New dry eye sufferer, extremely frustrated, need answers and help desperately!!!!!

[Skizzy91]

Hello everyone I will do my best here to describe myself the best I can, its not easy especially because english is not my native language. Anyway I am 23 years old, and have suffered with dry eye for 2 weeks now, and am feeling like my life is falling apart.......

on thursday 2 weeks ago, I was playing computer games from morning to night, I knew my eyes will be tired but I didnt think it will be such a big deal, when I finally closed the computer my eyes were really burning inside... especially when I went asleep, the eyes like turn inside the sockets and then I felt the burn especially hard...
Next morning I woke up, and I noticed my eyes still werent any better...

Now two weeks later, I am still not any better... im going crazy now. PS: I have anxiety disorder which might perhaps empower my symptoms.

My symptoms include:

-Constant warm or dry feeling just below the lower eye lid, down to the cheekbones... the intensity and the radius of the warmness varies but it is pretty much there all the time, sometimes its just a subtle buzz below my eye lids, sometimes it feels like all the way down to the cheekbones its really warm or hot.

-Stiff feeling between eyes, above eyebrows, cheeks....or like the skin is tight or pulling when I try to cringe, or like a paralized feeling, also the intensity of radius of this stiffness varies, sometimes its just between the eyes above the nose, sometimes its like my entire head is stiff/stuffed.

-Sharp stinging above upper eye lids, or behind the eye brows.... it feels like stabbing with needles, also the intensity of this varies.

Also my eyes get tired really fast and like my face forces itself into a cringe whenever I am on the computer or even driving a car....

All these symptoms seem to come and go but one of them is always there, there has not been a single moment in the past 2 weeks when I would have felt completely comfortable, most of the time it is completely unbearable...

I have been to the eye doctor twice already, she didnt find anything other than "a bit of a dry eye", and said to use eye drops and give it time.

At first I bought Ocu Flash, that didnt help, so I bought Oftagel, that also didnt seem to work, and for the past 10 days I have been using Systane Balance, but it doesnt seem to give me much or any relief aswell...... I really dont know what to do anymore I am desperate and hopeless...

I would appreciate if someone could answer these questions for me:

1) Does it seem like a dry eye to you? Are these symptoms common for dry eye, and are they curable or manageable?

2) How long will it take until I recover or feel any relief?

3) is it possible that I have some permanent damage?

4) Is Systane Balance good and safe eye drops? I am really scared by the endless list of chemicals in them, is it certain that they cant cause any harm?

5) For what possible reasons hasnt my condition improved over the past two weeks, and why I do not feel much relief from any kind of eye drops?

6) What would happen if I just stopped using the eye drops? would my condition improve on its own over time?

7) How many hours a day can I be on computer? I used to be over 10 hours but have decreased it to 5 hours or less now, and today I made almost a computer free day and have been here less than an hour.

8) Will it get better??? I read that this condition may last for a lifetime.... and I am suffering, will I at least get relief??? I am extremely depressed because of this and contemplating suicide...

9) What other changes should I make to my lifestyle? I will do anything nessesary.

10) What things should I avoid?




PLEASE HELP ME I AM LOSING MY MIND HERE, I am in constant pain and completely clueless, hopeless and frustrated........... I really cant take this for much longer, I feel like my life is falling apart....


please try to answer post #20 please.

[dryeye4ever]

Calm down buddy. Suicide? that looks like what I was thinking at the beginning. At the beginning it was extremely hard I was always laying on bed but it improved a bit now. Actually the first first thing you need to do is to control this psychologically. While dry eyes is hard to live with sometimes its no where near as bad as other diseases that are of high severity. Actually being a dry eye suffer since 3 years ive realized its a very livable disease. You can even keep being on the computer, you would just need to live with it and cope with the pain. It has no other effects on your overall health. So if you battle this psychologically, you can battle it physically later on.

Its painful, its nothing to get worry about but a recovery would be hard. You probably developed that due to eye strain and brightess. As for me my brightness was very high and BOOM.

What I suggest is exercising, drinking green tea and stuff for now. For long term, you would need to abstinate from screens, work on diet and try a recovery which will take about 3-5 months. The body heals itself.

I remember being on my desktop computer 10 hours a day and had no effects. I had a laptop with a bright screen and boom. Its important to adjust yourself when you use screens. I

[CarlM]

I'll put the most important parts in bold so you can get the most important (I think) info quickly.

I won't pretend it's easy but wait before you do anything rash. Last year (I was your age exactly) I had the same thing more or less with similar symptoms which also came up spontaneously and like you it was so insanely uncomfortable constantly that I also had dark thoughts - thinking I can't live like this, not me - an avid reader, gamer and a person who'd spend some days in front of a computer which leads me to believe that maybe we suffered a similar condition. It took me 2 or 3 months to heal, it got progressively better as it went along, although it was never easy - until over the course of a few days, I realized that my symptoms had diminished to the point of being perfectly livable. And that's despite not being particularly careful with my habits, as I continued to push through the pain and the discomfort.

