Does this affect anyone else this much?

[nutteetart]

thank you both.
Only dry eye has been offered as a diagnosis and no one seems interested in finding out why. My thyroid was tested 5 months ago just before my hysterectomy so doc doesnt think there will be any significance here. I am grateful he is testing tho.
Thank you for the mri reassurance too. This is a real fear for me but hopefully i wont need one.
I have to just hope that the plugs will help. Bit skeptical after i walked my dog today and my eyes felt quite moit yet i still had an urge to squint.
Im glad you resolved this NADE X

[NotADryEye]

nuteetart,
Sometimes after traumatic experiences e.g. surgery, accidents, giving birth, periods of extremely high stress, people develop hypothyroidism. It happened to me. It happened to my aunt. So, yes, it is very good that you are being tested. Be sure to ask if you are receiving a comprehensive thyroid panel, not just TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Ask about Free T4 (the inactive form of thyroid hormone), Free T3 (the thyroid hormone your body actually uses), TPO (thyroid pyroxidase antibody which is the test for Hashimoto's hypothyroid) and possibly others e.g. Reverse T3 if you have gained weight recently.

If the doctor doesn't order these additional tests, ask why and then see if you can convince the doctor to order the tests. Maybe given your level of anxiety you can convince the doctor to put your mind at rest by ordering the additional tests because TSH, which everyone orders, is absolutely not the definite thyroid test that some make it out to be.

[Logandly]

I have been on lyrica for 4yrs and again gp didnt think that was a cause.

Nutteetart, Not enough is known about Lyrica to know the long term side effects, so your GP can't say for certain that Lyrica didn't cause your sight deterioration. Lyrica attaches to nerve cells and stultifies them, hence not feeling pain- but the other side of it is, if Lyrica stops those nerve cells from functioning, then you might have suffered nerve damage to your eyes, which could be why you are losing your eye sight.

Again, this drug hasn't been studied long enough, and you can make a complaint with the FDA for this side effect:

"This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
In the US -
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088."

On the other hand, there are two supplements that rebuild nerve tissue and function: N-ACETYL CYSTEINE and ACETYL-L-CARNITINE. In fact people who had chemotherapy and damaged their nerve functions regained their nerve functions with this supplementation.

Before you take your doctor's advice and start anti-depressants, which also have a lot of side effects, I think you might be interested in taking TAURINE, which stimulates neurotransmitters to your brain to create a happy feeling, in addition to being a necessary supplementation for retina health.

Anyhow, I hope you will feel better, and please take care of yourself.

Logan x

[nutteetart]

Thank you both so much.
i am not sure that my doc would indulge me in specific testing so i will have to see how we go. it might be i will have to invest in my own tests but finances tight while i cant see to work.
And thank you Logan. is taurine an amino?

[Faith1989]

Taurine has not helped my eyes.HOWEVER it has helped my mood and sleep, which I guess in turn helps my eyes? I stopped taking it for a few days and found that my anxiety increased and my mood dropped. It does help depression for sure! And with this condition it is easy to become depressed.

[lizlou29]

Great that is helping with the insomnia Faith, I know how bad continual lack of sleep is for the eyes as well as the mind!

Just a FYI - there is on going research trying to ascertain whether melatonin is helpful for autoimmune conditions or detrimental (my GP won't prescribe it those with autoimmune conditions).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709754/

[Logandly]

Hi Lizlou

Melatonin is over the counter in the states. I'm not sure where you're located, but it is not available to purchase in the UK and all of Asia. Melatonin increases the immune system by producing more Glutathione in the body which regulates oxidative stress, helping cells rebuild themselves and not contraindicated for people with autoimmune diseases in which cells "attack" the organs of the body. However, I mentioned this before, but I believe the cells are actually attacking the fibrin, debris, scar tissue, cysts and parasites within those organs which are causing inflammation, not the actual organs themselves which we mistakenly call "auto-immune disease."

