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Hi all,
I've suffered with dry eyes for about three years now, with my most bothersome symptom being extreme eye redness. My eye issues began out of nowhere when I was 22. Before then, the only eye discomfort I experienced was the occasional contact lens irritation (I wore contacts for five years prior) and my eyes had always been bright white. When the redness began, I self-medicated for a few months with Visine multiple times a day until I finally went to see an eye doctor. I won't bore you with all of the details, but these last few years have been filled with seeing six different eye doctors, trying probably 90% of the available remedies/treatments for dry eyes, trying alternative approaches like acupuncture/Chinese herbs/detoxing and being completely consumed/obsessed with my eyes. My condition went from the only symptom being redness to also experiencing medium to severe eye discomfort and pain (I suspect from all of the BAK in the drops I was prescribed/used). However, I will admit that the redness bothered me and consumed me more than anything else. The redness and discomfort kept worsening until it finally got to a point where I adopted a “less is more” approach. I stopped seeing eye doctors and stopped putting anything in my eyes other than preservative free tears. I have not used any vasoconstrictors or worn contacts since I saw the first eye doctor and I haven’t used a drop with a preservative for about a year and half. This approach seemed to help a bit (verrrrrryyyyyy slowly over time), but my eyes still did not look normal or feel comfortable by any means.
In the beginning of 2015, I found out about a company producing amniotic fluid eye drops. After emailing and calling them for information for six months, they finally put me in contact with Dr. Dieter, an optometrist who was undergoing trials with the drop. We corresponded back and forth for a few months before I finally went to visit him at his clinic last November. Dr. Dieter specializes in dry eye and has a specialized dry eye clinic (he only treats dry eye patients). Dr. Dieter has dry eye himself, as well as his father, which is what initially sparked his passion in helping those with this condition. I saw Dr. Dieter three days in a row (he told me that as long as he was in town, he would make any day/time work). He had me implement treatments into my daily routine that are so simple it will made me wonder why all other doctors aren’t suggesting similar treatments (no, he did not tell me I had to do hot compresses). In addition to that, he has been the only doctor out of six others to give me a proper diagnosis (turns out I don’t just have normal MDG like everyone before suggested, but that I have a LACK of oil). This tiny piece of information helped me to better understand and approach my condition, as I had been on birth control pills for about eight years and dry eye can be a side effect of the pill. After researching this further, I found that the hormones in the pill can effect the output of the oil in the glands. I decided to go off of the pill the next day (I have been off of it for three and a half months now). Dr. Dieter was totally supportive of me trying this out and he even took the time to do his own research on the topic and sent me articles to read. What other eye doctor out there is doing anything like that?
In addition to the above, yes, Dr. Dieter sent me home with a two month supply of the amniotic fluid, and yes, this drop really does help. I have been using one drop a day for two and a half months (he recently sent me a two month re-order) and every week my symptoms continue to improve. This past week I would say my comfort levels were at a 9 (10 being the best) and the redness was at a 7-8. Each week, the redness is more tamed down and finally my eyes are looking normal again. When I look at myself in the mirror now, I don’t see red eyes - I see myself again. They look normal - any redness/veins that still linger are not distracting. I finally feel like myself again, I’m excited about life again, and I feel pretty and confident again. This past Monday I flew to Vegas and back (from LA) in one day to attend a trade show for work. At the end of the day, I realized I had not even thought about my eyes all day. Prior to this, flying dried out my eyes so badly and attending trade shows was a nightmare due to the fluorescent lights and circulating air. Realizing this showed me how far my condition truly has come.
In addition to the amniotic fluid drops, Dr. Dieter has also been working on formulating his own safe vasoconstrictor drops (no rebound redness and there is no BAK). The formula is very similar to the highly anticipated Luminesse drop that is supposed to be released this year. He developed this drop specifically to try to help his patients who suffer from eye redness.
Dr. Dieter has helped me SO much in making huge steps forward in this fight that I just wanted to share. He is SO genuine in his approach, accommodating, and wants to help you as much as you want to be helped. I don’t think it’s ever taken him more than 24 hours to respond to one of my emails. Not only that, but he is at the forefront of all of the new treatments and studies, as he is constantly searching for new things to help us all. I included the link below to his website where you can find his contact information. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me!
