Unbearable dry eyes

[Hokucat]

Cyclosporine - Ask your doctor how long should you be on it before seeing improvement. I was told to be on this at least three straight months before seeing any improvement. Then my doctor encouraged me to stay on it at least a year and it still didn't help, in fact it irritated my eyes more. Two doctor friends told me this drug is very potent, so get off it as soon as you know it's not helping.

Scleral lenses - Often takes several fittings to get the correct fit, so be picky about how it feels on your eyes. Hopefully you can wear the first set for at least a few days, and if something doesn't feel right (especially the lens edges), they can get new ones with adjustments. It can still take a few weeks to get used to the lenses in your eyes, but it shouldn't be uncomfortable from the start. I hope the specialist who fit you has a decent amount of experience fitting sclerals, cause experience definitely counts in getting these right!

Blephastream - Would be interested if this works better for you than warm compress, or something good to do along with compresses. If this does not bring additional relief, perhaps try IPL.

Blood tests - Typically eye doctors don't run tests for vitamin deficiency or autoimmune disease. It would be your medical doctor, rheumatologist, naturopath, or other doctor specializing in diet as it impacts health.

WVM, it's great you are being very proactive and determined. I think you are on a good path to finding some resolution!

[farmgirl]

I had to order my goggle glasses and what I did was contact the company directly and made arrangements to have them send me a variety of frames to try on. I paid up front for them with a visa and they refunded the money when I sent them back. Fit is critical and they cost to much to get some that don't fit especially if they are prescription which mine are. I didn't get the prescription until I had chosen a frame. Personally I liked the Wiley X Brick and am in the process of getting lenses for 7eye Briza's.

I will also tell you that when I was ordering the lenses for the Briza's there was a box for a promo code. I didn't have any coupons for that company, it is in Texas and I live in Canada but then I went online and found a coupon and saved a whopping 20%!

Just curious, were you quadra plugged because 2 plugs didn't work for me, I need all 4....F/G

[WVM]

Thanks for all your help. Small update:

- Ciclosporine: I will probably continue for one more month. After that I have no more prescriptions. I'm seeing the doc that gave it to me again on April 7th. We'll see what he says.

- Scleral lenses: I can try multiple ones and return them if they don't fit. Will be sure to do this, thank you.

- Blephasteam: Glad I did not spend 220€ on this. The moisturizing part of it is great (feels similar to taking a shower), but in my opinion the heat is insufficient. Less than when I'm using my own hot/cold pack in any case. Will try it for a few more days but probably am not going to buy it.

I was not quadra plugged, I asked for it but the doc didn't want to do it as the 2 plugs weren't showing improvement. (they're still in by the way).

[MGD1701]

..........

[Hokucat]

WVM, thanks for the update. Putting in the upper plugs is really quick, so might be worth seeing if it helps you. Like you, when I got lower plugs it helped a lot for about a week and then no longer. Then they also put in upper plugs but these made my eyes feel worse. But everyone is different, and you may want to tell the doctor to at least give it a try at this point. I often made suggestions to my doctors on different treatments, or sometimes questioned why we were not doing something I thought we should, and they usually listened and were willing to try. Especially a relatively simple thing like plugs.

[WVM]

WVM, thanks for the update. Putting in the upper plugs is really quick, so might be worth seeing if it helps you. Like you, when I got lower plugs it helped a lot for about a week and then no longer. Then they also put in upper plugs but these made my eyes feel worse. But everyone is different, and you may want to tell the doctor to at least give it a try at this point. I often made suggestions to my doctors on different treatments, or sometimes questioned why we were not doing something I thought we should, and they usually listened and were willing to try. Especially a relatively simple thing like plugs.

Funny, my situation was exactly the same. The first two weeks after getting (lower) punctum plugs my eyes felt GREAT! I thought it was fixed. However, after two weeks, my eyes went down again. My punctum plugs have been in for four months now but are showing no more improvement. I wonder why...

My insurance paid the Scleral lenses today. Fingers crossed I have them soon!

[Hokucat]

That's great your insurance paid for the sclerals! Were you able to try on a sample pair before they ordered them, to get an idea if you tolerated wearing the lenses ok and if it seemed to help your eyes feel better?

