Worried...

[Topher3]

Leading up to my appointment with the dry eye clinic I wanted to get a blephasteam/manual expression done to clear any blocked glands if that were the case. As she was expressing (Mastrota paddle) she said nothing was really coming out of my bottom glands except the tiniest amount of clear oil on a few glands. And as she was doing the top ones a few of them had some gooey bits come out but mostly the same tiny amounts of clear oil. I’m really worried I have extensive gland loss and how I’m meant to live the rest of my life without any glands? My dry eye clinic appointment is on 16/10 and I’m really terrified to get a meibography done and learn my reality. Is there ANY other reason for tiny amount of oil to come out that’s not related to blocking/gland loss? I don’t know if this is any clue but my eyes only feel truly perfect when I apply cold water to my eyelids. After I do that I’m great for 5-10 minutes. If anyone has any insight I’d love to hear from you sorry about the wall of text :-)

[ebi1368]

When my doctor did my first manual expression, there was not enough oil coming out of my gland. However my membography showed good oil.

After my second IPL I had more oil coming out. In my case, the oil is severely blocked.

[MGD1701]

Hi topher
great you are proactive and got expression done and collected more important data.

Great, cold compress gives you comfort and that your oil is clear.

IPL: did doctor express glands after each IPL, which you have done 4 times? This really makes a big difference.

Maybe just blockage, capping, scar tissue etc, not necessary gland losses.
did the dr who express your glands comment on this?

PS. I find 15 or 20 zoom mirror helpful. can see oil drops when blink and glands (not so clear but better than nothing).

[Milo007]

Hi topher
great you are proactive and got expression done and collected more important data.

Great, cold compress gives you comfort and that your oil is clear.

IPL: did doctor express glands after each IPL, which you have done 4 times? This really makes a big difference.

Maybe just blockage, capping, scar tissue etc, not necessary gland losses.
did the dr who express your glands comment on this?

PS. I find 15 or 20 zoom mirror helpful. can see oil drops when blink and glands (not so clear but better than nothing).

Can you link me to a zoom mirror in amazon you are talking about?

[Topher3]

Hi topher
great you are proactive and got expression done and collected more important data.

Great, cold compress gives you comfort and that your oil is clear.

IPL: did doctor express glands after each IPL, which you have done 4 times? This really makes a big difference.

Maybe just blockage, capping, scar tissue etc, not necessary gland losses.
did the dr who express your glands comment on this?

PS. I find 15 or 20 zoom mirror helpful. can see oil drops when blink and glands (not so clear but better than nothing).

Hey mgd
No no the doctors expressed glands before my ipl unfortunately. I don’t know why they did it before? She was saying some glands weren’t expressing anything but the ones that were expressed tiny little amounts. Is it possible to have internal blockage and have little oils deep through?

she said she wasn’t quite sure why it wouldn’t be expressing, she said it could be gland loss. However st one point she said “it’s alkost as if I need a microscopic needle to get it out” which I assume means probing (don’t know if she knows that’s an actual procedure)..

the dry eye clinic I’ll be going to doesn’t do probing as they said that probing is extremely invasive and a very high risk procedure. What are your thoughts on that?

[MGD1701]

Please visit amazon, eBay & search for 'zoom mirror'. Good luck!

[MGD1701]

first, dont think that dr is correct to say it is gland loss, likely scar tissue, from what she prescribed.

IPL: What I asked is if dr expressed your glands RIGHT AFTER (not before) IPL. this makes a big difference as heat can melt the hard oil then can be expressed out easily 'after' the heat. According to Dr Toyos, the 1st dr applied IPL to treat MGD, IPL (I think he meant the NEW model) is so powful, one does no need probing to get hard secretion out. He has a few videos at YouTube.

Probing, there are many discussion in the forum. perhaps you could find some useful info. Some people find it helpful and maybe a must. Maybe the dry eye clinic can provide alternatives, if they dont offer probing. Just wait for the accurate diagnose first and not to worry too much.

[Topher3]

Thank you!

[Hokucat]

I’ve had probing multiple times a few years back and have not had any issues from it, however I made sure the doctors who did the procedures were experienced at probing. And it is indeed a very invasive and uncomfortable procedure, so would recommend trying other less invasive procedures like LipiFlow and IPL first. If those don’t work, then maybe you have scar tissue or severely blocked glands where probing is needed.

