Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Reasons for low Schirmer except Autoimmune disease?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Hi wissen. Yes, I can go without sclerals for a period, but I think besides providing extra comfort while wearing them, they help my eyes a few days after without wearing them as well. Reason I say this is a few months ago, I didn't wear my sclerals for almost a week, and was doing at least 8 hours of reading each day. For the first few days I was fine, but by the third day or so my eyes started feeling a little dry. But I was able to continue the rest of the week reading and going about most of my activities without using drops, but felt better and more functional when I started using my sclerals again.

    It has definitely been an unexpected nice surprise that I no longer need drops, however I do put a couple drops of artificial tears in my sclerals along with the saline before inserting them in the morning...makes the sclerals more comfortable, and it's like having drops on your eyes all day long, if you are able to wear sclerals. Some doctors have also had their patients put a few drops of autologous serum tears or other rx drops in their sclerals.

    What I believe has personally helped my oils flow, and key to me not needing drops any more, was drinking fresh lemon juice in strong green tea 2x daily. After each of four probe procedures, especially the first which unblocked scar tissue, my eyes felt a little more moist but my thick oils quickly blocked up my glands again. After the fifth and final probe almost two years ago, I started drinking the lemon/tea, and within a week my eyes started feeling more moist and have continued to get better. I believe somehow the antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the lemon/tea helped eliminate bad bacteria from my system and enabled my body to function correctly, including my meibomian and possibly my lacrimal glands.

    For others, it may be other diet changes or treatment that works for them. Like anything, nothing works for everyone, we are all different. But there are at least three people I'm aware of for which lemon/tea worked. The last one, Krisse, posted in this forum a few months ago, he had quite a dramatic improvement. He may have had similar underlying circumstances to me.

    http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...acle-solutions

    MGD1701, sclerals are usually replaced every 2-3 years, as the lens can warp over time, the shape of your cornea can change, and/or your vision may change (if you are using the lenses also to correct vision). However I read someone in this forum had the same set of sclerals for eight years, but that's not the norm!

    Comment


    • #17
      I've been taken Restasis (Ikervis) since 2 weeks now. I only use it before going to sleep. I've noticed something crazy the last few days. My eyes start tearing like mad when I go to bed. Yesterday I had tears running down my cheeks and nose for about 1 hour when I tried to sleep. Is this positive, negative or a usual side effect? I mean it's cool to see that my glands can produce tears anymore, but what goes with that?
      BTW I also have a cold right now.

      Comment


      • #18
        Excessive tearing is listed as a common symptom for Ikervis, see pg. 2 of this document under the Risks section:

        http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/...C500186593.pdf

        Perhaps the tearing is a good sign it might be doing something. I took Restasis for at least a few years, and during that time the dryness in my eyes got worst and the Restasis irritated my eyes.

        Comment


        • #19
          About the sclerals. I'm wondering what happens to the inflammation when you got diagnosed with Keraconjunctivitis Sicca. I think for me the burning is mostly a sign of constant inflammation, which I don't seem to get under control.
          Any tips here? Warm compresses make everything worse, but how should I keep my meibomian glands working otherwise?
          The thing with Ciclosporin is, my eyes are not burning all day anymore, if that's just coincidence or Ciclosporin doing its job...I don't know. I think I'll take it for at least 4-6 weeks now.

          Comment


          • #20
            If you have inflammation and Ikervis/Restasis helps with that, you can continue using it while wearing sclerals. You just cannot put those drops on your eyes while wearing the lenses. I think most doctor usually recommend waiting to put sclerals (or any contacts lenses) in 20-30 minutes after using the drops.

            Several people in the forum use both at the same time, as did I:

            http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...scleral-lenses

            Sclerals can help provide immediate comfort if you can wear them, but does not help the underlying condition. So how to keep the meibomian glands working is indeed the million dollar question. Different things work for different people, and it can depend on the root cause. Besides warm compresses, others include diet changes, supplements like fish oil and flaxseed, lid scrubs, IPL, Lipiflow, probing, gland expression, meds like doxycycline or steroids or autoimmune disease, etc. For me drinking fresh lemon juice in green tea changed my oils from thick to flowing (but I had to first unblock my glands with probing), and likely increased my tear production, but for you it might be some other diet changes or treatments that work.

            Comment


            • #21
              In fact I'm already trying the green tea thing because of you. ;-)

              Comment


              • #22
                Well it doesn't hurt to try the lemon/green tea, I do hope you are one of the lucky ones it helps!

                You say your eyes are not burning all day anymore, you think it might be because of the Cyclosporine...that often (but not always) takes several weeks to months to see any therapeutic effect. How long have you been taking it? And how long have you been doing the lemon/green tea? Just curious because after less than a week of drinking the lemon/tea 2x daily, my eyes started feeling more moist, and the burning and stinging was significantly reduced.

                It's possible both things are helping reduce the burning.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Have you found it helps just having green tea, or do you need the fresh lemon juice added?

                  I've been drinking green tea (one a day every morning) for years - before my eye problems started. But I haven't tried it with fresh lemon juice - I'm going to have to try that, and hope very much that it helps! )

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Hi Charlie. Based on the studies by Purdue University, the body only absorbs 20% of the antioxidants in green tea if taken alone, but if you add lemon juice, the body absorbs an amazing 80%. Other citrus fruits like oranges, limes, etc. increase the absorption too, but they found not as much as lemon.

                    It was not until I added lemon to my 2x daily green tea almost 2 years ago did I notice after less than a week, my eyes had more moisture, and the stinging and burning was greatly reduced. So what the studies found seems to be true. And I've experienced other health benefits from the lemon/tea besides just my eyes.

                    Here are the Purdue studies, and also a recent NIH study on green tea helping ocular surface inflammation, TBUT, and meibum:

                    http://www.purdue.edu/uns/x/2007b/07...rruzziTea.html

                    https://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2009b/...iGreentea.html

                    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5376801/

                    I hope you find some relief soon, you've been through so much. Hang in there!

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Hi Hokucat
                      Tks for sharing.

                      Thanks a lot. We are so lucky to have you - always helpful and kind to share with us!
                      Last edited by MGD1701; 25-Sep-2017, 10:31.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Hi MGD1701. Yes, I've been meaning to create a new post, or update my original post, on the lemon/green tea with more details, since there have been several people inquirring about it or trying it lately, and yes because I do find I am repeating myself. Sorry about that!

                        Regarding goji berries, they certainly are packed full of vitamins and even protein, and naturally contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which are key to eye health, which is used in most eye vitamins like Ocuvite, etc. For five years I had been putting a handful of goji berries in my green tea (even prior to when I started adding lemon), but had discontinued it earlier this year when I read from a renown cardiologist it can cause inflammation to the heart. But am thinking of adding back gojis because of the eye benefits, as long as it is in moderation.

                        http://www.healthline.com/health/goj...acts#overview1

                        Thank you for your words of appreciation. Having severe dry eyes for several years was such a debilitating and painful experience for me, I want to help others get through this too. I think we have a really nice group in this forum where you and everyone here are helping to support each other.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          ................
                          Last edited by MGD1701; 25-Sep-2017, 10:31.

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X