Starting 12 hour shifts soon - very scared

[RedEyeGuy]

I'm 22 and starting a 2 month temporary job in about a weeks time. It will be in a factory working 12 hour shifts. 2 days, then 2 nights, then 2 days off. I've done this job before (before I had dry eyes) and I regularly only had 1 or 2 hours sleep before a shift. Not by choice mind, I would be lying in bed awake for 4 or 5 hours before I actually fell to sleep because my body couldn't settle into a sleeping pattern. This time round I'll reluctantly be taking some sleeping tablets for the 2 months because my eyes get extremely red if I don't get my full 8 hours. I'm also concerned about the environment I'll be in. I'm scared that I'll be in agony for the whole shift, and 12 hours is a long time!

I take 3x TheraTear Nutrtion pills, 4x Omega 3 pills, and 4x Flaxseed pills a day which help a little bit with the burning and dry sensation, however I haven't found anything to help with the redness. In the morning it's ok, but throughout the day my eyes become more red until night time they're bloodshot.

How do you guys cope at work in an environment which aggravates your eyes? Any tips?

[spmcc]

I would *run* to the store and buy some moisture chambers!

As for sleeping pills, in my experience, they are very drying. I can't take anything Rx or even OTC that says "PM" or "for sleep". My eyes get much worse. I think others have found this too and have mentioned alternatives like melatonin etc. I'll try to find some old posts that mention options that are non-drying... and maybe others can post what they use.

Congrats on the job and good luck.

[grant555]

melatonin is immensely better than the pharmaceutical type of sleep medications. only problem for me is eventually it gave me insomnia. now i take vitamin d and i sleep much better

[lizlou29]

I take melatonin occasionally. Just 0.5mg or 1mg. It's not available over the counter in the UK, only on prescription. It can be bought legally on the Internet or if you know anyone visiting the US it is available without prescription there. Are you talking about Nytol/antihistamine type tablets as I can't imagine a GP would prescribe 2 month's worth of prescription pills. Well they shouldn't but I've been through that mess.

Second Spmcc on the moisture chamber glasses. I wear Wiley X's at work. I don't look great in them but I don't really care as they've enabled me to continue working. Best of luck.

[RedEyeGuy]

I was thinking something like this, it's got good reviews and is really cheap.

I really don't want to go through the moisture chamber route but I guess it's an option. Hopefully it wont get to that. Surely there's more things I can do to help in a working environment.

[lizlou29]

Oh definitely try something like that. Valerian is also good for sleep but takes time to build up in system. I only suggested melatonin as a lot of flight crew use it when changing timezones.

I can't see from your profile the cause of dry eye but if it is meibomian gland dysfunction then are you using warm compresses? Also, are you taking Doxycycline? Your supplements sound good. I use preservative free eye drops throughout the day. Systane Ultra UD is my current weapon of choice.

[RedEyeGuy]

Oh definitely try something like that. Valerian is also good for sleep but takes time to build up in system. I only suggested melatonin as a lot of flight crew use it when changing timezones.

I can't see from your profile the cause of dry eye but if it is meibomian gland dysfunction then are you using warm compresses? Also, are you taking Doxycycline? Your supplements sound good. I use preservative free eye drops throughout the day. Systane Ultra UD is my current weapon of choice.

I don't really know the cause of the dry eye. I think it's because I used to wear contacts for too long. Or because I used to use the computer too much. Warm compresses don't seem to do much for me. I took Doxycycline for 6 months while I was travelling around Asia. I took them primarily as anti malaria medication but they didn't really help my eyes. Although saying that, the first 3 months were fine, then the last 3 months they went back to normal. Hmm you've got me thinking now, maybe I should go back on them for a few weeks see how they go.

[lizlou29]

I've read on the forum about a few people who have had luck with Doxy second time round. May be worth a try. I take oral Azithromycin now and it works better than Doxy for me but I appear to be an exception to the rule!

[RedEyeGuy]

I've read on the forum about a few people who have had luck with Doxy second time round. May be worth a try. I take oral Azithromycin now and it works better than Doxy for me but I appear to be an exception to the rule!

Interesting, what are your symptoms? Do you get bloodshot eyes or is it just the dry sensation? And how effective is Azithromycin?

[MGD666]

lizlou ~ I'm also interested in your benefits from Azithromycin - have you also tried the drop form of it?

[lizlou29]

I use it for a week once a month now. It does burn but I rub it along the lid margins before bed rather than drop it straight in the eye. Ophthalmologist said this was ok. I initially used it for 4 weeks straight. There are mixed reviews on the forum for topical Azithromycin.

[lizlou29]

Interesting, what are your symptoms? Do you get bloodshot eyes or is it just the dry sensation? And how effective is Azithromycin?

I have MGD caused by Ocular Rosacea and aqueous deficiency. I get red sore eyelids but not bloodshot eyes (well very rarely) and my dry sensation. My TBUT is around 3/4 secs but improved a little after the topical Azithromycin. I haven't seen my Ophthalmologist since I started the oral Azithromycin but see him in 3 weeks. Overall my eyes feel a little better. Not great but I haven't had the really bad days I was having for a while where I could barely open my eyes they were so painful.

[littlemermaid]

Lizlou, if you're on oral Azithromycin longish-term, he needs to check your heart (US FDA) x

[lizlou29]

Lizlou, if you're on oral Azithromycin longish-term, he needs to check your heart (US FDA) x

Just been communicating with him. We are pulse dosing 250mg 3 x per week for 6 weeks then a break and yes, he knows about heart issues. GP had no idea :-/ x