I tried just about everything and nothing worked for me, so as a last resort I turned to probing. At the consult, the probe doctor pressed on many of my glands, and most did not express anything, except a few expressed a small amount of thick Crisco-like oil. It was through probing that I found out I had scar tissue blocking many of my glands. After they were unblocked with probing, I experimented with many diet changes in order to get more healthy flowing oils, so diet was key for me in keeping the glands functioning after probing.

But I agree with MGD1701, don’t worry yet. There could be many reasons for you expressing little oils, not necessarily atrophied glands or scar tissue.

[Milo007]

I’ve had probing multiple times a few years back and have not had any issues from it, however I made sure the doctors who did the procedures were experienced at probing. And it is indeed a very invasive and uncomfortable procedure, so would recommend trying other less invasive procedures like LipiFlow and IPL first. If those don’t work, then maybe you have scar tissue or severely blocked glands where probing is needed.

I tried just about everything and nothing worked for me, so as a last resort I turned to probing. At the consult, the probe doctor pressed on many of my glands, and most did not express anything, except a few expressed a small amount of thick Crisco-like oil. It was through probing that I found out I had scar tissue blocking many of my glands. After they were unblocked with probing, I experimented with many diet changes in order to get more healthy flowing oils, so diet was key for me in keeping the glands functioning after probing.

But I agree with MGD1701, don’t worry yet. There could be many reasons for you expressing little oils, not necessarily atrophied glands or scar tissue.

Dear hokucat,

Can you share your diet menu that helped produce clear oil?

I guess many of us are not aware of the proper diet that is appropriate for helping recovering the glands.

[Topher3]

I’ve had probing multiple times a few years back and have not had any issues from it, however I made sure the doctors who did the procedures were experienced at probing. And it is indeed a very invasive and uncomfortable procedure, so would recommend trying other less invasive procedures like LipiFlow and IPL first. If those don’t work, then maybe you have scar tissue or severely blocked glands where probing is needed.

I tried just about everything and nothing worked for me, so as a last resort I turned to probing. At the consult, the probe doctor pressed on many of my glands, and most did not express anything, except a few expressed a small amount of thick Crisco-like oil. It was through probing that I found out I had scar tissue blocking many of my glands. After they were unblocked with probing, I experimented with many diet changes in order to get more healthy flowing oils, so diet was key for me in keeping the glands functioning after probing.

But I agree with MGD1701, don’t worry yet. There could be many reasons for you expressing little oils, not necessarily atrophied glands or scar tissue.

Thank you so much for the kind words, I’ve been really struggling with stress/depression and anxiety. I understand it will be whatever it will be, I just find it hard to accept this is my situation. But humans adapt and eventually accept it in their own time. I will continue to look for things to help me in the future and to be (as silly as it sounds) grateful as I know things can always get worse. I’ll keep you all updated with what happens if anyone’s interested thanks everyone I really appreciate you.

[Guest]

Hey mgd
No no the doctors expressed glands before my ipl unfortunately. I don’t know why they did it before? She was saying some glands weren’t expressing anything but the ones that were expressed tiny little amounts. Is it possible to have internal blockage and have little oils deep through?

she said she wasn’t quite sure why it wouldn’t be expressing, she said it could be gland loss. However st one point she said “it’s alkost as if I need a microscopic needle to get it out” which I assume means probing (don’t know if she knows that’s an actual procedure)..

the dry eye clinic I’ll be going to doesn’t do probing as they said that probing is extremely invasive and a very high risk procedure. What are your thoughts on that?

Hi,
i had gland probing and had no relief. I was worried about meimobian gland loss also esp. after 4 years of suffering. I have had been pain free for 3-4 years now. The things that worked for me was 1. Cleaning eyelids multiple times per day. 2. Omega 3’s 3. Drinking 3 liters of water per day (yes I peed a lot) 4. I washed my pillow case frequently 5. Stopped the dogs from sleeping on my bed in case I have an allergy. 6. Only used baby shampoo on my eyes (normal soaps burned my eyes) 7. Retaine mgd being oily based really reduced the irritation from blinking.
focusing on keeping my eyes clean and my body hydrated really helped. It wasn’t an over night fix. I kept noting improvements as weeks and months went along. I feel keeping the dogs off the bed may have really helped Truth is that most of us may never know what is causing our problems, you need to try everything to see what works.

[Hokucat]

Topher3 , yes, please do keep us updated. Hope all goes well at the dry eye center.