Now I don't know if you have the same thing I had. It might be a different issue, but given that we've got similar occupations, it might be the same thing so I'll tell you what worked for me because when I was in your situation I would have liked for somebody to tell me something encouraging.



MOST IMPORTANT PART:
What worked for me is 2 months of eyedrops even when I felt they didn't work. I might be completely wrong, but I think that they might prevent some of the friction between the eyelid and the eye, which prevents the eye's surface from getting as irritated (I think, maybe). Also importantly 2 months of putting muro 128 (ointment) in my eyes during night time to prevent my dry eyes from rubbing on my eyelids - other ointments will do that, but to this day I view muro 128 as my savior. As a heads up, ointments may be really annoying to apply at first, and even painful - but do it anyway. If you want to use a lot of eyedrops, use the ones without preservatives in the little vials. They're expensive, but sometimes you have to take the hit. If you use too many of the regular eyedrops, the preservatives might irritate your eyes and you won't notice because they're irritated already. During that time, I didn't really make an effort to stay away from the PC and I still recovered. USE F.LUX!! It's a software that gives your screen an orangey hue which means less light in your face.

I thought my life was over too, but you know what, a few months ago I went to a LAN with friends and played games for 20 hours straight with no issue. For the last few months, I've been able to spend an obscene amount of time reading and playing CSGO when just weeks before I thought I was done for life.

The other side of that story, though, is that I seem to have abused my "second chance" and I eventually stopped taking breaks from reading, and right now I'm having a relapse... and I'm scared that it might not get better because who knows. I feel better now than I did 3 days ago.

My big suggestion for your next step is the following: Go get yourself some eye ointment like Refresh lacri-lube or preferably Muro 128 and the next time you have a free day (make some time soon), download yourself some music, an audiobook (try maybe "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett) or some standup comics (Louis CK, Brian Regan, Doug Stanhope, George Carlin, Jim Jefferies, John Mulaney) or game shows (I like "The Unbelievable Truth"), cram all that in your phone or ipod or whatever and spend a day in a dark room. Maybe two. Not all day though, take a few uncomfortable walks outside, stare off in the distance so you won't get depressed. Wash your face, use hot compresses. Don't touch the computer for a few days. It's horrible, boring and you'll have a long way to go after that but maybe it'll get your crazy eye business to settle down.



As for your questions, I'm no expert but here's what I can say.
1) I don't know, but it seems possible.
2) I don't know
3) I'm not a doctor but I don't think you have permanent damage. If you feel like your eyesight is getting worse (apart from being incredibly uncomfortable), then you should worry. I'd see an optometrist (at least) if new symptoms came up. If you've mentioned your symptoms to your optometrist and he's not worried, then you're probably fine.
4) I wouldn't be worried. You should try Systane Ultra - it worked the best for me. Not good, but better than the others.
5) Too much of the bad old habits? Took me many weeks before it started getting better even when I used a bunch of stuff in my eyes.
6) All I know is that too many eyedrops might not be better than too few. If you let your eye be dry all day though, they'll get irritated.
7) I'd keep it below 2 hours for now... maybe even less. Do the bare minimum for a little bit and see if it improves. Then ramp up and try to find what your limits are - but be exceedingly reasonable.
8) At the very worst, you'll find a way to make it better. At first, you don't know what to do - but you learn to tame the beast. In my case, I made a full recovery, except I still used the ointment at night.
9) Exercise is always good when possible. Also I heard omega3 can help so eat fish maybe. Won't be a miracle cure though.
10) Avoid coffee

Making you read this whole thing was bad of me so you should get off the computer now or go download some fresh audio entertainment. And if at first you don't succeed, know that it took me a while to find my winning formula.

[MGD666]

Very nice summary of suggestions and advice CarlM and dryeye4ever! And yes Skizzy91, things will get better, you just have to realize that there is usually no "quick fix".

My experiences and battles with this, like most others here, has involved a great deal of experimentation, lots of trial and error, and much reading (on this forum specifically) of posts from others who are experiencing the same kind of discomfort - and what they have tried to alleviate their problems. Dry eye comes in many shapes and forms though, so keep in mind that what may work for someone, may not for you. From your description, I would suggest trying to see a doctor in your area who specializes in dry eye treatment. They can indeed be difficult to find, but a correct diagnosis is one of the most important first steps. From reading some of your symptoms, I also find that a cold compress (there is one I really like called IMAK Eye Pillow - available via Amazon) can really provide some nice relief (I have several, keep them in the freezer, and rotate them as needed - and they also work pretty well as a sleeping mask).

