New guy, first post, 56yrs old

[kevino]

I had LASIK 16 years ago. I remember the surgeon asking me--while cutting the flap--whether I had dry eye. The LASIK left me night-blind. I had PRK 8 years ago, hoping the larger laser would correct the halos and starbursts. Didn't work so I tried RPG lenses. Couldn't tolerate them so I tried scleral lenses. Couldn't tolerate them either til I experimented with testosterone cypionate injections: 100mg sq weekly. I had been able to tolerate the lenses roughly 6 hours per day. On days when I used the lenses I usually wake up with small green crusts on my lower eyelids. Yesterday I had the lenses in for 16 hours, a record for me. This morning I woke up with dense green crusts on both lower eyelids. Are these crusts related to MGD? I was diagnosed with blepharitis several years ago. I treat with Restasis and hot soaks but not regularly. I wonder about MGD because one gland that is often plugged at 6 O'clock position on my left eye. It takes several hot packs to get it draining. The crusts on my left eye were clustered around that gland. Also the upper right eyelid is painful. Rolling the lid upwards the mucosal side is cherry-red. I assume it's from keeping the lens in too long. Any other explanations for the crusts? Schirmers test in normal. The TBUT is 5 seconds. Used to be 1 second before Restasis.

TIA,

kevino

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi Kevin!

Any chance of GPC?

I'm really prone to something like that in my left eye. When it flares badly, I will get gooey secretions, or if it's overnight I'll get heavy crusts. I'll also have quite a bit more pain than usual with the lens out, once the process gets started. This is irrespective of what's going on with my MGs. I have had three or four opinions about what it is exactly, but some sort of GPC-like thing seems to be the most likely.

In my first few years wearing sclerals I dealt with this on and off and sometimes resorted to drugs to get it under control. It peaked with one really stubborn stretch of it that I just could not get the better of for quite awhile. But since then, somehow, most of the time I keep it at bay and haven't bothered with drugs for a couple of years. Couldn't tell you how. I try not to over-wear them (that's hard). I have gotten a sense of the 'feel' of how my eye feels when it's coming on, and I cut down my hours/days. I had my worst flare-up in a few years recently, from a few hours of computer work in the evening (won't make that mistake again I hope). Had to quit wearing lenses for awhile, and also get the plasma treatment redone, and things have been better since.