2 yrs dry eyes after exposure to fresh paint

[Family man]

I am new to this forum and plan to post my story in detail but I sure would like some response asap from those in the know if they have ever heard of someone getting dry eyes from intense exposure to fresh paint. I was remodeling a home and hired a commercial paint company to paint the interior of the home two years ago. They sealed the home so there was no ventilation and then went in with big air sprayers using water based sealer and white paint. About 3 minutes after finishing they called me up and said to go see it. I got there shortly after and they had left. I went in the home with no protection on my eyes and spent about 5 minutes in the home. When I came out I felt like I had sand in my eyes. I thought nothing of it, rubbed my eyes and then about an hour later noticed they were getting worse. I then went home and ran some water on my eyes (a little) to no improvement. Long story short, that was 2 years ago and I still have the problem (like sand in eyes). I've seen many specialists and alternative cures to no result. Not one could tell me or even theorize what happened. I feel there was some kind of damage done by the paint chemicals in the air from the air sprayers. A chemical burn perhaps? It remains a mystery but I have the problem. I am 51 years old and have always had perfect eyes. I've never had a problem with tears....never gave it single thought. This has impacted my life and my family's life enormously as I am sure you all can attest to. I have been reluctant to try Restasis and plugs, etc because I still wonder if my case is unusal.... (not inflammation?). Any comments or cure suggestions are very much appreciated. Also relevant is the fact that I now cannot tolerate exposure to "off-gassing" things like fresh paint, new carpet, perfume, formaldyhyde offgassing. Exposure to these things adds pain to my experience in addition to the dryness. Thoughts? Thanks, Robert

[Lucy]

Robert, I wanted to say hi and welcome to the bb. I am sorry you have to be here, however.

The reasons/causes od dry eyes on this bb range from post-lasik surgery, taking certain medications, people suffering from Sjogrens and disease related, to a whole host of other stuff. Some are not sure what caused their dry eyes. Your exposure to the paint? I have no idea, which you already can guess. Perhaps some others can relate. It is a very hard thing to prove that anything WAS DEFINITELY the cause.

You need to get some help for your symptoms, however, no matter what the cause. If you are trying to get a doc to agree your problem was caused by the paint exposure, I doubt it'll happen.

You do not mention what you are doing to help and alleviate your pain and/or symptoms. It seems reasonable to me that if you've not been to an opometrist or ophthalmologist who specializes in dry eyes that would be the first step. Most of us have been to a bunch. I'll be watching your thread and good luck.

[Family man]

No problems before that day

Thanks for your reply. I have been to two Opthamologists and 3-4 optomitrists. The same things were offered: tear duct plugs, eye drops, restasis, steriod drops, a course of antibiotics, etc. I did try the antibiotics for a short course with no results. I have focused on alternative therapies: accupuncture, diet changes (eggs, omega 3), wearing glasses that seal moisture (ie perscription motorcycle glasses), hot compresses, experiments with supplements (no results), and green drinks (wheat grass)--of these, the accupuncture did provide some small amount of relief. I also notice that my eyes are much better in the Summer than the winter. Also true with air conditioning (worse). I also try to avoid like the plague things that hurt my eyes: fresh paint, new carpet, and any kind of off-gassing chemicals. Exposure to paint is my number one enemy. I can go into a room that was painted 4 months ago and walk out with very painful eyes. I recently bought a new computer and the off gassing new plastic forced me to take it out of my office. This is how sensitive my eyes are. I new car, a new home these adre impossible for me. I am even sensitive to a home that is 5 years old! I am at an impass and wondering what to do. I joined this forum in hopes of helping me decide what to do. Should I try meds (restasis?). I WISH THERE WERE SOME LONG TERM STUDIES ON THE SAFETY (OR LACK OF) OF THIS NEW DRUG. I don't want to make things worse. The posts on restasis are so mixed--most with no results. And to have to wait so long to know if it worked when it might do damage before then is a scary thought. On the plus side, my vision has been unaffected, it is very good and I want to keep it that way. I particularly want to hear from restasis users on long term effects. Thanks, Robert

[Lucy]

Robert, there are many, many threads and even a poll here just recently on whether Restasis has helped people. It's a whole mixed bag and it would probably take you a day or two to read only part of the Restasis stuff. Most of us have tried Restasis and I'm surprised you haven't. I think about 1/3 of patients are helped by Restasis. Good luck and good reading.

