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Hello,
My eyes are constantly red/bloodshot and I'm here as part of a desperate attempt to remedy the issue. I'm not sure if I have dry eyes or not and I realize this is the Dry Eye Zone, but I don't know where else to go.
This has been the case for many years at varying degrees. I always thought it was due to me wearing contacts and I'd use vasoconstrictor (Clear Eyes works well but Visine actually makes it worse) drops religiously and the issue would be resolved temporarily. When I spoke with my eye doctor about it, he instructed me to stop using those drops since they will exacerbate problems. I stopped wearing contacts for the most part and switched to eyeglasses. I started using Zaditor/Alaway.
My problems didn't go away. I stopped using Zaditor and I tried a sample of Patanol with no or maybe minimal improvement. My eye doctor referred me to a corneal specialist in the area.
The corneal specialist did some tests and said I had clogged meibomian glands and that I didn't fully shut my lids when I blink. He wanted me to try this eyelid therapy machine which massages and heats the eyelids to unclog the glands. This was $10k or soemthing absurd and not covered by insurance since it was new at the time and it sounded like BS to me anyway, so I didn't do it. I also started practicing full blinking and warm compresses. But what helped is a prescription for Lotemax, a mild corticosteroid drop. My scleras hadn't been so white in years!
I stopped seeing the corneal specialist and went back to my regular eye doctor, who put me on Alrex, a milder form of Lotemax, indefinitely. I take 1-2 drops for each eye daily and have done so for a couple of years. My problem is I know Alrex has EBK to preserve it and also that while Alrex hasn't been shown to cause issues related to cataracts and glaucoma, other corticosteroid drops have been. Also, the Alrex isn't working quite as well as it once was, though it definitely helps because I stopped for about a week now and I look like I've smoked about 3 oz marijuana even after using Systane drops.
People always ask me why my eyes are so red and I'm sick of it. I've looked into some controversial procedures in which a doctor can cut the outer layer of the sclera but it doesn't sound like studies have been done long-term. I don't want to keep using Alrex because it worries me. Does anybody here have ANY ideas for me?
Thanks!
EDIT:
I forgot to mention:
1) I still use Clear Eyes maybe once a week (weekend dates or out and about) and I have daily disposable contacts that I rarely wear.
2) I used to use a tanning booth in my teenage years and would sometimes go without using protective eyewear and have wondered if that could have caused permanent damage to my scleras. It was about that time that I noticed my eyes were always red...
3) I also was on two separate cycles of Accutane at that time for acne.
4) I work on a computer 8 hours daily, but take intermittent breaks
5) My eyes itch A LOT, especially after not using Alrex, so I feel like it could be allergies. But I've seen an allergy specialist and he said I don't have allergies, plus none of the allergy drops I've tried have worked. I'm trying to cover my eyes so I'm not rubbing them in my sleep, which might be part of the issue?
My eyes are constantly red/bloodshot and I'm here as part of a desperate attempt to remedy the issue. I'm not sure if I have dry eyes or not and I realize this is the Dry Eye Zone, but I don't know where else to go.
This has been the case for many years at varying degrees. I always thought it was due to me wearing contacts and I'd use vasoconstrictor (Clear Eyes works well but Visine actually makes it worse) drops religiously and the issue would be resolved temporarily. When I spoke with my eye doctor about it, he instructed me to stop using those drops since they will exacerbate problems. I stopped wearing contacts for the most part and switched to eyeglasses. I started using Zaditor/Alaway.
My problems didn't go away. I stopped using Zaditor and I tried a sample of Patanol with no or maybe minimal improvement. My eye doctor referred me to a corneal specialist in the area.
The corneal specialist did some tests and said I had clogged meibomian glands and that I didn't fully shut my lids when I blink. He wanted me to try this eyelid therapy machine which massages and heats the eyelids to unclog the glands. This was $10k or soemthing absurd and not covered by insurance since it was new at the time and it sounded like BS to me anyway, so I didn't do it. I also started practicing full blinking and warm compresses. But what helped is a prescription for Lotemax, a mild corticosteroid drop. My scleras hadn't been so white in years!
I stopped seeing the corneal specialist and went back to my regular eye doctor, who put me on Alrex, a milder form of Lotemax, indefinitely. I take 1-2 drops for each eye daily and have done so for a couple of years. My problem is I know Alrex has EBK to preserve it and also that while Alrex hasn't been shown to cause issues related to cataracts and glaucoma, other corticosteroid drops have been. Also, the Alrex isn't working quite as well as it once was, though it definitely helps because I stopped for about a week now and I look like I've smoked about 3 oz marijuana even after using Systane drops.
People always ask me why my eyes are so red and I'm sick of it. I've looked into some controversial procedures in which a doctor can cut the outer layer of the sclera but it doesn't sound like studies have been done long-term. I don't want to keep using Alrex because it worries me. Does anybody here have ANY ideas for me?
Thanks!
EDIT:
I forgot to mention:
1) I still use Clear Eyes maybe once a week (weekend dates or out and about) and I have daily disposable contacts that I rarely wear.
2) I used to use a tanning booth in my teenage years and would sometimes go without using protective eyewear and have wondered if that could have caused permanent damage to my scleras. It was about that time that I noticed my eyes were always red...
3) I also was on two separate cycles of Accutane at that time for acne.
4) I work on a computer 8 hours daily, but take intermittent breaks
5) My eyes itch A LOT, especially after not using Alrex, so I feel like it could be allergies. But I've seen an allergy specialist and he said I don't have allergies, plus none of the allergy drops I've tried have worked. I'm trying to cover my eyes so I'm not rubbing them in my sleep, which might be part of the issue?
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