There will be good days, and bad days. Things will improve for you though, even if you just follow some of the good advice already given here. There's a lot of great information available in this forum, and you can always use the search box above for specific questions you might have, over the counter products (i.e. drops or ointments) or all of the different supplements, treatments, etc... that others here have used and/or tried. Keep the faith, and keep us posted on your progress.

[Skizzy91]

Thanks a lot for the replies, and keep them coming please!

I am pretty sure it was also the eyestrain and brightness that was the onset of things... I use an old glass computer screen (the big box), because I thought it is actually easier on my eyes than the laptop screen.

I actually bought preservative free Bepanthen eye drops too, I tried them once, didnt feel any improvement, and went back to Systane Balance. I definitely have to try something new soon, I have another doctors appointment on Monday, we have to come up with something new then, I am too scared to experiment with anything before consulting with my doctor. Because the doctor said that it will get better in a week, its been two weeks now and no improvement, so I must be doing something wrong.

Also the most frustrating thing is now knowing how to treat this, I really do not understand at all what my eye responds to.... the symptomms just seem to get better or worse on their own regardless of what im doing, yesterday I had a few moments when I felt almost good, so I just lied down, and didnt do anything with my eyes for the rest of the day, and then it still got worse came night... totally on its own. I guess keeping away from computer definitely helps, so I will now limit it to an hour a day, just to quickly do the most important things like read this forum etc...

Anyway I would appreciate more answers, especially about the symptoms, I really need to know if these symptoms are common for dry eye and if my diagnosis is right, it most likely is, but I still need to be sure. It was very comforting to me to read the replies, it is depressing that there is no quick fix, but it is comforting that it most likely will get better over time. I also have extreme anxiety disorder, which can cause or empower some of these symptoms and most likely is. But the most prevalent symptoms is this warm, dry, sandy feeling below my eyes and also stiffness above and between my eyes. The intensity of both of them varies, sometimes I can just forget about them and carry on, but sometimes they become too intense and it bothers me too much to do anything.... I know I brought this on myself, thats what makes it so frustrating.... I was playing online poker and greed took over, now I wish I would have lost the money and saved my eyes. Also I have a bit of a chronic nasal congestion, not much and ive had that for years so I dont think that should be a contributing factor. But I greatly appreciate your answers because I have such anxiety and depression... I was planning a long road trip this summer, but now it seems I wont be able to go , there are still three months until that time, so I hope it will get better by that time.
Also I have pretty much given up on the hope of using contact lenses again, for the time being ofcourse I dont use them at all, and I guess I will have to sacrifice them from now on and just wear glasses, but on the positive side that will save me some money. I am not new to suffering because I have battled with anxiety and depression for years, but this is the worst thing I have ever experienced... almost everything bad that has happened to me I have brought upon myself, thats what makes it even more frustrating because I know how easily I could have prevented things.... I am also so concerned that it might affect my relationships and I might have an extreme heartbreak because im in such a pathetic condition.

So do you think I should use the Bepanthen eye drops today instead of Systane Balance? Is it ok to just jump from one eye drop to another like that? I am really concerned about overloading my eyes with so much different things.

[Skizzy91]

I am really breaking down now.... I feel completely hopeless and clueless.... I want to cry and die.... living without computer is just so freaking hard for me, I am used to spending my entire days here, I am so attracted to it... I just keep thinking whatever ill just go on the computer at least then my mind is elsewhere not focused on the suffering..... I am sorry I am such a weak minded person, I just cant help it... I cant take this for much longer, I dont have it in me..... my life is just filled with disappointments and suffering, there is almost nothing else..... just constant suffering and disappointments..... I have no life, I have nothing, I am 23, unemployed, living with my parents, I have tried over a year now to better my situation, I cant get a job, idk why.... I just cant, and even if I did I am probably too weak for it anyway...... especially now as I am physically suffering....... I have nothing , I just cry and think of death......... I just dont see any hope, its only darkness............ I have a long distance relationship with my girlfriend, but im afraid she will leave me soon because im just such a mess, i cant even live with myself.... if she does I will just kill myself, enough is enough.... I know I have brought everything on myself but what can I do now... im just a weak, pathetic idiot with no life... I am even too weak to suicide, its just too hard and I just cant imagine the idea of my girlfriend finding someone else... how can people even believe in god when the world is full of suffering and no justice.... there is no god, no guardian angels, no hope.......I am just an animal at the mercy of nature.... things will never improve.... im so sorry everyone.... but I just had to get this out, I just feel like crying all the time.... and you are probably the only people who understand me at the moment.......

[cathy8889]

Hi Skizzy,

Please don't panic, Ive had dry eye on some level since I was 20 I believe from working in a smoky pub, I also developed pinguecula at this time. But over the last six months it became unbearable and really started to effect my life. For the last month I have been trying to figure out what caused this sudden change and I have come to the conclusion that it is stress, over use of computers in work, eating and drinking the wrong foods, central heating over winter, and a nasty virus. It's took me a while to figure things out but now I know Ive made a lot of improvement.