[Family man]

Thanks

I reallly appreciate your reply. I am cautious with these therapies. What is your impression of the longer term effects of restasis? (I've read alot of the restasis stuff and it really is a mixed bag, mostly disappointing it seems--but again, I am trying to evaluate the down side risk as well as the upside) thanks.

[Rebecca Petris]

Robert,

Welcome to Dry Eye Talk. I was surprised and sorry to hear your story. It's certainly pretty unusual.

Can you share any clinical information from the various assessments you have had? I understand they may have no information to explain why this happened but presumably they can shed some light on "what" happened, e.g. what's been affected, lacrimal tear production, meibomian gland function, both, if so in what order if known, etc? Or to put it differently do you know your Schirmer score, TBUT, any feedback on your meibomian gland condition?

Also any feedback on whether the motorcycle glasses helped relieve symptoms? Are they a form fit like Panoptx or something else?

[Family man]

paint cause, etc.

the motorcycle glasses are a bit of a form fit and even so they tend to fog up too much but yes the idea is to keep moisture in. Tell me about "Panaflex" glasses are they custom? Anyway I don't remember my shirmer scores but they did confirm the dry eye condition. The meicobian gland issue I don't know about....I always assumed that this was not an issue since I did not have mucus on the eye lids, etc. Should I try washing the eyelids anyway? The Kaiser Opthamologist didn't even examine my lids or he didn't comment on it anyway. I asked for blood serum for eye drops and he said he wouldn't do that. Yes, my cause is unusual and I am all alone in trying to figure it out (the cause that is). thanks

[Flick]

I've been taking Restasis for about a year now. I can't say for sure, but I do think it has helped me some.

Although some people have burning and stinging after applying Restasis, I don't believe it can do much if any permanent damage to your eyes. So my guess would be that there wouldn't be much harm in trying Restasis for a few weeks to see if you get any relief. But I can certainly understand why you're being so cautious, since your situation is so unique.

Good luck!

[Rebecca Petris]

the motorcycle glasses are a bit of a form fit and even so they tend to fog up too much but yes the idea is to keep moisture in. Tell me about "Panaflex" glasses are they custom? Anyway I don't remember my shirmer scores but they did confirm the dry eye condition. The meicobian gland issue I don't know about....I always assumed that this was not an issue since I did not have mucus on the eye lids, etc. Should I try washing the eyelids anyway? The Kaiser Opthamologist didn't even examine my lids or he didn't comment on it anyway. I asked for blood serum for eye drops and he said he wouldn't do that. Yes, my cause is unusual and I am all alone in trying to figure it out (the cause that is). thanks

Check out www.panoptx.com and look for the Velocity CV and FX models. (Also in our shop under Eyewear.) The CV models have a removeable foam eyecup that fits to your face. I've been wearing them for more than a year and I don't have any fogging issues. Maybe have a look at our eyewear page too for more suggestions.

Re meibomians: Reason I asked is, if they put you on oral antibiotic, warm compresses, etc. that suggests that they are trying to treat chronically clogged or poorly functioning meibomian glands. You can check this out more in our "A to Z" section - try Dry Eye for Dummies, meibomian gland dysfunction, and lid hygiene pages for starters.

As regards causes, to be honest once things get to a certain stage it's almost moot (unless of course there's an ongoing cause still making things worse) - it's all about finding ways to cope and treat. I agree with the others by the way about trying Restasis, just in case. If you see any improvement with it that's at least adding some valuable information to the equation even if you don't choose to continue it long-term.

[Reggie]

Family Man, this was written in the BFS news letter that I just received a few days ago. It its about a female named Edy Jablonski, a special needs teacher in New York.

"...approximately then years ago, the fumes from the freshly painted classroom walls and the newly shellacked florrs began to seriously impair Edy's health upon her return to the classroom after the summer vacation. Edy went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Sjoren's disease, a chronic systemic inflammatory autoimmune disorder..."

So it may not may been the fumes that caused the condition, but it may have been "the straw that broke the camel's back." When I was first hit was DES, it seemed like it was caused overnight by the overuse of the computer while wearing my contact lenses. Now in retrospect, there was signs that my eyes were getting dry that I had missed or ignored (like my contacts getting stuck in my eyes).

