Losing hope over extreme eye irritation and redness

[linguininess]

Hi guys and gals

I've gone to countless of doctors around north america, and have tried every possible treatment there is for dry/red eyes. I'm currently on dexamethasone PF, autologous serum, and doxy. The dex has maybe helped a little bit with the redness, but my eyes are still visibly red and they still feel dry and smokey. I've been wearing contacts for 15 years but stopped a few months ago when I noticed my eyes were more red than usual. Ever since wearing contacts when I was 12 years old, my eyes were always a bit red--especially around the edges and corners of my eyes, but it was never to the point that it was visibly red to others on first glance.

I'm seeing a few ophthalmologists in LA: one for dryness, one for possibly getting ICL, and another for my conjunctival chalasis. The doctor I'm seeing for dryness/redness was the one who gave me the doxy, dex and autologous serum. I feel like none of these three medications have helped at all. Yes, the steroids help my eyes be one less shade of red, but they are still nonetheless red and still feel dry and irritated. The autologous serum gives me no relief. Other people swear by these drops, but for me, it almost as if it introduces more irritation in my eyes every time I use my 100% serums. Which is something I just don't understand. How can I be getting more irritation from my own blood plasma?

It seems whatever I do to my eyes, they are just always super sensitive. I could wash my face in the shower, and a little bit of water would get in my eyes and would then turn my eyes red. It always feels as if there is a smokey feeling in my eyes, much like the feeling of being around a bonfire or outdoor BBQ grill. I do notice that towards the end of the day, my eyelids would be really greasy--the same greasy feeling of having excess oil on your face. I feel like my irritation on my eyes is definitely connected to the hygiene of my eyelids because after I use a lidwipe, my eyes feel so much better. The only problem is that this soothing sensation doesn't last and my eyes go back to being red and irritated.

I tried scleral PROSE lenses, but turns out my Dr said I was not a good candidate because of allergy bumps inside of my lids that is causing more irritation. I've tried prokera, ****** probing, ipl, restasis, cliradex, saline PF rinses. I will be going back to my doctor to try lipiflow and maybe blephex. The only time I actually get substantial redness relief is when I use Pazeo. Unfortunately, my eye goes to red after about 4 or 5 hours even though it should last the entire day. My belief is that the preservatives are causing more irritation.

Another thing to note: I was allergy tested a few months ago. The doctor saw my reaction to dust mites and it was off the charts. He said it was the worst reaction to dust he has seen in his entire years of practicing medicine. As such, I've started allergy shots and am taking a nasal spray (Dymista). I was also suggested by an ENT doctor to have something called balloon sinusplasty. My sinuses are chronically blocked, causing a lot of pressure inside of my head. I'm not sure if chronic blocked sinuses can indirectly affect my eye-health.

So that's it. I just have extreme redness and irritation. Yes my eyes are dry, but they don't impact my life that much. Call me vain, but it's mostly the cosmetic and visual appearance of my eyes that are causing me the most pain (mentally). I'm fairly certain that if my eyes weren't so red, I probably wouldn't even bother going to the doctor for treatment.

If anyone can give suggestions for me, or topics I can bring up with my doctor, please let me know. I've had 2 doctors say I have chalasis, and another who said even if I get the AMT surgery, it isn't going to solve the root cause. Even so, if the AMT surgery can being me 20% less redness, I will definitely go for it. The redness is ruining my life in ways I didn't even imagine it would and I'm losing hope every waking day.

[Hokucat]

Hi linguininess. Have you looked into changes or additions to your diet? Sometimes it's something simple that addresses the root problem. For me and someone who just posted the other day, drinking green tea with fresh lemon juice (or other citrus) 2x daily was a game changer. Someone else who had dry eyes, dry nose and sinus problems posted a few months ago that basil made a huge difference. For you it might be something different, but the green tea/lemon and/or basil is easy to try as a start. Also wise to stay away from sugars, gluten and diary, as these can make eyes feel worse.

It helps to keep a daily log of everything you eat and drink, meds/drops/supplements taken, hours of sleep, how dry your eyes felt that day, etc. to figure out what makes you feel better or worse. Like you, I tried almost all those same treatments and nothing worked, so diet was one of my last options. By making one diet change at a time (usually for two weeks), that's how I discovered the lemon/tea worked for me, and sugar, gluten and diary made my eyes feel worse the day after.

