Veins in eyes worsening.

[Mr_Picky]

Hi, does anyone know what is going on with my eyes? I've had ocular rosacea/blepharitis since 2010, but a couple of years ago things really escalated. Basically, one night in January 2015 I (foolishly) pressed down quite hard on my right upper eyelid. This caused a big vein to appear in my eye. About a month later, I poked my left eye when trying to remove something from it, which caused a couple of veins in it. Since these incidents I keep getting more and more veins in my eyes at a scary rate. If they get too dry more will appear (sometimes accompanied with a sharp pain). I've also become sensitive to ointments like vita pos which I used to rely on at night. Warm compresses and even preservative free drops can cause more veins.

Do you think my extreme sensitivity could be linked to using wet ones wipes? In the summer of 2014 I had a blepharitis flare and I read about the wipes can supposedly 'kill' blepharitis. In desperation, I used the wipes several times a day for over a month. Looking back, it seems so foolish. (I have so much regret over how I've managed these eye issues).

I've had to give up video games completely. I can only watch TV for a few minutes at a time in case more veins appear. I can only drive short distances now. This is genuinely life-ruining stuff as far as I'm concerned and I feel like my life is basically over at the age of 31.

Eye doctors haven't helped. Doxycycline helps a little but I can't stay on it forever. I'm taking ikervis (think it's the UK version of restasis) but not sure it's helping.

What is causing the veins? Sensitivity caused by wet ones? The eye poking incidents? The ridiculous dryness? How do I stop them worsening? If anyone could suggest something, I'd be grateful, because this is a bad situation.

[IrishEyes1992]

Hey....sorry to hear your having such a bad time...

i feel the same about my eyes...i also have ocular rosacea and its wrecking my self esteem...

maybe don't press down hard on the eyelids again....perhaps with ocular rosacea our blood vessels in our eyes are way more fragile than other peoples

i definitely would never use those wet ones wipes again....are they even meant for the eyes?! I've just bought cliradex wipes from amazon US and I'm going to start them soon....what about trying those??...some people have had success with them...read the amazon US reviews .

how long have you been taking ikervis? maybe in the long term it might help you?

can i ask how you got prescribed ikervis? I've heard its really hard to get here in the UK....im in the UK also and would like to try it but I heard they very rarely prescribe it...

did you get it on private prescription?!

[Mr_Picky]

Hi IrishEyes1992

The wet ones aren't meant for the eyes but if you Google it there's someone online who is claiming they cured her blepharitis and out of desperation I tried them (and I'm a sceptical person). If you look up Amazon UK reviews you'll see people saying they used them. Don't do it though! They didn't cause any problems while I was using them so I don't know if they're related to the veins or not. I now can't treat my blepharitis as aggressively as I'd like to as everything aggravates the veins - it's a nightmare.

I've been told I have demodex mites but I haven't tried cliradex. I bought optase tea tree oil lid wipes in Boots a few days ago though and they haven't irritated my right eye (yet). I just tried them on one eye so far. Hoping to try NAC supplement to see if it helps.

My diet is high in sugar and junk food so from the 1st of May I changed it and so far my facial rosacea has improved but my eyes are no better yet.

I'm on my fifth month of ikervis and so far it hasn't helped at all. It certainly makes the veins in my eyes dilate for a few minutes after application - it might be making things worse. I've heard that it can take six months for improvement on restasis so I'm gonna try to stick with it for another month or two.

I'm from Northern Ireland and I got ikervis prescribed on NHS at Omagh hospital. Apparently it's expensive stuff so maybe that's why they're reluctant to give it!

[IrishEyes1992]

Even thinking about using wet wipes on my eyes makes me shiver....ouch.....I think I read that story about it curing blepharitis too....I guess it shows how individual each of our cases is!

Yeh if you have demodex you should keep up with the tea tree oil....I was told that there isn't signs I have them so they probably won't help me! ....

what is NAC supplement?

my diet is also very high in sugar and junk food, I'm changing mine this week! I've read other people saying that their face responded quicker/better than their eyes to diet etc.

Yeh I read other people saying that restasis takes ages to work..you should keep at it. ..I wouldn't want to use IKervis tho if it makes the eyes redder!

I am also in Northern Ireland! I didn't have any luck with my first consultant so I'm booked in to see someone else a kingsbridge hospital (Belfast) at the end of May!

i was planning on asking him about IKervis! My old consultant wouldn't have given me it, clearly because it's expensive!

i am attending a naturopath in Belfast who has given me a very healthy diet plan etc....he has treated many others with blepharitis! His meal plans are strict and I think I will find it hard but need to do something!

[Mr_Picky]

Hi, NAC is N-ACETYL CYSTEINE. I don't know much about it but it's supposed to be good for blepharitis so I'm gonna try it. Honestly though I think it might be too late for me and that my eyes are ruined but I'll keep trying ya know? I took roaccutane for acne when I was 16 and also antidepressants a few years later and I honestly think those medications caused my eye problems. It's sickening really to think that I took these tablets in good faith thinking they would help me but I was destroying my eyes the whole time.