Eye doctors can be very vague I have realised and I am still waiting for clarification from one. It would be helpful if your eye doctor could tell you which type of dry eye you have, are your eyes not producing enough tears (aqueous tear deficiency), are your tears evaporating too quickly? Have you got blepharitis? Please don't panic, all of these things can be managed as I have learnt. Get clarification from your doctor, do some research about the anatomy of the eye and the three layers that make up your tear film, this way you will be armed with knowledge and can ask all the questions you need to.

Please please don't think things are not going to get better, anxiety is a terrible thing and I really understand but its important to gain control of your thoughts and feelings, its so easy to think the worst and that this existence is it for the rest of your life, it's not!! It's up to you, you need to find your motivation and empower yourself. It's not going to be easy but bit by bit you will get there.

What is your diet like? I wasn't eating nearly enough fruit or veg and I was drinking a can of coke everyday and a cup of tea maybe 3 times a day, eating biscuits, crisps and chocolate. This wasn't helping my eyes or my mood I have realised. For the last three weeks I have been trying to eat 12 fruit and veg a day, lots of dark leafy greens kale, spinach and cabbage. Ive also started eating 3 portions of salmon a week, I don't like it but I'm ******g it in a strong sauce! Ive cut out dairy, bread, any processed food, chocolate, sugar, red meats, fizzy drinks and tea. I did a lot of research on foods that cause inflammation in the body (still researching). My whole mood has changed, I don't want to jinx myself but I feel like its made such a difference to my mood and my eyes, I wish I could show how much my eyes have improved! I'm going to try a detox soon too. Make sure you are drinking lots of water each day too!

I take 3 fortifeye omega three capsules per day, they are costing me an arm and a leg especially as I am from the uk but they contains a triglyceride form of omega three which absorbs in to body quicker, stay away from Ethyl ester form! I also take fortifeye focus which contains Astaxanthin. These vitamins will give your body a boost. Ive been taking them for 18 days now. I also take seabuckthorn oil.

I bought myself a eye doctor heat compress (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00B...&robot_redir=1) and use it three times a day for between 5 and ten mins. I then use cotton wool buds on my eyelids in a downward motion on top and upward underneath to get the meibomian glands going! I then use systane lid wipes (they smell like marzipan!! )) to clean my eye lashes and soothe my eyes, washing my eyes gently with warm water afterwards.

I now do eye exercises too ( http://allaboutdryeye.com/2012/09/13...y-eye-disease/) -I think I am a partial blinker!

I also use Eco tranquileyes at night. They have helped so much, my eyes are still sore in the night and when I wake up but my lids are no longer sticking to my eyes when I wake up!

I went to see an acupuncturist too on wed and i saw a difference in my eyes that night, it could have been a coincidence but I am looking forward to my next appointment to see if there is any improvement!

I use Thera tears preservative free vials, I have been through everything in the shelf in the uk, systane irritates my eyes viscotears makes things ten times worse, I stay away from gel drops. They are expensive but have helped me. You need to work out what works best for you, trial and error, I thought id never figure it out. If an eye doctor prescribes something and it doesn't suit, stop using it! They don't know what works best for you.

These are all the things I have done because I now know that I have dry eye, the diet I believe has caused the biggest change. It has helped me in more ways than one.

I think you really need to try and use the computer less, but yourself a pair of sunglasses and try get out walking (I know its difficult when you feel so miserable but it will really help.) I wear my sunglasses even when it's not sunny out and I really don't care if people think I'm a plonker.

I don't have the stiff feeling in between my eyebrows, are you straining when using the PC because your eyes are sore maybe? I definitely have the feeling of little needles I my eyelids though and the intensity varies. My dry eye is much worse than my eye doctor has made out! If you go to see another olphalmologist ask them to quantify what a little bit of dry eye is, what is your tear evaporation time like? (Mine was three-four seconds, I think a normal persons is ten) ask them to do a schirmer test (http://www.healthline.com/health/schirmers-test) - do you know if they did one of these?

Things will get better I promise, Ive had to change my whole life. I close my eyes when I'm a passenger in a car or when I'm watching tv and just listen. Give your eyes a break, my eyes were screaming out to me but it took me a while to realise as I was too busy worrying about silly things. Be kind to yourself and try not to be so hard on yourself.

I still have my bad days and feel down when I look at my eyes but Ive learnt to not let it effect me so negatively and I honestly think this is due to me changing my diet. I bought Cameron Diaz's book, it's called the body book and its really helped me. She said that changing her diet helped change her mood and get rid of negative thoughts and feelings.

Try to spend time on the PC researching dry eye and ways to improve it, Michael Lange is really knowledgeable and I watched quite a few of his videos on you tube when I first started researching. Each day I'm spending less time worrying about my eyes.

Make sure you're getting enough sleep too! You get your best sleep between 11pm and 1. I used to stay up until 12-12.30 now I'm in bed for ten, no phone, no book!

