Solutions for Dry Eyes

[okhuskerfan]

I got lasik in 2009 and ever since have suffered from extremely dry, red eyes. They also produce goop in the corner of my eyes which further irritate then and cake onto my eyelashes. I’ve tried it all - warm compresses, ocusoft, steroid drops, night gels, restasis( did not work at all ), and my monthly eye drop bill is about 150 a month as I put drops in every 20 minutes. Despite using refresh night cream I wake up every hour with my eyes burning and I have to put in new drops. I’ve seen countless doctors and have not found a solution. Besides being painful and expensive, most of all it is embarrassing. I started a new job and met my manager for the first time last week - his first sentence to me? “What is wrong with your eyes?”

I go to my eye doctor tomorrow and am curious of the board’s experience with the below. I cannot take this anymore.

1) Xiidra
2) Avenova
3) is there such a thing as moisturizing plugs?
4) Ziena eyewear
5) Lacrisert
6) sceral insert
7) Lipiflow
8) Punctual Cautery

Would appreciate any and all inputs. I am truly miserable.

[okhuskerfan]

Also would love a referral to the best dry eye doctor in the nation. I would be willing to travel for an appointment if it means relief. I live in Denver.

[MGD1701]

Hi
First, need to identify problems/causes & to treat inflammation.
Drop: maybe you use the wrong one? too frequent will wash away our nature tear - which is bad.

Omega 3 & GLA: combination of both are more effective than alone - they help me too.


Good luck!

[linguininess]

I’d try prokera and PRP drops considering you’ve had lasik

[Henry47]

https://nwdryeyecenter.wordpress.com/technologies/

[okhuskerfan]

Thank you all for the replies! One thing that has helped dye my eyes white is Alphagon-P, which I use regularly. Not a resolution but at least makes it less embarrassing.

I start Xiidra this week and will let you know how it goes. Will also check out the NW doctors that specialize in this area.

[farmgirl]

Greetings:

I am attaching a link to a post that I wrote several months ago re: a discovery I made about eye drops.. Currently I am in a place where the humidity is really high (80%) and I am not using drops at all hardly maybe once or twice a day and a couple of times in the night. I do use the serum drops in the AM and PM. I brought a ton with me and here they sit.

I used to go through $100 per month plus the serum drops and now, practically nothing. Turns out the reason I was putting them in every 20 min like you was that the drops soothed the burning for a few minutes, then caused a reaction so to sooth the burning from the reaction I would add another drop, it was just a vicious cycle and costing a fortune! I don't use the saline exclusively because it does disrupt the tear film but I need so few now that when I do put them in I start with the saline and then switch back and forth between various brands and the saline so that I don't get a reaction to one brand. The short story is now I use practically none.....F/G

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...bout-eye-drops

[okhuskerfan]

Thank you for sharing farmgirl! I must admit it is stressful to think of going without my night ointment and my frequent drops. My eyes are so dry it feels as if drops are the only release. May be the drops themselves? Interesting.

I have started Xiidra and have produced a few tears this evening, though the drops burn will going in. We will see.

Not looking for a magic bullet but as this board knows, dry eye sucks!

[MommyandMe81]

Hi Farmgirl,

Am curious about the saline solution. This goes straight in the eye? Do you have any side effects with it (burning, blurriness, etc)? Also do you do any other routines to help with your DE?

[farmgirl]

Yep it does go right in and nope, nothing for side effects, just make sure you have the right stuff. The only thing is that after a few of those drops I do use a commercial drop so that I don't disrupt the tear film too much. They are so good now that I have a ton of drops I am not using cause I don't need them. I put my serum drops in AM and PM but at night I have never been able to tolerate ointment, I wake up looking like a stoner. I just use the saline in the night if I wake up, which I tend to do at least twice a night. That seems to do the trick. If you tolerate the ointment well then I would probably continue using it at night.

I am in a place with high humidity right now and rarely even need a drop during the day. Before even with the humidity high I needed drops, didn't make a difference cause of the overhead fans..

[gitbro15]

Hi,
i know how you feel, my dry eye came out of nowhere one day and it's been a nightmare for me too. I have tried a lot and like Restasis more than Xiidra. Xiidra made my eyes blurry for a while after using them. I've tried serum drops, scleral lenses, fish oil, flaxseed oil, doxycycline, lotemax drops, gels etc etc. The one thing that has helped is a suggestion made by a top neuro Opthamologist in NYC. He recommended a low dosage of Elavil(20 or 30mg a day). He said it addresses the optical nerve vs taking a topical approach. It may be better sleep, I don't know what but it helps a little. I also like the Wiley-x sunglasses with the moisture retaining chambers although I struggle wearing them while at work. I would do anything to feel better and like you would travel anywhere in the world. I'm going to Johns Hopkins and Bascom Palmer in January and will report back if there's anything new that I learn.

Good luck - you're not alone!

[okhuskerfan]

Thanks Gitbro, best of luck! I found a dry eye specialist in Denver that I will try. Apparently they run various tests to see what is causing it. Will post back after my appointment.

[okhuskerfan]

Well I had my appointment and as suspected I have several glands missing and the ones I have are damaged. He did lipiflow, prescribed me a mild steroid and gave me high dose Omega 3’s. Also was adamant about using non preservative drops and gave me an eye goggle. They feel better today but this could be the steroid. We will see.

It’s somewhat disheartening to see the mixed results on this board but I am crossing my fingers.

[MGD1701]

Hi, thanks for sharing.

Omega 3, how much high dose? Did you take omega 3 before? Any specific brand dr recommends?
Actually new studies show and based on my personal experience combined with GLA works more effective.

if you use computer extensively, blinking exercise helps.

Inflammation: If you have such issue, effective/safe lid hygiene and healthy diet are important.
Did dr recommend you any specific lid cleanser?

[okhuskerfan]

Hi, thanks for sharing.

Omega 3, how much high dose? Did you take omega 3 before? Any specific brand dr recommends?
Actually new studies show and based on my personal experience combined with GLA works more effective.

if you use computer extensively, blinking exercise helps.

Inflammation: If you have such issue, effective/safe lid hygiene and healthy diet are important.
Did dr recommend you any specific lid cleanser?

He gave me PRN Dry Eye formula. Four capsules per day which contains much more Omega 3’s compared to other brands.

I do have inflammation of the eyelids and he told me to use Heyedrate brand lid cleaner. It isn’t as harsh as occusoft and is pretty close to Avenova.

My eyes today are as moist and white as they have been in years, could be the steroid but not sure. Will update this post as this progresses to share if lipiflow worked for me.