Hang in there. It can take awhile to find what food(s) work, but once you do, it can be life-changing.

[PhoenixEyes]

It certainly sounds like there's a lot of evidence pointing at the allergy side of things. Traditional contact lenses can be drying too though.

- Pazeo - The preservative BAK is well-known to be irritating for dry eyes. Here's a past thread about antihistamine eye drops that have a preservative free option.

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...-united-states

- Moisture chamber glasses such as Ziena, 7Eye, WileyX etc. may help to keep the irritants in the air off your eyes a bit more and also retain the moisture of your eyes longer.

- Eyelid hygeine - Try OcuSoft Plus lid wipe, it's quite robust I think and nicely wet. Did Cliradex Tea Tree Wipes not work out as it stung a lot? It stung me ferociously. I think I don't get along with the alcohol derivative used as a preservative in it. I found Optase Tea Tree Oil wipes to be gentler. Ocusoft also do an eyelid spray called Hypochlor.

- I also found this, maybe worth checking reviews:
http://haymax.biz/

HayMax Organic Barrier Balm
Ingredients
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cera Flava (Beeswax)
Directions
Apply a small amount around base of nostrils and/or bones of the eyes (not too close or in the eye). Re-apply regularly and after blowing nose. This helps trap allergens before they get in. One pot can last months or even years!

- Blocked sinuses may affect your eyes as normally your eyes would drain and wash out irritants from your eyes via the tear duct and down through the nose etc. You may find a release of pressure once your sinuses are unblocked.

- As Hokucat says, antioxidants may help and there's a ton of ways you can get those into your system. I think the best method is whatever you find easiest or enjoy so you consistently keep doing it every day versus just a hassling chore you do sometimes. Whether it be different foods, citrus green tea, a smoothie, supplements or whatever.

- AMT Surgery and Chalasis - http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...-amt-dr-******

Before surgery you could consider AMT (amniotic membrane therapy) in the form of the Prokera contact lens. Prokera Clear is a newer version which you can see through.

[Hokucat]

Linguininess, those allergy shots work very well, hopefully that will help your eyes.

My son used to have asthma attacks several times a week, which the allergist said was triggered by allergic reactions to dust, cats, dogs, mold, grass, you name it. Of course, it doesn't help that we have cats and a dog in the house! His asthma affected his eyes, nose, throat, chest and head...he often was sick with a cold, cough, and headache. But as he continued to get the shots, over time we could see the severity and occurrence of all this decreasing.

Today, he has reached the point where he might need to use his inhaler every few months, if at all, but it's very obvious the allergy shots had a big impact. Now he carries our animals around in the house, and sometimes they sleep on his bed with him and he is fine. It's truly amazing how much better he is from the shots.

Likely your eye dryness and redness can be alleviated too with these shots. Am glad you were tested and started treatment. Just know the improvement is very gradual, and you might get a little worse before getting better, since they are injecting allergens into you.

[linguininess]

Hi linguininess. Have you looked into changes or additions to your diet? Sometimes it's something simple that addresses the root problem. For me and someone who just posted the other day, drinking green tea with fresh lemon juice (or other citrus) 2x daily was a game changer. Someone else who had dry eyes, dry nose and sinus problems posted a few months ago that basil made a huge difference. For you it might be something different, but the green tea/lemon and/or basil is easy to try as a start. Also wise to stay away from sugars, gluten and diary, as these can make eyes feel worse.

It helps to keep a daily log of everything you eat and drink, meds/drops/supplements taken, hours of sleep, how dry your eyes felt that day, etc. to figure out what makes you feel better or worse. Like you, I tried almost all those same treatments and nothing worked, so diet was one of my last options. By making one diet change at a time (usually for two weeks), that's how I discovered the lemon/tea worked for me, and sugar, gluten and diary made my eyes feel worse the day after.

Hang in there. It can take awhile to find what food(s) work, but once you do, it can be life-changing.

I've tried mentally tracking my diet each day. Sometimes I'd get a flare if I eat a lot of wheat/gluten. So the next few days, I'd avoid all gluten only to have another flare up. I've noticed my diet doesn't affect my eyes directly.