I hope your eyes improve soon.

Cath x

[Skizzy91]

Hi Skizzy, buddy ~ you are going through a bad patch and, believe me, so many of us have been there and we do understand. So many people are out of work, or in/out of work, in the world, me too, but there is plenty of unpaid good work for you to do and you are needed. Your avatar name is a worry - who are your supporters? do you have a GP?

If you don't have a regular GP doc appointment, make one. Also see an Optometrist.

Crying is a good thing but then go outside for a bit, wearing your sunglasses and practise gentle breathing, enjoy the sun, birds and insects, and the peace and healing. Take a dog for a walk, or fetch shopping for someone, offer a hand in the garden or workshop, something like that.

Make sure now you have helpline numbers - get them off the computer now. If you are UK - Samaritans chatline 08457 909090. Then self-refer IAPT http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/ or through NHS111 or through GP. And give them a call when you need to. Helping each other eg in support groups makes the world go round, and one day it will be you helping someone else too.

Depression is a mood. It is a shock how different you will feel when it has passed. And life will be busy again with so many work opportunities and plans. I speak as one who knows - use the computer for information, limit the time, but get out and join clubs and working groups of real people. For sure, there are working groups for unemployed young people for you to make yourself useful for now. Imagine you were teaching IT skills to disadvantaged teens and elders next week for example. It would be a joy. This is a way forward for you out of the boredom.

Yes, we care. What do you think? What's the weather like today?

Hello, no im not from the UK, as I stated English is not my native language, but im from Eastern Europe.
Sorry I do not understand what is a "GP doctor", I have an eye doctor who I have been to two times already, and am scheduled to go again on monday. Another problem is that I do not have health insurance because im unemployed.

Yes I have started spending more time outside, I like cloudy weather much more than sunny weather... but im afraid of the summer - hotness, sunlight, dryness.... I wont be able to cope then... two weeks ago when this started was also very dry, im thinking if that had something to do with this development...

I have a few more questions - isnt it unusual that I have no red eye if I have dry eye syndrome? My eyes are completely clean and white....
Also can I ride a bicycle (isnt the wind in face a problem?) or go running? Ive been doing it regularly, but the last time I did, then I felt even worse after...
Is crying good or bad for dry eyes?

I also I have anxiety syndrome which just makes everything so much worse... I am drinking green tea a lot and I know exercise is important too for that...

Also I would appreciate if you could answer all my previous questions in the OP. Especially how much time a day could I spend in computer? And is laptop screen worse than glass screen? Should I keep the brightness low or high? How far away should my eyes be from the screen?
Thank you.

[Skizzy91]

Hi Skizzy,

Please don't panic, Ive had dry eye on some level since I was 20 I believe from working in a smoky pub, I also developed pinguecula at this time. But over the last six months it became unbearable and really started to effect my life. For the last month I have been trying to figure out what caused this sudden change and I have come to the conclusion that it is stress, over use of computers in work, eating and drinking the wrong foods, central heating over winter, and a nasty virus. It's took me a while to figure things out but now I know Ive made a lot of improvement.

Eye doctors can be very vague I have realised and I am still waiting for clarification from one. It would be helpful if your eye doctor could tell you which type of dry eye you have, are your eyes not producing enough tears (aqueous tear deficiency), are your tears evaporating too quickly? Have you got blepharitis? Please don't panic, all of these things can be managed as I have learnt. Get clarification from your doctor, do some research about the anatomy of the eye and the three layers that make up your tear film, this way you will be armed with knowledge and can ask all the questions you need to.

Please please don't think things are not going to get better, anxiety is a terrible thing and I really understand but its important to gain control of your thoughts and feelings, its so easy to think the worst and that this existence is it for the rest of your life, it's not!! It's up to you, you need to find your motivation and empower yourself. It's not going to be easy but bit by bit you will get there.

What is your diet like? I wasn't eating nearly enough fruit or veg and I was drinking a can of coke everyday and a cup of tea maybe 3 times a day, eating biscuits, crisps and chocolate. This wasn't helping my eyes or my mood I have realised. For the last three weeks I have been trying to eat 12 fruit and veg a day, lots of dark leafy greens kale, spinach and cabbage. Ive also started eating 3 portions of salmon a week, I don't like it but I'm ******g it in a strong sauce! Ive cut out dairy, bread, any processed food, chocolate, sugar, red meats, fizzy drinks and tea. I did a lot of research on foods that cause inflammation in the body (still researching). My whole mood has changed, I don't want to jinx myself but I feel like its made such a difference to my mood and my eyes, I wish I could show how much my eyes have improved! I'm going to try a detox soon too. Make sure you are drinking lots of water each day too!

