Supplementary Eye Products?

[Kabuto]

Hi all,

Looking for eye products to help eye health. Already use Restasis and have already done Lipiflow. Also use a heated compress.

Looking more along the lines of other things as well. Do I need computer glasses? What about a gel mask? If so, what type of mask? Do I need a hydro mask for sleeping??

please let me know what’s recommended: thanks!!

[Guest]

Look into moisture chamber glasses, they help a lot. I have been using eye ointment at night, soothe PM, and bubble bandages on my eye to sleep. That's been a gigantic help for me. There are so many things out there to help us, most of it is trial and error sadly because all of our conditions are so different. Hope you get some more relief.

[Hokucat]

Assuming LipiFlow, IPL, etc. can help initially unblock your glands, try to keep them that way in the long run. Make sure to keep your lids clean with lid scrubs, do regular blinking exercises, and try to find what can help your system generate more healthy oils from your glands from the inside out, whether that be diet, supplements, doxycycline, etc. or some combination of these types of things.

For me, after doing probing to unblock the scar tissue I had, finally finding the right diet is the main thing helps keeps my glands open and seemed to address the root cause, but everyone is different. I also do the lid scrubs and blinking exercises.

For helping manage remaining symptoms, I wear scleral lenses, started using serum tears including in my lenses a few months ago, wear EyeSeals night goggles while sleeping, and occasionally use the oral rx pill Evoxac (Cevimeline) which gives the eyes temporary moisture...these items do not address the MGD, but are important in giving me additional comfort and functionality, which is important.

[SirDryEye]

Hey Hokucat again! A number of questions regarding your last post...

1. What exactly is your current diet like? What foods should I avoid?

2. I’m currently taking a high quality fish oil (liquid). 1000 mg DHA + 2000 mg EPA (3800 mg total) (once a day)

- Also evening primrose oil (360 mg) GLA

Is this sufficient? Does it matter if the supplement is not meant for “dry eye” because I’ve noticed that there are special products for dry eye?

3. What is an oral rx pill? Is this prescribed to you?

4. I want to try doxy, should I just ask my doctor? Or is it more for people with severe mgd

[Hokucat]

SirDryEye , to answer your questions:

1) I posted my typical daily diet and what foods I avoid in this other thread yesterday, here it is:

http://forum.dryeyezone.com/forum/co...practice/page2

2) My understanding is the quality of the fish oil is important, but I don’t think it necessarily needs to be a fish oil meant for dry eyes. I’ve taken fish oil for several years of various qualities and quantities, including those meant for dry eyes, and personally I’ve never noticed any difference. I’ve never used evening primrose.

3) Evoxac (generic name Cevimeline) is a prescription pill that was originally to increase moisture in the mouth for people who have dry mouth, due to autoimmune disease or resulting from taking other medications for cancer or other conditions, etc. It was also found to increase eye moisture in many patients, so sometimes it is prescribed off-label for dry eye patients. My rheumatologist initially prescribed it, and now my general practitioner has taken over refilling my prescriptions, both were very familiar with this drug, but my eye doctors were less familiar with it. Pilocarpine is a similar drug, but my rheumatologist told me he has seen Evoxac work better for patients with dry eyes.

4) Doxy is fairly common to prescribe even in the earlier stages, and does take the edge off for some people, even at a fairly low dose of 40mg a day. It wouldn’t hurt to ask your eye doctor about it.