Yeah you should try the diet thing it should help. I'm not seeing a naturopath but just keeping it as dairy/gluten/sugar free as possible, with more fruit and veg.

Small world! I've seen three or four consultants but they usually just give generic advice about hot compresses and preservative free drops. They usually don't differentiate between blepharitis and ocular rosacea in my experience. Hope your appointment goes well. I know there's an alternative to ikervis called xiidra but I've no idea if it's available in UK!

[farmgirl]

Hi Picky: Let me start by saying that your eyes are not ruined and that it is not too late for you so hang in there, you are on the right track.

Apart from the fact that you have poked at your eyes and used strong chemicals on them plus an ointment that you are now sensitive to, what else have you tried to combat this problem. I do not see mention of moisture chamber glasses, serum drops, punctual plugs or any of those things that have helped so many.

You are now doing two sensible things, the first and most important is you are changing your diet. This will help not only your eyes but any thing else that is, or might in the future, be ailing you. Take this change very seriously and make it a lifelong habit to eat properly. Have you added a good quality oil to your diet? Primrose and flax are both very beneficial. The other sensible thing you are doing is using the tea tree oil wipes designed for lids.

I suspect that most of the veins are caused by the inflammation resulting from the dry eye but those should fade as you get a handle on the situation, I am no doctor but I seriously doubt that they are permanent. I have heard that NAC is good for dry eye but don't give it up after a month, any healing program takes time, you didn't get to where you are overnight and you are not going to correct it overnight. Perhaps IrishEyes1992 might share some of his/her diet suggestions.

Do not put anything in your eye that is preserved with BAK, if you didn't have a problem before you will after you use that stuff and above all DO NOT RESORT TO EYE WHITENING DROPS!!, as I understand the damage and rebound from those can be permanent.

Here is an article on computer eye strain that might provide some tips on how to minimize computer related eye problems. Also I saw a blurb on TV where they have special colored lenses to filter out blue light I think it was that causes eye problems. Apparently there are special eye glasses for computer use as well that help.

http://visionsource.com/blog/tips-fo...er-eye-strain/

Stay strong...cheers...F/G

[Mr_Picky]

Hi farmgirl. I appreciate your post. You're right, I haven't used serum drops or punctual plugs but I have tried moisture chamber glasses and... they hurt my eyes! I got nice glossy black Ziena ones last year and my eyes would simply not adjust to them, even though the lens prescription was the same as what was in my normal glasses at the time. I even sent them back to get them reglazed in case something had went wrong but to no avail. The odd thing was, I found I could watch TV more easily with them on even though they hurt my eyes. It makes no sense!

I've tried flaxseed oil and indeed, omega 3 fish oil but they make my facial rosacea flare up in a brutal way. I haven't tried primrose oil, admittedly.

My eyes just look awful and I'm broken about it. I do clean my lids twice a day with Blephasol lotion (sometimes it worsens the veins too). My upper lids are kind of droopy and my lower lids look thickened and are veiny too. If I don't do the Blephasol cleaning twice a day the lower lids thicken at a scary rate (this seems to be permanent too). I seem to be getting little white bumps on the lower lids too - I think they're milia.

The whole eye area is incredibly dry. The skin just flakes off. Same with my eyebrows. It must have been roaccutane that done this. I just don't know.

Thanks for your thoughts and I'll check out that link.

[farmgirl]

Gosh Picky I have no idea what the thickening is all about, what do the Drs say. Hopefully there is someone on this forum who has the experience to speak to that. Do you think some of the Blephasol is getting in your eyes and causing the increased redness. Maybe be VERY careful to not let it actually get to the lip of the lid if that is possible. What do the Drs have you doing for the facial rosacia? I know nothing about it but read that it an cause the eyes to be bloodshot with the lids red and swollen. I hope that your focus of solving your problem rests with your Dr who is treating you for the Rosacia. Have you seen this information:

Subtype 4 (ocular rosacea), characterized by ocular manifestations such as dry eye, tearing and burning, swollen eyelids, recurrent styes and potential vision loss from corneal damage.

Lifestyle Management
In addition to medical treatment, rosacea sufferers can improve their chances of maintaining remission by identifying and avoiding lifestyle and environmental factors that trigger rosacea flare-ups or aggravate their individual conditions. For listings of common factors that may aggravate rosacea in individual cases, see Rosacea Triggers. The National Rosacea Society offers free to its members a Rosacea Diary Booklet to assist patients in identifying factors that may affect their rosacea, as well as a booklet called "Coping with Rosacea" that provides tips on lifestyle management.


As regards the Ziena glasses, I am guessing the reason they are not working well is the curvature in them is too great for your prescription. I have both 7Eye and WileyX and found that the curvature on the WileyX Brick is less pronounced and gives a good result. I have 2 pairs of 7Eyes and found that the Churala model gives a better prescription than the Brisa.

Keep trying and don't beat yourself up over the roaccutane, many people suffer from rosacia who have never even sniffed roaccutane....F/G

[Mr_Picky]

Hi farmgirl. Thanks again for your post. The doctors never really commented on the thickening. Just said I had inflammation. I wonder if the mites are to blame? I used to use cotton pads to apply the blephasol to my upper lids but switched to cotton buds as less seems to get in my eyes that way. I use cotton pads to wipe the lower lids. It's very difficult, impossible really to avoid getting some in my eyes.