I take 3 fortifeye omega three capsules per day, they are costing me an arm and a leg especially as I am from the uk but they contains a triglyceride form of omega three which absorbs in to body quicker, stay away from Ethyl ester form! I also take fortifeye focus which contains Astaxanthin. These vitamins will give your body a boost. Ive been taking them for 18 days now. I also take seabuckthorn oil.

I bought myself a eye doctor heat compress (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00B...&robot_redir=1) and use it three times a day for between 5 and ten mins. I then use cotton wool buds on my eyelids in a downward motion on top and upward underneath to get the meibomian glands going! I then use systane lid wipes (they smell like marzipan!! )) to clean my eye lashes and soothe my eyes, washing my eyes gently with warm water afterwards.

I now do eye exercises too ( http://allaboutdryeye.com/2012/09/13...y-eye-disease/) -I think I am a partial blinker!

I also use Eco tranquileyes at night. They have helped so much, my eyes are still sore in the night and when I wake up but my lids are no longer sticking to my eyes when I wake up!

I went to see an acupuncturist too on wed and i saw a difference in my eyes that night, it could have been a coincidence but I am looking forward to my next appointment to see if there is any improvement!

I use Thera tears preservative free vials, I have been through everything in the shelf in the uk, systane irritates my eyes viscotears makes things ten times worse, I stay away from gel drops. They are expensive but have helped me. You need to work out what works best for you, trial and error, I thought id never figure it out. If an eye doctor prescribes something and it doesn't suit, stop using it! They don't know what works best for you.

These are all the things I have done because I now know that I have dry eye, the diet I believe has caused the biggest change. It has helped me in more ways than one.

I think you really need to try and use the computer less, but yourself a pair of sunglasses and try get out walking (I know its difficult when you feel so miserable but it will really help.) I wear my sunglasses even when it's not sunny out and I really don't care if people think I'm a plonker.

I don't have the stiff feeling in between my eyebrows, are you straining when using the PC because your eyes are sore maybe? I definitely have the feeling of little needles I my eyelids though and the intensity varies. My dry eye is much worse than my eye doctor has made out! If you go to see another olphalmologist ask them to quantify what a little bit of dry eye is, what is your tear evaporation time like? (Mine was three-four seconds, I think a normal persons is ten) ask them to do a schirmer test (http://www.healthline.com/health/schirmers-test) - do you know if they did one of these?

Things will get better I promise, Ive had to change my whole life. I close my eyes when I'm a passenger in a car or when I'm watching tv and just listen. Give your eyes a break, my eyes were screaming out to me but it took me a while to realise as I was too busy worrying about silly things. Be kind to yourself and try not to be so hard on yourself.

I still have my bad days and feel down when I look at my eyes but Ive learnt to not let it effect me so negatively and I honestly think this is due to me changing my diet. I bought Cameron Diaz's book, it's called the body book and its really helped me. She said that changing her diet helped change her mood and get rid of negative thoughts and feelings.

Try to spend time on the PC researching dry eye and ways to improve it, Michael Lange is really knowledgeable and I watched quite a few of his videos on you tube when I first started researching. Each day I'm spending less time worrying about my eyes.

Make sure you're getting enough sleep too! You get your best sleep between 11pm and 1. I used to stay up until 12-12.30 now I'm in bed for ten, no phone, no book!

I hope your eyes improve soon.

Cath x

Hello, thanks for replying.

Everything your said put together is very overwhelming for me at the moment, I can say that my diet is healthy, I do not smoke, I do not drink alcohol, and I exercise regularly. That is definitely not the problem, and if you read the OP you can see what caused this, it wasnt caused over time but literally overnight after one day of playing computer games all day long. Altho it is true that my eyes have taken a lot of wear over the years, I have spent half of my life in front of a computer screen, I used to smoke, wear contact lenses and eat unhealthy too. And I remember I used to get a lot of the eye mucus or whatever you call it, which you can see in the morning, but I just washed it off and carried on, there were no lasting symptoms, also yeah I always knew that my eyes get tired quickly in front of a computer, but I just carried on even when my eyes were tired because I thought they will recover pretty fast, but I guess I was wrong the last time. So perhaps it did develop over time but needed one last eyestrain for the symptoms to really kick in. But Im pretty sure this is 99% due to computer and other factors are marginal.

I believe some of my symptoms are likely caused by anxiety, the stiffness is quite possibly caused of empowered by anxiety. The feeling is like, skin is tight/pulling when I try to move my eye brows or cringe, or like its heavy to raise my eye brows...
The other prevalent symptom I have, which is the most worrying and uncomfortable is this constant warmness around and especially below me eyes, down to the cheekbones... its warm, dry, sandy feeling, this feeling also varies in intensity. Its like my face around that area is overheating because there is not enough coolant (water) there, I guess thats what it basically is, and thats what it feels like.
Also I have general fatigue...
The sharp stinging has not occurred over the past few days, but it was pretty intense last week I couldnt even sleep because of it.
I have absolutely no redness in my eyes, they are totally clean and white, isnt that strange?

