DRY EYE VETERNS!!! Advice please

[nori2015]

The flap lift helped the most with dryness and the painful feeling of dryness which is so classic after Eye surgery.

I did use plasma before the flap lift although only improved a little. After the flap lift the pain reduced substantially. It really depends what your diagnosis is. Does the amount of dryness you have explain the amount of pain?

Please be patient with the steroids. It took 4 months for inflammation in my eyes to die down after using cyclosporine. Longest 4 months of my life.

Are you still on the cyclosporine or have you tapered off?

My current regime is steroid drop 4 times a day, cyclosporine (restasis) twice a day and tears as needed.

[Irina]

Angela,do you remember your pain after the first surgery? When It started , and how bad it was comparing to the pain you have now.I remember from your other post that pain wasn't such bad until third year after the first surgery.It that correct?

[Angela810]

The flap lift helped the most with dryness and the painful feeling of dryness which is so classic after Eye surgery.

I did use plasma before the flap lift although only improved a little. After the flap lift the pain reduced substantially. It really depends what your diagnosis is. Does the amount of dryness you have explain the amount of pain?

Please be patient with the steroids. It took 4 months for inflammation in my eyes to die down after using cyclosporine. Longest 4 months of my life.

[nori2015]

Two weeks in to my steroid regime and no improvement in redness.
Will this ever go away?

[nori2015]

Hi Nori,

I feel your pain. I saw over 9 doctors in the UK over 2.5 yrs, to try to get help after Lasik. In the meanwhile my condition was worsening. I went on a roller coster ride of steroids, eye drops, warm compresses, doxy, and more steroids. Finally optimmune calmed down the inflammation. I only had my lowers plugged since there is a possibility of increasing the inflammation if both are plugged.

I begged for serum or plasma in the UK and didn't get it. Finally I went to Spain, Vissum, there and back in 1 day and got plasma. It's relatively cheap compared to how much you would need to pay if you wanted plasma in the UK privately. I really just wish I had gone there sooner. The UK is the worst place on the planet to have dry eye or lasik issues because there is no help at all!

Plasma really helps improve dryness. Here's some hope for you:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19965821

Hi Angela, I've seen in a previous post You had your lasik flap lifted, do you think that's what helped most?

[Angela810]

Ooh forgot to add:

Try to increase the humidity in your flat. I bought a tiny humidifier which didn't help much.

Try placing wet towels on the radiator - that will increase humidity.

The trouble with Lasik is that it ruins the quality of the tear. So there is less oil in tears after lasik, in some people. I am definitely one of those people. Apparently that's because the feedback loop is disrupted. Im not sure if the oil production can increase with time as the nerves grow.

We'll have to see...

[Angela810]

Hi Nori,

I feel your pain. I saw over 9 doctors in the UK over 2.5 yrs, to try to get help after Lasik. In the meanwhile my condition was worsening. I went on a roller coster ride of steroids, eye drops, warm compresses, doxy, and more steroids. Finally optimmune calmed down the inflammation. I only had my lowers plugged since there is a possibility of increasing the inflammation if both are plugged.

I begged for serum or plasma in the UK and didn't get it. Finally I went to Spain, Vissum, there and back in 1 day and got plasma. It's relatively cheap compared to how much you would need to pay if you wanted plasma in the UK privately. I really just wish I had gone there sooner. The UK is the worst place on the planet to have dry eye or lasik issues because there is no help at all!

Plasma really helps improve dryness. Here's some hope for you:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19965821

[tess77]

I have been suffering from ocular rosacea for more than 10 years but it was after medication of low dose Accutane my eyes got totally destroyed. Have tried everything it seems but with rosacea it´s difficult cause normal treatments seem to irritate and worsen the condition instead of helping

Ikervis is double the dose of cyclosporine than Restasis but used once a day instead of twice. I visit Dry Eye center and Caroline Hodd in London (I live in Sweden) and she said Ikervis is the only cyclosporine drop in the UK right now. Have also read you should´t have plugs in while on it but am not sure why.

