Coincidence?

[mef]

For the last month I felt as if the Restasis I started back in February was FINALLY kicking in - eyes felt more moist, hardly any burning, etc....well a few days ago (a day after starting an antibiotic (Ceftin) for an upper respiratory infection) the dryness and burning reappeared! I specifically told my doctor about the dry eye so that she wouldn't prescribe something that would affect this condition. (In fact, she was going to prescribe an anti-histamine until I pointed out I had read that those could cause dry eye!) So I don't know if this reoccurrence of dryness is due to the antibiotic, or is this just how DES goes...ok for a few days/weeks and then BAM, back again?! Any ideas out there - you all seem so knowledgeable about DES...thank you!

[neil0502]

Boy.

I don't FIND anything in the literature (short of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome) that indicates dry eye as a side effect, but ... that's only marginally important. It still COULD cause it in one of us. Who knows.

http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_ceftinoral.pdf

Ask Lucy. She'll tell ya: it's allll about the color of the socks you're wearing on a given day.

In other words ... so many factors can change how our eyes are doing that it's REALLY TOUGH to know just what's helping and what's hurting.

For instance: in San Diego, it's been "unbearably humid" for weeks now. I actually walked through an (outdoor) shopping mall WITHOUT my wraparound sunglasses on (ok, maybe only for 15 minutes, but ... still ....) over the weekend.

If I didn't think about the weather, I might have attributed the improvement to a nutritional supplement or my new eye drops or better exercise or .....

Whatever it is/was, I hope the URI clears up and your dry eye syndrome goes away (much simpler that way, huh?)

Best,
Neil

[Lucy]

It's the color of socks you're wearing........

[mef]

Thanks

Thanks Neil & Lucy!

I'm thinking it somehow is the antibiotic, I guess I'll find out when I finish the dose in a few days..but just in case...I'll change my sock color tomorrow!

Thanks again!

[kakinda]

Keep us posted on the right colors Ok?
Ok then let’s be scientific about this… I propose a double-blinded randomized clinical trail on the effects color socks upon dry eyes…
I would suggest you find a healthy individual to wear different colours in each foot and see which eye improves…
Let’s say a red sock and a green one in the contralateral foot /eye pair… for starters and for phase one to evaluate possible side-effects…

Dear all (including big pharmas),
While we gently fall into sheer madness, please help us find dry eye solutions quick… for the world’s sake!
It won’t be long before we start worshipping the dry eye god and offer human sacrifices to it (let’s say an old gramma or even better some pharma representative boiled in Benzalkonium to satisfy the god and PRESERVE us from the sins of the pharmas – greed I guess – and those of the world).

Surely, you don’t want to face hordes of angry dry eye sufferers ruling the world!

I needed to write some nonsense … it helps me to think that I can still fit in this crazy and very dry eye-unhelpful modern world.

Take care,
Kakinda

PS: no grammas were hurt during the writing of this post…

[neil0502]

I may have laughed so hard that I made a tear

Thanks, Kakinda. Great stuff!

[Rebecca Petris]

Kakinda, I think you're on the right track but I'm kind of sensing that the god of dry eye has a more discriminating palate than this. Let's try this. Before placing any pharma execs (or institutional shareholders for that matter) on the altar, marinate them for several days in an aromatic blending of carbomethylcellulose, cyclosporine, testosterone cream and white petrolatum. Sprinkle generously with Smartplugs. Pickle in a barrel of BAK.

[kakinda]

Hi Rebecca,

Well, I not that knowledgeable about dry eye religion (I was once a pagan…) but maybe you can organize us some seminar(y) on this.

Nevertheless, I prayed the Dry Eye God yesterday, but since I’m not that familiar with him if did not wish to bluntly ask him “get me rid of this plague”, no, that's probably taboo....so I vaguely mention I could do with some help.

This morning, my eyes look the same, but during the night I had an excellent idea for our socks study’s placebo: a transparent sock! See it works!

Take care
Kakinda

[indrep]

I always want to be kakinda's friend!

[Rebecca Petris]

This morning, my eyes look the same, but during the night I had an excellent idea for our socks study’s placebo: a transparent sock! See it works!

LOL And there I was, as usual all ready to overcomplicate things by suggesting argyle