So what do you think of these symptoms and can you relate to them?
Do you think Systane Balance are good eye drops (you can read the ingredients on the internet - I do not know what any of them mean), or do you think I should switch to preservative free Bepanthen?
I guess I will talk about the things you told me to my doctor when I have an appointment with her on Monday.
Also why did u stop drinking tea? I dont see how that is a bad thing, I drink green tea a lot for my anxiety.

I guess I have to go through the trial and error process too... thats the most frustrating, hopefully I will find something that helps tho. Also I would appreciate if you answer all the questions I asked in the OP (behind numbers). For example - is it possible I did permanent damage to my eyes the day I was gaming? I was just playing games all day long, even when my eyes were tired, I didnt use any eye drops, and when I went to sleep it felt like my eyes were burning inside. I just shrugged it off and thought it will be better by tomorrow then.... Obviously I was very focused on playing the games so I blinked less, this is what dried my eye, but can this one-time shock have caused irreversible damage? Or do you think my eyes can still make a full recovery? What does this indicate to you that this started after a day of gaming and I really felt like my eyes were burning inside when I was falling asleep and the eyes turned inside the sockets...

Please try to answer post #20 please.

[dryeye4ever]

I am really breaking down now.... I feel completely hopeless and clueless.... I want to cry and die.... living without computer is just so freaking hard for me, I am used to spending my entire days here, I am so attracted to it... I just keep thinking whatever ill just go on the computer at least then my mind is elsewhere not focused on the suffering..... I am sorry I am such a weak minded person, I just cant help it... I cant take this for much longer, I dont have it in me..... my life is just filled with disappointments and suffering, there is almost nothing else..... just constant suffering and disappointments..... I have no life, I have nothing, I am 23, unemployed, living with my parents, I have tried over a year now to better my situation, I cant get a job, idk why.... I just cant, and even if I did I am probably too weak for it anyway...... especially now as I am physically suffering....... I have nothing , I just cry and think of death......... I just dont see any hope, its only darkness............ I have a long distance relationship with my girlfriend, but im afraid she will leave me soon because im just such a mess, i cant even live with myself.... if she does I will just kill myself, enough is enough.... I know I have brought everything on myself but what can I do now... im just a weak, pathetic idiot with no life... I am even too weak to suicide, its just too hard and I just cant imagine the idea of my girlfriend finding someone else... how can people even believe in god when the world is full of suffering and no justice.... there is no god, no guardian angels, no hope.......I am just an animal at the mercy of nature.... things will never improve.... im so sorry everyone.... but I just had to get this out, I just feel like crying all the time.... and you are probably the only people who understand me at the moment.......

Wow dude you seem to have troubles I had when I was younger. I agree, dry eyes is also the worst thing that could have happened to me thinking about it. But cheer up and think positive, dont worry about it mate. Dont talk bad about you like that, just try to improve, it comes from YOU nobody will do it for you. I can relate to what you exactly just said haha so Im the right person to tell you that. Im 24 and Im about to finish studies but I still have my eyes issues and other issues. I finally found a career I want to but Im already 24 just think about it. Stop complaining and try to improve ASAP.

[Skizzy91]

Wow dude you seem to have troubles I had when I was younger. I agree, dry eyes is also the worst thing that could have happened to me thinking about it. But cheer up and think positive, dont worry about it mate. Dont talk bad about you like that, just try to improve, it comes from YOU nobody will do it for you. I can relate to what you exactly just said haha so Im the right person to tell you that. Im 24 and Im about to finish studies but I still have my eyes issues and other issues. I finally found a career I want to but Im already 24 just think about it. Stop complaining and try to improve ASAP.

I am trying my best, but I cant stop complaining.... its just so unbearable and I have huge anxiety and depression and suicidal thoughts...... and complaining is the only way to get answers and comfort.

its just incredible... I cant catch a break... I am no stranger to suffering, but that doesnt make it any easier. Ive battled with anxiety disorder for the past 4 years, but I wasnt in constant pain as I am now... all i keep thinking about is regrets, I could have avoided all my problems easily if I knew any better... I wish I had normal people problems, like paying the bills, spraining my ankle, or having to change my baby's diapers...

If you do not want to read any more of my whining, feel free to not view this thread, but I need many answers and advice and comforting thoughts.

[Skizzy91]

I am having so dark thoughts again... I cant really believe I this is happening to me, how did I throw my life away like this? When I wake up in the morning I get instantly depressed that I woke up to this suffering again, sleep is the only time I feel relief...

I am so so tired .... I do not know how to treat this, I do not know what should I do, it seems like my doctors are incompetent because they dont seem worried at all and keep telling me it will get better even tho it is not getting better at all, something is obviously wrong, either the diagnosis or treatment, come monday I will be much more blatant and complain a lot more at the doctor, this is ridiculous, she doesnt seem to take me seriously... She doesnt seem to take dry eye syndrom in general seriously and seems to think as long as "you dont have an infection" everything is fine... on Monday I will go there for a more serious talk and drop all the politeness, I am left with no other choice.

