dry eye hell

[Aru]

I am 30 years old.I suffers from dry eyes. I am feeling it difficult to focus on work at office. But there are times when I feel better suddenly. It doesnt last long though. It doesnt work even when I recreate the day by eating and doing things I did on the day I felt better.Getting a cold relieves my dry eyes sometimes. Sometimes eating a fruit or getting a good sleep also helps and sometimes it doesnt. The day I feel better, my eyes do not water much while cutting onions and it is the other way round when having a bad day with my dry eyes. I have tried artificial tear drops, restisis,castor oil, omega 3 supplements, incorporated healthy life style and even underwent lipiflow procedure.Noting seems to work. Its hell when im not able to function normally with dry eyes. Simple things like reading, driving, watching a movie has become a dream.My job is based on computer and im struggling keeping up with my work. I do not know how long I can struggle this way. I have to use zandu balm on my forehead which causes watery eyes, which helps me to feel better. Im reading many things on net, following them. But the relief I get is not permanent.What do I do about it.Please help me

[ths14]

Have you tried flaxseed oil?

[Aru]

yes i have tried flaxseed oil too...

[Aru]

Flaxseed oil doesn work for me. I have a doubt ,i was diagnonised with a right kidney cyst. Is there a connection between the two?? Because my right eye is the only one which is dry?

[waterbee]

your eyes getting better during a cold is due to the inflammation it causes - blocking of your tear ducts drainage tubes, the amount of tears you make cannot escape you eye as easy giving you that extra moister. you could try getting your tear ducts plugged? ether way dont give up.

[Aru]

thanks to ths14 and waterbee for your quick and prompt reply and valuable suggestion. Ive heard a lot about the procedure in getting the tear ducts plugged, but even the very idea of getting it done makes me feel uncomfortable.
Thanks anyways..

[Aru]

Please suggest me an alternative..

[waterbee]

i didn't like the idea much ether Aru, but i got to the point where i would try anything (actually the person i was seeing at the time told me that was the ONLY thing that would work, im not sure about that now, but im told even now that the water lvl in my eyes is just boarder line normal with them in, so i dont want to take them out to see if it makes any difference ) .Once it was done, for a few months i still was freaking out about it (even though by this point they where painless and settled) now, two years on i honestly forget they are there! if your worried you would ask for temporary ones (though im told they are not to good) but in all fairness there are other things you can do like looking into why this happens, work your way backwards and see if you can find any clues. are you eye lids inflamed? what sort of dry eye do you have? did u start to get any other physical symptoms after the eyes started? ect ect from that you may need to start thinking about viruses, food allergies, inflammation, so many things that go on and on. we have to be our own doctors when it comes to dry eye to a certain point.which is really frustration but at least a place to direct that frustration is taking matters into your own hands.

[Hokucat]

Hi Aru. Were you given a probable diagnosis of what is causing your dry eyes, such as meibomian gland deficiency (you mentioned you had Lipiflow done, which didn't help me either), partial blinking or not blinking enough, etc.? Since your job is computer-based, did you know overuse of electronic devices have been suspected of causing these types of problems? Also long term contact lens wear is suspected of causing dry eyes and other cornea diseases, if you happen to wear contacts.

Try eating and doing the things you did 1-2 days PRIOR to the day you felt better. By keeping a detailed daily log, it makes it easy to refer to. I was able to use this method to identify lemon in green tea, juicy salmon, a small cut of steak or prime rib, berries, drinking water before sleeping and first thing in morning, and including parsley in my daily juicing helped my eyes feel better. But I usually tried one food/thing at a time for at least a week before moving onto the next thing, except for the lemon in green tea, which ultimately provided almost a complete turnaround for me. Gluten and sugars always make my eyes worse the day after.

Regarding punctual plugs, for most people it only takes a few minutes to slide them in, especially the lower plugs. It's typically one of the most simple, painless initial treatments tried for dry eyes. When they put mines in, it was so quick and painless, I didn't even realize they were in. A couple times over the years the plugs had to be replaced because they fell out, and it was the same quick, painless experience. The uppers take a little longer to insert.

[Aru]

waterbee thanks again Hokucat, i had a lipiflow procedure because the doc told me that my oil glands were clogged. I dont use contacts and i do not forget to blink. I am noticing huge difference when i add basil in my diet. I do not know the exact reason as to why its helping me, but its helping me. My eyes are feeling better.Hope its a permanent one.
If it doesnt work surely give a second thought about getting my eyes plugged.

[Hokucat]

Hey Aru, that's great that basil is helping you! I may try adding that to my diet to see if it helps provide additional moisture like when I recently added parsley to my juicing. I have found food to be healing.

[Aru]

hey hokucat, i think there is a connection between my dry nose, dry eyes and sinuses and basil is fixing something. Just hoping its a permanent solution.

[Hokucat]

Aru, I'm very excited for you that basil seems to solve your dry eyes, nose and sinus issues! Do you use fresh basil, and how much are you consuming daily? I think the cause of your dry eyes is different than mine and I don't have dry nose or sinus problems, but this may be helpful for others.

Keep eating it for a few weeks and don't add anything different to your diet. Then try taking the basil away for a week or so and see if your dryness starts coming back. That's how I confirmed the lemon/tea and other foods were helping my dry eyes.

Fingers crossed basil is the key for you!

[AmesIowa]

Have you looked into having Sjogren's Syndrome? It causes Sicca, dry eye mostly but can cause dry mouth, skin etc. Ive finally had my salivary glands tested which are abnormal which is constant with Sjogrens/ Next step is a lip biopsy. Its taken over 17 years to get to this stage, the last 2 making me unemployable as I can't look at computers or devices long. I constantly drink water, don't go to bed or anywhere without a bottle of water with me. Im just mentioning it because I wish i knew about this many years ago!!!!