Milo007 , I had to have probing to open up my glands before any diet changes helped since I had scar tissue and other stubborn blockage, but the first diet change after probing that made a noticeable difference in my tear film was adding fresh lemon juice to my daily green tea. I continue to make changes to my diet that help, but for me none has been as impactful as the lemon/green tea. My underlying condition is likely Sjogren’s Syndrome, further worsened by several years of excessive computer use, long drives to work, and possibly being a long term regular contact lens wearer.
Everyone has different underlying conditions so what works for you might be different, but in general I eat a diet rich in antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory foods:

I limit gluten, dairy, and sugars. These three things always made and still make my eyes feel worse.

BREAKFAST - I've found I need to start off the day with my main meal:
-Drink one cup water as soon as wake up.
-Spinach or dark leafy greens salad with raisins and raw sunflower seeds. Extra virgin olive oil with fresh grinded peppercorns and a little salt for dressing.
-One cup fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
-Small portion of protein (usually chicken or salmon, but find a good cut of steak or filet mignon for some reason always makes my eyes feel even better)
-Green tea with juice from 1/6 of medium to large meyer lemon and slice of crushed ginger
-Supplements related to eyes - Ocuvite-type eye vitamin, flaxseed oil, fish oil, vitamin A, bilberry

DURING DAY:
-One cup fresh vegetable juice (or thawed from frozen - I juice once a week and freeze it). A rainbow of colors: Kale, chard, parsley, bok choy, cucumbers, beets, carrots, butternut squash, apple.
-Snack on nuts and fruit (bananas, melons, dried prunes-for potassium & fiber).
-Drink lots of water.
-Green tea with lemon and ginger (but these days I often skip this second round of lemon/tea)
-If I’m going to eat something not so healthy like pasta or a sandwich, cookies, chips, etc. I’ll eat a small portion here in the middle of the day, as it seems to have the least negative effect on my eyes, as long as I had my good breakfast.

DINNER:
-Small portion of protein
-Vegetables (usually broccoli, asparagus, etc., something dark green)

EVENING:
-Chamomile tea
-Drink a cup of water right before bed

[Milo007]

Topher3 , yes, please do keep us updated. Hope all goes well at the dry eye center.

Milo007 , I had to have probing to open up my glands before any diet changes helped since I had scar tissue and other stubborn blockage, but the first diet change after probing that made a noticeable difference in my tear film was adding fresh lemon juice to my daily green tea. I continue to make changes to my diet that help, but for me none has been as impactful as the lemon/green tea. My underlying condition is likely Sjogren’s Syndrome, further worsened by several years of excessive computer use, long drives to work, and possibly being a long term regular contact lens wearer.
Everyone has different underlying conditions so what works for you might be different, but in general I eat a diet rich in antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory foods:

I limit gluten, dairy, and sugars. These three things always made and still make my eyes feel worse.

BREAKFAST - I've found I need to start off the day with my main meal:
-Drink one cup water as soon as wake up.
-Spinach or dark leafy greens salad with raisins and raw sunflower seeds. Extra virgin olive oil with fresh grinded peppercorns and a little salt for dressing.
-One cup fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
-Small portion of protein (usually chicken or salmon, but find a good cut of steak or filet mignon for some reason always makes my eyes feel even better)
-Green tea with juice from 1/6 of medium to large meyer lemon and slice of crushed ginger
-Supplements related to eyes - Ocuvite-type eye vitamin, flaxseed oil, fish oil, vitamin A, bilberry

DURING DAY:
-One cup fresh vegetable juice (or thawed from frozen - I juice once a week and freeze it). A rainbow of colors: Kale, chard, parsley, bok choy, cucumbers, beets, carrots, butternut squash, apple.
-Snack on nuts and fruit (bananas, melons, dried prunes-for potassium & fiber).
-Drink lots of water.
-Green tea with lemon and ginger (but these days I often skip this second round of lemon/tea)
-If I’m going to eat something not so healthy like pasta or a sandwich, cookies, chips, etc. I’ll eat a small portion here in the middle of the day, as it seems to have the least negative effect on my eyes, as long as I had my good breakfast.

DINNER:
-Small portion of protein
-Vegetables (usually broccoli, asparagus, etc., something dark green)

EVENING:
-Chamomile tea
-Drink a cup of water right before bed

You follow a seriously good diet!

Wonderful