The most frustrating thing is that I do not understand at all how this thing reacts to treatment, it doesnt seem to react to anything and the symptoms change intensity on their own completely randomly and regardless of what I am doing...

Only things I have noticed:

-The stiffness greatly intensifies after i go running, I used to have this thing before too, but now its really extreme.
-My eyes get tired and the warmness/dryness/sandy feeling below my eyes intensifies after as little as one hour of looking at a computer, and even less after watching at the TV.
-Symptoms are intense in the morning, I also have mouth dryness and a strange buzzing feeling at the tip of my tongue in the morning.

I would like answers to all the questions I have posed in this thread, so if anyone can find the time I would greatly appreciate it. I really would benefit a lot from direct answers to my questions, if you do not know, then just give your best guess.
I am really clueless, hopeless, and very frustrated.

please try to answer post #20 please.

[dryeye4ever]

listen friend. I have had this for 3 years, I am the right person to answer your questions. Its indeed painful and frustrating and you will learn to cope with it. You realize some peopple have diabetes right? Cheer up. The symptoms you are talking about are PERFECTLY normal. For now you have no choice to cope with it. However all I am saying is that ITS POSSIBLE to recover from it. Its long term and you could recover with DIET and abstinence from screens. Just like someone is TRYING TO lose weight.

I am experience, all Im telling you right now is you need to stop this because I was exactly thinking like you. ITS NOT THAT OF A BIG DEAL, the first first first thing you need to do is to not get psychologically affected and depressed. Other things come second. Just chill out, Ive been through where you are, you should learn from me as much as you can. Try to use drops if you want but I quit using drops Im just coping with it and exercising is helping out alot. I even wasted money on Restais, I suggest you to use thick drops I suggest Systane Balance. Stay on the computer for a few hours a day like before instead of avoiding it like I did and judge from there and yes its painful but you can cope with it. Just deal with it now and stop making a big deal with it. I wasted a lot of time thinking like you at the beginning im just trying you to avoid doing that too. You just got caught by surprise on how painful and life changing this is , so did I. It doesnt change the fact that there are worse diseases out there and it wont kill you or affect your health if you dont depress about it.

Think about it will complaining chance anything? I am not saying this about your eyes but your life in general. NEVER have this kind of attitude, I have problems with this in the past as well. Now I shut my yap and deal with everything and Im slowly putting my life together. Lets be honest, people dont give a crap, sad reality of life. All you want to do and to make others people be wrong and get glory, something I will do in the next few years Take Life as a challenge.

[Skizzy91]

listen friend. I have had this for 3 years, I am the right person to answer your questions. Its indeed painful and frustrating and you will learn to cope with it. You realize some peopple have diabetes right? Cheer up. The symptoms you are talking about are PERFECTLY normal. For now you have no choice to cope with it. However all I am saying is that ITS POSSIBLE to recover from it. Its long term and you could recover with DIET and abstinence from screens. Just like someone is TRYING TO lose weight.

I am experience, all Im telling you right now is you need to stop this because I was exactly thinking like you. ITS NOT THAT OF A BIG DEAL, the first first first thing you need to do is to not get psychologically affected and depressed. Other things come second. Just chill out, Ive been through where you are, you should learn from me as much as you can. Try to use drops if you want but I quit using drops Im just coping with it and exercising is helping out alot. I even wasted money on Restais, I suggest you to use thick drops I suggest Systane Balance. Stay on the computer for a few hours a day like before instead of avoiding it like I did and judge from there and yes its painful but you can cope with it. Just deal with it now and stop making a big deal with it. I wasted a lot of time thinking like you at the beginning im just trying you to avoid doing that too. You just got caught by surprise on how painful and life changing this is , so did I. It doesnt change the fact that there are worse diseases out there and it wont kill you or affect your health if you dont depress about it.

Think about it will complaining chance anything? I am not saying this about your eyes but your life in general. NEVER have this kind of attitude, I have problems with this in the past as well. Now I shut my yap and deal with everything and Im slowly putting my life together. Lets be honest, people dont give a crap, sad reality of life. All you want to do and to make others people be wrong and get glory, something I will do in the next few years Take Life as a challenge.

Hey I appreciate your replies and everything, but you should stop telling me to stop complaining, it helps me, and I need to do it because this is very new to me and I have high anxiety.
I need answers, advice, sympathy, and positive reassuring thoughts... I am not forcing anyone to answer me, it is their own choice, if it bothers you please do not enter this thread. I do not want to discuss this any further.

Im going to sleep now, goodnight.

[littlemermaid]

Hi Skizzy, do you want to tell us which oral medications you take? and do you take cannabis, for example? then we can check for dry eye side effects