Wishing you all the very best.
http://www.dryeyeclinic.net/
I've suffered with dry eyes for about three years now, with my most bothersome symptom being extreme eye redness. My eye issues began out of nowhere when I was 22. Before then, the only eye discomfort I experienced was the occasional contact lens irritation (I wore contacts for five years prior) and my eyes had always been bright white. When the redness began, I self-medicated for a few months with Visine multiple times a day until I finally went to see an eye doctor. I won't bore you with all of the details, but these last few years have been filled with seeing six different eye doctors, trying probably 90% of the available remedies/treatments for dry eyes, trying alternative approaches like acupuncture/Chinese herbs/detoxing and being completely consumed/obsessed with my eyes. My condition went from the only symptom being redness to also experiencing medium to severe eye discomfort and pain (I suspect from all of the BAK in the drops I was prescribed/used). However, I will admit that the redness bothered me and consumed me more than anything else. The redness and discomfort kept worsening until it finally got to a point where I adopted a “less is more” approach. I stopped seeing eye doctors and stopped putting anything in my eyes other than preservative free tears. I have not used any vasoconstrictors or worn contacts since I saw the first eye doctor and I haven’t used a drop with a preservative for about a year and half. This approach seemed to help a bit (verrrrrryyyyyy slowly over time), but my eyes still did not look normal or feel comfortable by any means.
In the beginning of 2015, I found out about a company producing amniotic fluid eye drops. After emailing and calling them for information for six months, they finally put me in contact with Dr. Dieter, an optometrist who was undergoing trials with the drop. We corresponded back and forth for a few months before I finally went to visit him at his clinic last November. Dr. Dieter specializes in dry eye and has a specialized dry eye clinic (he only treats dry eye patients). Dr. Dieter has dry eye himself, as well as his father, which is what initially sparked his passion in helping those with this condition. I saw Dr. Dieter three days in a row (he told me that as long as he was in town, he would make any day/time work). He had me implement treatments into my daily routine that are so simple it will made me wonder why all other doctors aren’t suggesting similar treatments (no, he did not tell me I had to do hot compresses). In addition to that, he has been the only doctor out of six others to give me a proper diagnosis (turns out I don’t just have normal MDG like everyone before suggested, but that I have a LACK of oil). This tiny piece of information helped me to better understand and approach my condition, as I had been on birth control pills for about eight years and dry eye can be a side effect of the pill. After researching this further, I found that the hormones in the pill can effect the output of the oil in the glands. I decided to go off of the pill the next day (I have been off of it for three and a half months now). Dr. Dieter was totally supportive of me trying this out and he even took the time to do his own research on the topic and sent me articles to read. What other eye doctor out there is doing anything like that?
In addition to the above, yes, Dr. Dieter sent me home with a two month supply of the amniotic fluid, and yes, this drop really does help. I have been using one drop a day for two and a half months (he recently sent me a two month re-order) and every week my symptoms continue to improve. This past week I would say my comfort levels were at a 9 (10 being the best) and the redness was at a 7-8. Each week, the redness is more tamed down and finally my eyes are looking normal again. When I look at myself in the mirror now, I don’t see red eyes - I see myself again. They look normal - any redness/veins that still linger are not distracting. I finally feel like myself again, I’m excited about life again, and I feel pretty and confident again. This past Monday I flew to Vegas and back (from LA) in one day to attend a trade show for work. At the end of the day, I realized I had not even thought about my eyes all day. Prior to this, flying dried out my eyes so badly and attending trade shows was a nightmare due to the fluorescent lights and circulating air. Realizing this showed me how far my condition truly has come.
In addition to the amniotic fluid drops, Dr. Dieter has also been working on formulating his own safe vasoconstrictor drops (no rebound redness and there is no BAK). The formula is very similar to the highly anticipated Luminesse drop that is supposed to be released this year. He developed this drop specifically to try to help his patients who suffer from eye redness.
Dr. Dieter has helped me SO much in making huge steps forward in this fight that I just wanted to share. He is SO genuine in his approach, accommodating, and wants to help you as much as you want to be helped. I don’t think it’s ever taken him more than 24 hours to respond to one of my emails. Not only that, but he is at the forefront of all of the new treatments and studies, as he is constantly searching for new things to help us all. I included the link below to his website where you can find his contact information. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me!
Wishing you all the very best.
http://www.dryeyeclinic.net/
! Yes, I do believe the amniotic fluid drops are helping me. It seems like they have taken my eyes to a new phase of healing. They consistently feel more comfortable for me now and I no longer have an overall red appearance to my eyes, it is more just the veins that still linger that bother me now. However, I'd much rather have veins on my eyes than a red-eyed look.
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