Before you dismiss this theory, I think you might want to investigate the overwhelming amount of people with "autoimmune" diseases who have been helped by proteolytic enzymes by doing your own online research. These enzymes dissolve the fibrin, scar tissue, cysts and parasites within the body, therefore creating an anti-inflammatory response and people recover from their "autoimmune" conditions without any pain, including rhemeutoid arthritis, MS, lupus, asthma, pancreatitis et al.

Logan x

[nutteetart]

thank you Logan
are these supplements ok to take with the anti depressants or are you suggesting they could be an alternative?
Nuttee x

[lizlou29]

I'm in the UK, it is prescription only here. NHS guidelines are to prescribe with special care or not prescribe at all if patient has an autoimmune problem. http://www.nhs.uk/medicine-guides/pa...ease%20tablets

Not necessarily the best source for medical info but it does cite reputable sources http://www.livestrong.com/article/43...mmune-disease/. Obviously if you don't believe in the commonly held belief of the cause of the inflammation then this won't interest you.

I do take melatonin now and again, my brother brought it back from the US but rarely and always under 1mg. I don't take it regularly enough to know if it has a positive or negative effect on me.

[nutteetart]

think i may just have to wait another 5 weeks for plugs. Been a bad day so its going to be hard.
My eyes are even uncomfotable at night so im not sleeping well and then tired eyes dont cope with the day.

[nutteetart]

what option have i got left. i really cant see through my squinted eyes. I dont know anyone with the issues i have with dry eye. Mine are so severe even my doc is bemused and opthal didnt seem entirely happy. Its no wonder im depressed.
Really dont know what to do.

[MartyM1985]

what option have i got left. i really cant see through my squinted eyes. I dont know anyone with the issues i have with dry eye. Mine are so severe even my doc is bemused and opthal didnt seem entirely happy. Its no wonder im depressed.
Really dont know what to do.

You wanna know my take on your problem, even though you might not like it?

This is speaking from experience... I have a mild anxiety disorder and deal with some depression. I think your mental struggles are the main cause of your physical ones. I think your anxiety is leading to your nausea, dizziness, and the pain in your head/throat/etc.

I honestly think you're the one that is doing the squinting as a result of worrying about your eye issues, and as a result, you're making it worse.

I am not denying you have terrible eye problems. And I'm definitely not a doctor. But if you look at every single person on here, no one has a squinting problem. And the main difference with you is your anxiety & depression.

So... I'm putting two and two together. And I'm speaking from experience... anxiety & depression makes all the physical pain worse and can easily manifest itself physically within the body.

I think you really need to focus on separating your mental struggles with your physical ones.

Again, I could be 100% wrong, and you have every right to say, "This guy has no idea what he's talking about." But a lot of this just sounds familiar when I used to have a TON of anxiety and had problems with my bladder, prostate, back pain, sinus issues, etc.

Just my 2¢. Take it or leave it. I mean no offense.

[lizlou29]

Nutteetart - I haven't read through all your posts, did you have dry eye symptoms before the squinting?

I went through a period of quite severe depression 8 years ago, age 22. It hit me out of nowhere and if it wasn't for an SSRI antidepressant (Prozac) at the time I don't know what I would have done. I was only on it for 3 months but it got me back on my feet. My dry eye was mild back then and only became moderate-severe a year ago so I'm sure for me the SSRI didn't have a huge impact on my eyes. I think if you and your doctor feel you need an antidepressant at the moment it is absolutely the right way to go. If you feel it has an impact on your eyes then you can come of it slowly and with supervision as I'm sure you know. I think it is hard to keep pushing for the right care when you feel depressed or anxious so if it helps to make you feel emotionally stronger while you get to the bottom of what is going on then that's great. Sorry to go on about my own experience but it really annoys me when people say how terrible antidepressants are because they've read the list of possible side effects.

I do agree with MartyM1985 in that anxiety and depression can make our eye problems worse. Try to keep using the CBT techniques and going for walks as you are doing, I'm sure this will make a difference if only because you will feel more in control of your situation.