Find it difficult to continue with something that first makes it worse...how did you react to the steroids and the Restasis? Tried one drop of prednisolone steroid today and got a facial flush straight away...does anyone know if it´s safe to stop steroids after one drop or do you always need to continue and taper them down not to have a rebound effect?

[nori2015]

How did you decide with the plugs? I got Ikervis (cyklosporin) from London last week, together with prednisolone drops, and do not know whether to have the treatment done with or without the lower plugs I got in December. I agree with some of the writers that it seems they worsen the inflammation, from having a normal tear production and the oily layer being the problem I´m now on only 5 with Schirmers test (before plugs 25). Why did you get Restasis instead of Ikervis? What i s the difference? I have MGD, ocular rosacea, now tear defficancy and some gland dropout due to Accutane treatment for my facial rosacea. Desperate to find relief! Even on sick leave from work at the moment... Somebody please help!!

I got restasis as thats what my laser clinic offered me. When I was in London they said they'd have given me Ikervis, which is just the london version of restasis. Same product, different name. Check the label and let me know how much cyclosporine is in it if you get a chance.
I kept the plugs as nobody told me to get rid of them. I will however bring this up at my next appointment.
How long have you been suffering? What eye doctor did you see in London?

[tess77]

How did you decide with the plugs? I got Ikervis (cyklosporin) from London last week, together with prednisolone drops, and do not know whether to have the treatment done with or without the lower plugs I got in December. I agree with some of the writers that it seems they worsen the inflammation, from having a normal tear production and the oily layer being the problem I´m now on only 5 with Schirmers test (before plugs 25). Why did you get Restasis instead of Ikervis? What i s the difference? I have MGD, ocular rosacea, now tear defficancy and some gland dropout due to Accutane treatment for my facial rosacea. Desperate to find relief! Even on sick leave from work at the moment... Somebody please help!!

[nori2015]

Currently feeling worse than before...will stick with it though, keep a diary and let the consultant know when I get to Moorfields in April.
God I really am getting impatient now :-(

[nori2015]

Hi everyone
Just a quick update. I'm on restasis twice a day, maxidex (steroid) x 4 for two weeks, then x 2 for two weeks plus my artificial tears when needed. The steroid drops sting a lot, which none of my other steroid drops did in the past but I'm going to continue it as prescribed and hope something works. I was also told get omega eye from scope. Apparently better than other omega 3s. We'll see.
Another appointment in 6 weeks to see how this current regime works. So far no improvement on anything.....but it's only been a week I suppose.

[Ericska]

Hi Ericska
Getting through the night is fine for me. What I do is I use a thick preservative free drop (clinical soothe, systsne ultra or any of the Hylo family) and I absolutely drown my eyes in them. I cover my eyes from top to bottom in them. Then I close my eyes while they are full of drops and under no circumstances do I open my eyes again until morning. If I do have to open my eyes again, I repeat the soaking process again. Once morning comes I very very gently open my eyes and thank god using this method 9/10 I get away without having an RCE.

If you are really struggling maybe you could do the above and tape your eyes shut with medical tape to be sure the eyes aren't exposed to drying effects.

What strength is your flax seed? I'm on 1000mg but no noticeable improvement for me.

I have plugs. And I got restasis yesterday. Opto never said I shouldn't have both. I will ask at my next appointment.

HI Nori,

I have floppy eyelid syndrome as well, so my eyes open easily during sleep from pillows, etc. I tried press and seal and I found that irritated my eyes. I tried medical tape and, perhaps I'm doing it wrong but I didn't find it help my eyes closed. I use Ocunox ointment at night and when I wake up I use Refresh Celluvisc throughout the night.

My Flax is also 1000mg but I take 3 capsules daily and I take 4 Omega-3 capsules daily and Vitamin A.

I use the Restasis 3x a day.

Ericska

[meibomian]

You previously wrote that the plugs didn't produce any improvement. Leaving them in would give you the risks - infection or exacerbation of your dry eye symptoms - without any benefit from a logical point of view.

[nori2015]

Meibomian, sorry just to be clear, do you think I should or should not have the plugs?

I got a corneal erosion last night in my good eye....I can't believe it, I was always so grateful that eye wasn't giving any trouble. I'm so disappointed :-(