Humidity is all that works

[MikeM]

Three seperate trips to humid areas (San Antonio, Tampa and South Dakota during an unusual humid spell of 85% humidity) have all produced crystal clear eagle vision with no symptoms of dryness, no drops required for the entire duration of the trips (3-7 days each).

It seems odd that the full battery of other treatments (Restatsis, hydration, fish oil, plugs, serum and every artifical drop known to man, fish oil, night mositure goggles, heat treatment etc) do not work but being in 55% or more humidity leads to absence of symptoms within 6-8 hours with little to no variability.

Back in Colorado is back in hell within hours. Nothing else works or solves the issue and there remains no correlation between any intervention and periods of predictable stable vision. I really can't move but am out of options. Has anyone else noticed this? What a horrible mistake Lasik was, what a horrific and stupid idea, worse decision of my life. I guess I made a bad call and destined to a life of being visually handicapped or uprooting my family and heading to the Everglades.

What is left to try?

[Guest]

My eyes feel tons better in high humidity too - like you, the thought of uprooting my family and heading to the tropics has crossed my mind haha

Not sure how long ago you had LASIK, but if you're reasonably sure this is as good as it gets, you could look into the PROSE lenses from the Boston Foundation for Sight...

Also, some people have had improvement by looking into whether or not allergies of some sort are making eye symptoms worse, also hormonal stuff (ex. hypothyroid can contribute to dry eye) etc.

[MikeM]

I am going to really press hard for a different Dr after the new year and fresh approach to the problem. It has been 8 Mos since LASIK.

What is amazing are the spattering of great days I've had in the moist environs. It is the dream vision I wanted, 20/15 with no glasses and there is nothing I CAN'T see. But, most of the time is doldrums back at home.

I look cool in the Oakley Blades though, too bad I can't see squat most of the time. I too wish for a time machine and fantasize about bolting from the Dishler Laser Center and running for the stairwell just as the flap laser is about to descend on me left cornea. I could tolerate discomfort and endure pain like nobody's business...but degraded vision is bad news...for a guy who likes flying airplanes and fly fishing. Those hobbies are gone I'm afraid. I guess i'll start listening to music and get a kick ass audio system. I'm a pretty good cook too and can see plenty well enough to do that.
Mike

[MikeM]

On another note is how rapidly me eyes adapt to humidity. Touchdown in Tampa at 10 PM, brother picks me up at the airport and we head for the Hilton in Clearwater. I realize I left me serum tears in my F-150 at Denver Intl and ask him to stop at a Walgreens to get some Refresh Plus (placebo tears). We get to to hotel, have a beer and sleep in. Next morning is 65 deg and 70 percent humidity. We run a 6 miler over the Clearwater Causeway and through Pinellas Park. I can read license plates, see street signs, and see birds nabbing fish out of the bay in high definition. Amazing.

Last night I shoveled snow here in C Springs, wet heavy snow was really coming down. It took an hour to clear the driveway. I came in seeing bad...and soaked, took off the glasses and everything was super clear...for an hour or so. Humidity is King.

[Guest]

Humidity is King indeed!

We recently got back from a few weeks in Maui - although nowhere near "cured," my eyes felt sooooo much better there. Felt like they were in a moist bath the whole time - wonderful! That raw sensation they get here at home so easily was gone in Maui... was a nice break! Plus, certain vacation activities like snorkeling are VERY dry eye friendly - heck, you're supposed to wear goggles so you don't look odd in them, and it tends to be rather humid in those goggles to the point where they are very prone to fogging up if one isn't careful - dry eye heaven!! Another fabulously dry eye friendly activity: exploring old lava tubes - it's humid as can be, and there is absolutely zero wind in there!

[PotatoCakes]

good to know about the lava tubes. I would have thought it would be the opposite (heat). Now that's on my list of things to do!

[Guest]

Well, we were in long-dormant lava tubes, so it was just cool, dark, humid and blissfully free of wind!

[djb]

MikeM,

You said you tried plugs and humidity helps. Have you been plugged in all four punctum? I can only see if all four are closed. I eventually went to cauterization and that wasn't a picnic either. The epiphora is a pain but not as painful as dry eye!

djb

[MikeM]

djb

Yes, my left eye (the primary culprit) is dual plugged, however the upper plug is a flow controller. I have many days of very heavy tearing, running out all the time, sometimes it helps but most days I still see bad, even with the waterfall.

[djb]

MikeM,

I would give plugging the upper with a solid plug a shot since humidity helps you...it might make a big difference in your vision, comfort level....djb....

[georgiav]

To those who have experienced relief while in humid climates -- did you have to be outside to experience the benefits, or were your symptoms improved even while indoors with air conditioning on?

[Guest]

To those who have experienced relief while in humid climates -- did you have to be outside to experience the benefits, or were your symptoms improved even while indoors with air conditioning on?

For me, being outside in the humidity itself is what helped... or alternatively, indoors with no air-conditioning so the outdoor humidity was able to spread ex. in Maui, most of the restaurants we ate at had their doors and windows open, our condo had the windows open 24/7, many shops there keep the doors open - this lets the outside humidity in which helps me a lot.

That being said, my eyes improved enough while I was there so that if I went to the air-conditioned Walmart there, I was able to walk around without moisture chambers... this effect even lasted for the first week I was back home (was nice to go shopping here at home with no moisture chambers for once!)... but then I got back to work, eyes were getting irritated from it, and now I'm back to moisture chambers at the mall, grocery store etc.

[MikeM]

georgiav,
No difference indoors or out. Just getting into the humid areas of the country helped. Being indoors, even in A/C still helped as the humidity is still in the comfort zone (around 50% or higher). It is amazing really, just a few hours in a moist climate and the difference becomes noticeable and after a day there is no more dry eye symptoms for me. They vanish.

[MikeM]

djb

I've considered it, my only hesitation is that I have periods of excessive overflow, even with the flow controller. It popped out about an hour ago so I'm going to assess this weekend and see how it goes. What is strange is that I seem to see best on the days when I'm not welling up so much.

[bakunin]

"Humidity is all that works" and that scares me. I live 50 meters (150 ft i guess) from the sea, in a very humid city (hardly i could find a town humider than this one). But my dry eyes are getting worse (my symptons started in last september), and propably i will move this year to a city very far from coast, with much more pollution and dry air. Now-a-days when i'm at home i can get some relief, but i'm afraid that not even at home i will be able to be free from the burning eyes pain when i move.