- Eyelid hygeine - Try OcuSoft Plus lid wipe, it's quite robust I think and nicely wet. Did Cliradex Tea Tree Wipes not work out as it stung a lot? It stung me ferociously. I think I don't get along with the alcohol derivative used as a preservative in it. I found Optase Tea Tree Oil wipes to be gentler. Ocusoft also do an eyelid spray called Hypochlor.

- I also found this, maybe worth checking reviews:
http://haymax.biz/

- Blocked sinuses may affect your eyes as normally your eyes would drain and wash out irritants from your eyes via the tear duct and down through the nose etc. You may find a release of pressure once your sinuses are unblocked.

- As Hokucat says, antioxidants may help and there's a ton of ways you can get those into your system. I think the best method is whatever you find easiest or enjoy so you consistently keep doing it every day versus just a hassling chore you do sometimes. Whether it be different foods, citrus green tea, a smoothie, supplements or whatever.

- AMT Surgery and Chalasis - http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...-amt-dr-******

Before surgery you could consider AMT (amniotic membrane therapy) in the form of the Prokera contact lens. Prokera Clear is a newer version which you can see through.

- I love ocusoft, the original and the plus. I use the original in the mornings and the plus at night. I've tried cliradex and I think it creates more irritation. I don't mind the burning so much with cliradex, but I find myself waking up after a night of cliradex and my eyes would feel so much more irritated and red. I believe it could be the natural fragrances of TTO that causes irritation.

- I just bought some haymax from amazon! I'll try it out for a few days.

- Just got approval from my insurance for the balloon sinuplasty (an in-office procedure that clears the hallways of your sinues. Hopefully this will lessen the internal pressure inside my head, and hopefully helps my eyes somehow.

- So, the thing with AMT surgery. Chalasis surgery is not always a procedure using amniotic membrane. AM is commonly used for chalasis surgery, but sometimes you may not need it. It's just preference for some doctors to use after they tighten up the skin of your eyes. I have tried prokera, no results. I am hoping the AMT surgery will give me benefits NOT because of the amniotic membrane but because my eye surface should be much smoother. Many think that not getting any positive results from prokera means they will not get any results from an AMT procedure. This is wrong thinking.

Linguininess, those allergy shots work very well, hopefully that will help your eyes.

My son used to have asthma attacks several times a week, which the allergist said was triggered by allergic reactions to dust, cats, dogs, mold, grass, you name it. Of course, it doesn't help that we have cats and a dog in the house! His asthma affected his eyes, nose, throat, chest and head...he often was sick with a cold, cough, and headache. But as he continued to get the shots, over time we could see the severity and occurrence of all this decreasing.

Today, he has reached the point where he might need to use his inhaler every few months, if at all, but it's very obvious the allergy shots had a big impact. Now he carries our animals around in the house, and sometimes they sleep on his bed with him and he is fine. It's truly amazing how much better he is from the shots.

Likely your eye dryness and redness can be alleviated too with these shots. Am glad you were tested and started treatment. Just know the improvement is very gradual, and you might get a little worse before getting better, since they are injecting allergens into you.

Thanks. I’m on my 3rd week of allergy shots. Thankfully, I haven’t experienced any bad flares (systemically or ocularly) since starting the shots.

[dryeyesandchocolate]

Hey linguininess you sound so much like myself!! Hurray! My major symptom is redness and "irritation." It's like my eyes are constantly annoyed by something. Sometimes they feel dry but a lot of times they're just a bit watery, burning, red, etc. I also get dry and crazy red if I get a drop of water in the shower. I've had seasonal allergies my whole life and just got another prick test done yesterday. My ragweed and tree allergies were insanely bad and I immediately started allergy shots for those fall allergens. In the winter, I'll also do shots for spring allergies. I'm also taking Dymista now (doesn't it taste awful!?)

Dust mites is a crappy one but hopefully your shots and Dymista help. I'm sure you've heard it before, but wash your sheets regularly in hot water. I also keep Swiffer dust pads on hand at all times and wipe any corners or curtains frequently.

I wish you good luck and let's keep in correspondence on here - it sounds like we are very similar

~Lauren