putting drops in, my eyes are significantly worse. Also, I tend to hold my breath and breathe shallow and, as strange as it may sound, I think that my eyes feel better on the days that I consciously breathe regular and deep.

I was going to a doctor every other week for a few months during the summer to try to help this condition. He passed me off to a corneal specialist, who told me to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm supposed to go back next month for a follow-up appointment and to possibly get plugs put in.

I think I'll go for the appointment and finish up my last box of Restasis (should bring me to 5-6 month on it), but I want to be done with doctors and prescriptions. Nothing that they have done for me has helped. They want me to keep up with Restasis, which hasn't done anything for me and is expensive. The specialist told that regardless of whether or not I had improvements with temporary plugs (I had no improvement), he believes all people with dry eye should have plugs put in (this makes no sense to me). Also, they act like it's horrible to not have contacts as an option. One doctor is so sure that Lasik would be great for me.

I truly believe that my dry eye is due to my genetic makeup made worse due to long-term contact wear (including when my eyes were very dry and telling me to take them out), improper contact care, long-term heavy computer use, sleeping with my eyes partially open most nights, and infrequent blinking. (But mainly the contacts.)

I really think that if I put a bit more attention into my eyes (such as trying Tranquileyes or something to keep my eyes closed at night, committing to putting drops in even at night and on the weekends, trying compresses on a regular basis, consciously blinking more often especially at work...), I could make a huge leap in comfort. And truthfully, I think I can get by even where I am now. I have my bad days and I can't wear contacts, but when I'm taking care of myself well I have way more good days and glasses aren't the worst thing in the world (at least I can see!). I don't know that I would ever go back to wearing contacts even if my eyes healed completely.

I don't know that I'm asking anything here but rather stating what I've been feeling to others who can relate and being open to any comments. Thanks!

[lasiksurvivor]

Routine

AM eyelid scrub with Johnson's Baby Shampoo.
Warm compress for five minutes.
One drop of Restatsis in each eye.
Bausch & Lomb Soothe XP eyedrops periodically throughout the day.
I really like these drops and they stay in my eye a long time. Much longer than Systane or Theratears
One Lutein and four flaxseed pills per day. Both are from GNC
A VERY SMALL amount of refresh PM in each eye before bedtime.

[Mika]

very good idea flick for creating such an interesting thread. and good though for making it sticky thread rebecca

Well for me:
Morning:

1-when I wake up i steam my face for 3min with my steamer.. feel good !
2-then off I go to clean my eye lid with cotton bud dip with warm water. then I splash my face with plain cold water.
3-10min before i go to work/university i rinse my eye with saline (which is my favorite and currently ONLY used eyedrop).
4- put some few ointment on the corner of my eyelid and check for "ass pinching" eye lash which has fallen and may be irritate my eyes.
5-take some seven seas cod liver oil liquid form + vitamin C

During the day
I regularly splash my face with cold water to wash off some debris which may have stuck

Evening:
1- rinse my eye
2- do some eye steaming
3- put my face under a hot bath
4-rinse eye with some saline
5- sleep with eye mask (which i fink is helping a bit for me to sleep and rest deeply)

[deannalynn24]

Alrex

I use a warm compress upon waking in the a.m. and also one drop of Restasis.
Throughout the day I use Refresh Tears when needed.

I use another warm compress at night and another drop of Restasis before bed.

I recently went to my first opthamologist appointment and she prescribed a 2 week course of Alrex, but I've been scared to try those yet! (This is all so new to me!)

Question re: eye lid scrubs....what do most people use to do these? Are these done after removing eye makeup? (Please excuse my ignorance!)

I was on Alrex at first when I discovered I had dry eyes. Don't be scared to try it, it helps some and you were prescribed it for a reason! don't feel bad about your ignorance i'm right there with you! :-)

[rubyslippers]

Wake up and eat breakfast followed by 3 Flaxseed oil capsules
Hot shower. Use a wet washcloth during the shower to allow hot water to permeate the lids. I hold the cloth on my eyes as the water runs over for 3 minutes. Grab a Qtip and proceed with Dr. Latkany's Eye Spa procedure in the little mirror I installed in my shower. Put in contacts. At work I can sometimes only wear my contacts a couple of hours and some days I can get through the day. Sometimes I use Refresh or Refresh Plus every 2-3 hours, but most days I use it every 10-15 minutes.

