MGD and allergies

[Santaklauzz]

Has anyone with MGD had real benefit from treating allergies, whether by avoiding something or by medication?
Before I did the probing, which was in january, I was on a course of topical steroids and antihistamines (ketotifen)
and I seem to recall that my eyes were maybe 50% better than they are now.
Perhaps that's an overstatement and maybe the memory gets better with the time passing.
After all, I stopped the treatment because it didn't help, so it must not have been a lot better than it was before I started it.
And of course, if the treatment did help a bit, it's impossible to tell if it was the steroids or the antihistamines that did it.
But now my eyes are certainly a lot worse. Maybe that's just the normal progress of the disease...?

I'm just wondering if it's a good idea to start again. The docs at Quinze-Vingts in Paris said they found strong indications of allergies
and said I should use topical antihistamines for 6 months, of which I only did 2. Figured maybe I should give it another try.
In a few weeks, I'm also starting with Restasis. Is it a good or bad idea to combine the two?

Also, my eyes reacted very badly to pollen a year back. Two weeks of extremely watering and burning eyes.
I had never had that before. I think it's caused by my unstable tear film.
Maybe I can stay a step ahead of the pollen if I start with antihistamines again..?

[hopingforfuture]

Hi Santaklauss,

i don't know much but i do know that topical antihistamines dry out the eye even more, so you need to be carefull wich eyedrops you choose. Oral antihistamines work the same way. If you are starting restasis in a few weeks i suggest you could wait until the doctor says it's ok to use them together.

They took a biopsy of my eyetissue to see if i was allergic. Can you ask your doctor to do that?
if you will use them toghether with restasis it will be hard to tell wich medicine is working for you.
If you want to try it anyway, you could try a nasal spray or the oral antihistamines.

I know you want to try everything right now. Just make sure its ok to use them together.

[Santaklauzz]

They took a biopsy of my eyetissue to see if i was allergic. Can you ask your doctor to do that?

I never heard of this before. Who did this? Your ophtalmologist

i don't know much but i do know that topical antihistamines dry out the eye even more, so you need to be carefull wich eyedrops you choose.

That was not my experience the previous time. As I've said, I believe my eyes were slightly better.
But of course, I was using steroids too so it's hard to tell.

I know you want to try everything right now. Just make sure its ok to use them together.

Yeah, you're righ. It's just that everything takes so long...
I really appreciate your advice.

[Santaklauzz]

Is it possible that allergy and inflammation on my ocular surface is keeping my meibomian glands from functioning correctly?
Most of my MG's have been probed two months ago but I have no relief.
In Quinze-Vingts in Paris, they could see clear signs of inflammation and allergy on my ocular surface and in samples of my tear film.

[hopingforfuture]

It's possible

Santaklauzz,
It is possible because doctors often think if u are allergic you have allergic conjunctivitis. But that's not always the case. Allergies can result in dry eyes too especially if it affects the eyelids. Tearfilm instability comes second.In that case the thing you are sensible to works like an irritant.

I did it in ZOL Genk. All the doctors do it there and it is called."oogschraap". If you really want to try antihistamines you can but do it now! Before you start restasis. You can also delay restasis. I know you want relief. I want the same thing. Also try to find eyedrops whitout BAK

[Eileen510]

Only in "emergency" do I use allergy pills - which I had to take for 5 days last week because one of my eyes was so red it was very concerning-in the inner eye area on the eye that used to be my good eye. I can only take for a few days, an over the counter pill Chlor-Trimetron, 4 hour. The active ingredient in Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4 mg. I start out with 2 a day for 2 days, the 1 at night for 3 days; for a few days my eyes look great! But then I have to stop - the allergy pills are too drying and I can see bright red creeping in the area that should be naturally pink (for all those without MGD). I take 2 fish oil pills a day and a multivit for women over 50. No wine, no coffee, no sodas - ugg! Just water.

[Roe72]

Allergy pills help my eyes as far as swelling, redness etc. however you have to be careful which ones you use. Some of them dry out my eyes and some do not. I only take half a pill. I had allergy testing done and was allergic to a chemical that was in my face cream! I am on Restasis and I use the allergy pills as well.

[Faith1989]

Roe which brand of allergy pills do you use?! Since spring is coming, I'll need to start taking one again