Has the GP suggested coming off the Lyrica? I was given it as a last resort to help my insomnia, it made me feel dizzy and altered my mood in a strange way so I stopped it after a few days. I really don't know enough about the cumulative effects of Lyrica but I'm surprised your GP just dismissed it as a possible contributory factor of your symptoms.

Even though my eyes are still bad my mood is fairly good at the moment. This is partly due to having a good supportive Ophthalmologist who I can see at fairly short notice if my eyes take a turn for the worse and is open minded when I ask to try particular treatments, drops etc. This is half the battle. If you don't feel happy with your current opthalmologist try and see another one. I went through nearly the whole eye clinic until I found the one I see now.

As for the plugs. I wasn't sure mine were helping (quadra-plugged) and I worried about increased inflammation on the eye so I had the uppers removed. A week I was had to have them put back in, I hadn't realised how much they helped. MY eyes still feel bad but at least I can now feel a tiny bit of moisture on the surface. I really hope they help you. They aren't right for everyone but they've helped a lot of people on this forum.

[Logandly]

Nutteetart - I haven't read through all your posts, did you have dry eye symptoms before the squinting?

I went through a period of quite severe depression 8 years ago, age 22. It hit me out of nowhere and if it wasn't for an SSRI antidepressant (Prozac) at the time I don't know what I would have done. I was only on it for 3 months but it got me back on my feet. My dry eye was mild back then and only became moderate-severe a year ago so I'm sure for me the SSRI didn't have a huge impact on my eyes. I think if you and your doctor feel you need an antidepressant at the moment it is absolutely the right way to go. If you feel it has an impact on your eyes then you can come of it slowly and with supervision as I'm sure you know. I think it is hard to keep pushing for the right care when you feel depressed or anxious so if it helps to make you feel emotionally stronger while you get to the bottom of what is going on then that's great. Sorry to go on about my own experience but it really annoys me when people say how terrible antidepressants are because they've read the list of possible side effects.

I do agree with MartyM1985 in that anxiety and depression can make our eye problems worse. Try to keep using the CBT techniques and going for walks as you are doing, I'm sure this will make a difference if only because you will feel more in control of your situation.

Has the GP suggested coming off the Lyrica? I was given it as a last resort to help my insomnia, it made me feel dizzy and altered my mood in a strange way so I stopped it after a few days. I really don't know enough about the cumulative effects of Lyrica but I'm surprised your GP just dismissed it as a possible contributory factor of your symptoms.

Even though my eyes are still bad my mood is fairly good at the moment. This is partly due to having a good supportive Ophthalmologist who I can see at fairly short notice if my eyes take a turn for the worse and is open minded when I ask to try particular treatments, drops etc. This is half the battle. If you don't feel happy with your current opthalmologist try and see another one. I went through nearly the whole eye clinic until I found the one I see now.

As for the plugs. I wasn't sure mine were helping (quadra-plugged) and I worried about increased inflammation on the eye so I had the uppers removed. A week I was had to have them put back in, I hadn't realised how much they helped. MY eyes still feel bad but at least I can now feel a tiny bit of moisture on the surface. I really hope they help you. They aren't right for everyone but they've helped a lot of people on this forum.

hi Liz,

Prozac takes 2-3 months before it starts to work. If you had only taken it for 3 months then you had stopped taking it just as it was starting to take effect. Could it be that something else had helped you regain your perspective during this time?

I agree with the lyrica.

Logan x

[Logandly]

Nutee,
You have lots of options! Sometimes people can make their symptoms worse with more unnatural treatments. The eye is a very complex organ and it has the ability to heal itself faster than any of our other body parts. You are squinting due to the photo light sensitivity that could possibly be a result of the Lyrica. You haven't mentioned if you will be tapering off this med or not, but taking away the cause of the problem is the first step towards seeing better, not adding more injury to the problem.

Logan x