I'm not really doing anything for the facial rosacea at the minute apart from changing what I eat. I did see a dermatologist a few years back but the finacea cream he prescribed made my face burn more! Rozex gel helps the redness a little but it makes my skin even flakier so I just... do nothing.

Yep, I've seen that info. Unfortunately the main advice for rosacea is trigger avoidance - and the triggers all tend to be the things that make life worth living...

I think you might be on to something about the ziena glasses. The lenses are very large and curved, although they have been thinned down. It's a shame as I had high hopes for them and they cost a lot or money. I'm confused about the wiley x glasses - aren't they sunglasses? Or can normal lenses be put in them?

I know, I couldn't have foreseen what would happen with the roaccutane. I'm actually more angry about how I was given the hard sell on antidepressants when I was a naive 18 year old - chemical imbalance in the brain and all that. Mirtazapine is VERY drying, even if it helps rosacea, but I'd no idea the dryness could turn into blepharitis/ocular rosacea. Hindsight is always 20/20...

[IrishEyes1992]

Hey...


sorry i forgot to reply last week. yeh its really not your fault about the roaccutane, nor the antidepressants! You should definitely treat those mites, they could be causing thickening of the eyelid,have you tried those cliradex wipes yet? maybe you should stop the blephasol?? it could be way to harsh for you and if it isn't helping then maybe its best to stop....

your diet sounds very sensible, similar to what my naturopath put me on. if he gives me any other advice that could be useful to you i will pass it on, but for now we are just focusing on diet as mine is so awful.

Thanks, i doubt my appt will go well though as all these guys say the same thing.

you were mentioning dry skin around the eyebrow area, there is a moisturiser called la roche posay that i use...i use their "toleraine" range for very sensitive skin. they do a special "eye contour" moisturiser especially for the delicate skin around the eye area. i use it around my eyebrows, but i don't put it too near my eyes. i also use it in my dark circle area below the eye, but again not too close to the eye at all. you can buy it from boots or from several places online....sometimes they have offers for a 1/3 off etc on various beauty websites (beauty bay) or the la roche posay website itself.

also when it comes to cutting down on screen time, what i have done is sign up to "audible" for £7.99 a month. i downloaded the app onto my phone and i listen to a book with my eyes shut. they have a wide range of books, so there is something to suit everyone. it is supposed to be good for relaxing and anxiety also.

in what way do the ziena glasses hurt your eyes?...like do you mean your eyes feel strained?

farmgirl...when you say the curvature is too great for the prescription what do you mean by that?? and do you mean that the blue light filtered lenses are bad for the eyes?! or that the blue light can cause problems for the eyes and those lenses can help. i have these blue light filtered lenses in my ziena glasses. i might give my 7eye a go..i think i have 7eye cape or vents but I'm not too sure.

picky- have you tried soolantra for your face? its supposed to be for if your rosacea is caused by mites....maybe it would work for you if you have mites? its prescription.

[Faith1989]

Picky

How much doxy are you taking and how long have you been taking it? Has your doctor tried a low dose steroid for a few weeks? This may gets things under control. Keep the diet clean and try probiotics too.

[IrishEyes1992]

Faith,

i think I subscribed to your healthy eating blogs then realised they were a few years old lol! I'm starting my clean diet tomorrow and I don't know how I'll stick with it.....I always quit diets lol!

Can I ask u....are you able to excercise with ocular rosacea?? it's just excercise is listed as a trigger for rosacea :/ but my naturopath wants me to excercise as he says that the endorphins released are anti-inflammatory!

[Faith1989]

Actually exercise will help the eyes I think. Honestly the diet has REALLY helped over the years. It's hard to be social though but most of my friends understand. I am the same with quitting diets but once you get better it will be enough to keep you going. What drops do you use? What do you use to clean your eyes?

[IrishEyes1992]

What type of excercise do you do? I hate cardio anyway so not Wanting to run marathons or anything lol, but I would like to just be able to do some light weights, squats etc in the gym.

Do you mean it's hard to be social in terms of eating out? That's what I'm worried about, not being able to be like everyone else and eat in a restaurant without having bad consequences!

I use hylo forte eye drops and nothing to clean my eyes apart from using a cotton bud with water to clean any crusting off lashes , I have cliradex I'm just afraid to use them as I read they burn...,should I give them a go?!

Any suggestions on other drops?!

thanks again!

[Faith1989]

Irisheyes

I do cardio and weights but I don't flush with that. It's hard to be social period. Eating out is hard and staying up late because I know in some way, I will pay for it with my eyes. I would start the Cliradex. Yes it kind of burns at first but I like to just think that means it's killing everything. Are you on any prescription drops? I use lotemax and restasis as well as 40 mg of doxy daily. Yes lotemax is a steroid but I am not a responder and my corneal specialist said it doesn't penetrate the cornea so the chances of me getting a cataract are low. Is there restasis where you are? If it's rosacea causing the eye issues, diet does help. I never really cheat at all and have gotten some of my life back. It's worth it.