Hopefully the sclerals will help manage your symptoms. Do your doctors have any further plans to address the MGD, besides Blephastream? I'm just remembering back to when my sclerals worked really well for 6 months, then my eyes got extremely dry because more of my meibomian glands got clogged to the point where I had to stop wearing my sclerals for a few years and quit working. Just didn't want the same thing to happen to you....

[WVM]

That's great your insurance paid for the sclerals! Were you able to try on a sample pair before they ordered them, to get an idea if you tolerated wearing the lenses ok and if it seemed to help your eyes feel better?

Hopefully the sclerals will help manage your symptoms. Do your doctors have any further plans to address the MGD, besides Blephastream? I'm just remembering back to when my sclerals worked really well for 6 months, then my eyes got extremely dry because more of my meibomian glands got clogged to the point where I had to stop wearing my sclerals for a few years and quit working. Just didn't want the same thing to happen to you....

I only had them in for a few minutes in the doctor's office.. to be honest it dried my eye out and the doctor wasn't sure if they would help me but they wanted to give it a shot so I agreed. Nothing to lose...

I do not think the doctors have any plans for the MGD, I'll have to figure it out myself.

The Vitamine A gel that they gave me (http://www.oogzorg-producten.nl/inde...BEzBoChJTw_wcB) is really bad so far. My eyes feel much worse in the morning. I had better results with Duratears eye gel. Will try it for a few more days and switch back if it doesn't improve.

[Hokucat]

At least insurance is paying for sclerals so it's worth a try. After you have the fit adjusted to best suit you, there are tricks like putting a few drops of preservative-free artificial tears in the lenses with the saline, using artificial tears over your lenses while wearing them, etc. that may help with comfort. Several are listed in one of the latest Dry Eye Company e-mail newsletters, and in this forum we can also identify what has helped once you get your sclerals. Sometimes the diameter of the sclerals makes a difference in comfort, so pay attention to the different sizes you try.

For addressing MGD, see if you can find a specialist who does Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) for dry eye. Many people have relief from this after several sessions, plus IPL specialists likely will know a lot more about the meibomian glands and other potential MGD treatments. Your current doctors may know IPL specialists they can refer you to, otherwise you'll have to do your own research to find them. I know it's done in parts of Europe, but not sure about Netherlands. You might try contacting one of the Toyos Clinics to see if they know the closet location, as Dr. Toyos discovered IPL for dry eyes, and has been training doctors in various countries. Reducing the MGD issue can be key in the long run.

[farmgirl]

I had uppers plugged, it did NOTHING. I had lowers plugged it didn't help much either. I got quadra plugged and voila! it helped immensely. I agree with Hokucat, ask to give it a try as it has helped many. You will never know if you don't try.

[radnad]

I tried drops, plugs and even compresses....NOPE all useless to me. I should have been an eye drop critique, by the time i tried every brand on the market!!!!

[ehsan372]

i have dry eye and allergy too.
i use cholorphenrmine antihistamine.
antihistamine make mgd decreas and pruduce much oil but decrease pruduce tear.
you can test all oral antihistamine and see which better for you.
for me few minuste after take cholophneramine , my eye pruduce much oil
 

[WVM]

So I might be able to solve at least part of my dry eye problem by testing different oral antihistamines? I've never tried this before / nor has my doctor considered it. I've been taking the same antihistamines (desloratadine during the day, hydroxyzine during the night) for 10+ years. Could be a good idea!

[radnad]

I found that Antihistamines really dry my eyes, so i only use them if my hay fever is really intense. Have you considered nutrition ? It really helped stop eye-drops and all other rituals

[WVM]

I found that Antihistamines really dry my eyes, so i only use them if my hay fever is really intense. Have you considered nutrition ? It really helped stop eye-drops and all other rituals

Not yet, do you have reading materials about this? What to eat, and what to avoid? I'm willing to give everything a shot.

Another thing: the light therapy for my severe atopic eczema is not working. My dermatologist is considering switching me to oral immunosuppressive like Azathiprine, Mycofenol or our personal favorite Ciclosporine. Now, these medicines carry risks so I will have to do regular blood tests. However, to be honest, if these medicines could 'fix' both my eczema AND dry eye problems, I'd rather live ten years less in good health than in my current state. Difficult, difficult,...