Come home and remove contacts. 3 more Flaxseed capsules before bed. On bad days I use Gen-Tel Gel in my eyes just before bed. Other days I forget it.

[dave25]

I'll try to make this as detailed as possible and if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

1) Upon waking in the morning I use 1 vial of Tears Naturale eye drops
2) Then I use two prescription eyedrops Nevanac and Restasis - (one drop in each eye twice daily)
3) Then I use the warm heating pad in Dr. Latkany's book for 10-15 minutes.
4) I take a hot shower followed by 2 vials of Bion Tears eye drops.
* I usually do not use any more artificial tears throughout the day
5) Come home and use Nevanac eye drops and then another warm compress for 10-15 minutes.
6) Take my second hot shower of the day, followed by 2 more vials of Bion Tears. ( I almost always take 2 showers daily, find that this helps me a lot.)
7) I put in Restasis right before I go to bed and if necessary 1 vial of Tears Naturale.

Oops, I almost forgot. I take 100mg Doxycycline twice daily and Theratears Nutrtion Fish/flaxseed oil gel caps twice daily as well.

I use Bion Tears and Tears Naturale because they have similar ingredients and are preservative free. I find that the active ingredient [B]hypermellose in these artificial tears works best for me. I'm experimenting with Dwelle eyedrops for nighttime right now and will let you all know what I think. Also, the past couple of years during the winter months my doctor has prescribed me a steroid eye drop called Solucortef. It is a preservative free steroid that must be refridgerated and it has helped me a lot through the winter season. (By far my worst symptoms are during the winter.) I am usually on that for about 3 months and then I stop taking it.

There are still many things I have not tried yet and although I like my doctor and he works at one of the best hospitals in the country, I still wonder if I should try to go to New York and see Dr. Latkany. There are times where I feel rushed in and out of the docs office and it can be frustrating. Anyway, I hope this helps and if anyone has any questions please ask me.

[stella]

Hi Rory
Welcome to this site - sorry for your problems which are v serious when they interfere with your career like that
I too am from UK -and have a son who is a solicitor - so I really feel for you- I would HATE him to have this problem
There are quite a few of us from UK - and we all struggle with an unhelpful NHS
RE - eyelid hygiene - I have to say my recent improvement - of some 2 months standing now i definately put down to regular eye -lid hygiene
I have MGD which causes my DE
It is probably important for you to get a correct diagnosis ,especially since you dont respond to eyelid hygiene
How about a trip to Dr Latkany in New York ? Have you got his book "The dry eye remedy"?
or Proff Baudouin at Quince Vingts Hospital in Paris ?- How's your French?
Both are world experts on DES
Nearer home - In London someone sang the praises of a Dr Michael Guillon -a corneal specialist
(I had these people lined up for myself ,but thank God it looks like i wont need them)
Lastly never give up hope - you may have to live with this but you can greatly reduce the symptoms and effect it has on your life -progress is v slow and its sort of detective work - trial and erorr
but you will get there - lots of us have
Just for your encouragement several of us from the UK have started to report improvements lately
Keep us posted

[Judy]

Hi Calli, I like your reply to Rory better. Such positive words and so very helpful to hear! Rory, hang in there, keep pluggin away and slowly the subtle changes Calli discusses will come about. You are in my prayers...

[calli66]

I definitely notice an improvement in blepharitis when I do the compresses twice a day. The area above my eyes loses all the "puffiness," my lid margins feel much cleaner and "more alive," and my eyes don't produce nearly as much goop.

The only supplements I take are the Omega-3 oils--and I don't know if that's helping my eyes, although my doctor likes the fact that my blood pressure figures are good (she said maybe because of the Omega-3).

Rory, you sound really discouraged, and we all go through bad times with our eyes. I figure I spend at least a couple of hours a day messing with my eyes, experiencing some sort of "problem" or "maintenance" ritual. I get sick of it and have my doubts sometimes. Compresses and supplements are pretty simple and inexpensive compared to Restasis and OTC drops, and they don't involve much hype from drug companies. On the other hand, positive results are subtle. Sort of like the difference between drinking coffee and drinking herbal tea.

Calli