[GeorgeT]

Family Man,

Good to have you here!!!
I got DEZ 3 months ago when I moved from AL to WA state over a very dry summer. I did not wear contacs nor had eye surgery. I used to have watery eyes in windy weather. So there may be an explanation for my DEZ. I do think that in your case there might be a pre-existing condition undiscovered. Then the paint exposure was the trigger. The exposure time to the paint alone, was way to short for such a devastating outcome. Anyway it's worth to try the plugs.
As Reggie pointed out, it's better to do more tests just to make sure it's only DEZ.
Take Care!!


George

[Family man]

thanks reggie

Reggie: Thanks so much for your post regarding paint and my dry eyes condition. Your comments are helpful. I also have felt that a 5 minute exposure as the sole cause of my dry eyes is probably not the whole story. I would really appreciate it if you could give me a link to the BFS Newsletter (what issue was it you saw this in?). I would like to correspond with Edy Jablonski to see if we can help eachother. The circumstances seem similar. Logically, if paint exposure causes dry eyes then all professional painters would have to have dry eyes and they don't. I never thought I had sjogrens because I absolutely don't have any of the other symptoms like dry mouth, bodily arthritis, etc. Also, please let me know what your experience was with the tear duct plugs. I've been hesitant on this because I thought that they might lost in my eye and cause even bigger problems. Also, they don't address the bigger issue which is tear function (ie, oil glands etc.).. I look forward to hearing from you asap....thanks again. Robert Lekven

[Silverlady]

Perhaps and no other symptoms

Family Man..
I woke up one morning and sitting watching tv my eyes start feeling prickly, couldn't see well, went downhill all day. That night I got up to go to the bathroom and was seeing starlike things in my vision. That day I couldn't stand the light. It was the week-end, we called all the local eye doctors and couldn't find one in the office. Finally found one 30 miles away. My husband took me. I rode in the car all the way with sunglasses on and my eyes closed. When we got there, he told me my eyes were extremely dry and I also had retinal dystrophy. He gave me a medication that was basically salt drops. Hurt like blue blazes in my eyes. It has been downhill since this.

The gist of what this long story is trying to say is that I literally woke up one morning with Sjogrens Syndrome. It took months of agony to get a diagnosis. What tipped me over the edge was having knee replacement surgery. My immune system could not stand anymore and this surgery was the trigger for Sjogrens. Some people on the Sjogrens forum have had this occur after seemly minor incidents and don't have severe cases until something else rocks their immune system.

Apologize for the lengthy book,
Billye

[Family man]

thanks Billye

Your comments are extremely helpful...are you saying that you have Sjogrens but not all the symptoms? Do you have dry mouth? Do you have arthritis. Also, can you give me the link to the Sjogrens forum you mentioned? Also, do you get pain in your eyes from off gassing (ie., fresh paint, formaldyhyde materials, new car interiors? I am not sensitive to bright light nor did experience that after my injury. What you are saying is helpful because maybe I have a form of Sjogrens and I should be concentrating on powering my immune system somehow. I also have a long history of asthma. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Robert Lekven

[Silverlady]

not exactly

Robert,
To answer your questions:

I have full blown Sjogrens now, but it is secondary to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had high SED, ANA, etc. off and on for years, but it was with never with enough regularity to diagnose me with anything. Sinus problems I had surgery for twice, knee replacements. All the signs were there, just ignored. I thought my dry mouth was the pain meds that I had to take for the really bad knees, teeth needing repair all the time, glasses needing replacing all the time. Many signs. But no one saw them until I had severe Sjogrens. I had all the signs for years and all the symptoms... they were not recognized.

The Sjogrens forum is www.sjogrensworld.org

I don't know that I get pain in my eyes from offgassing. I do experience severe pain from any odor. Can't stand fragrances of any kind. You wouldn't believe the hassles this causes in just trying to cook. It seems to hurt my nose, throat and lungs. So I'm not sure that the eyes are affected. My eyes are so bad I'm not sure I would notice anyway. I have asthma too. Started years ago. Adult onset.

I am not sure about building up your immune system. The theory is that the immune system is overactive when you have autoimmune diseases. Sjogrens is considered one. The medications they give us are to suppress the immune system. I would not try suppressing your immune system tho because it could be detrimental to your health if you don't have Sjogrens or an autoimmune disease. You really need to be evaluated by a doctor.

Wish I had more help.
Billye