MGD and Allergies.

[pokane536]

Hi everyone. I am 20 years old and I have been suffering from mgd for over a year now. IG used to flare up a little bit but now it has been with me for a full year. I did hot compresses twice daily and tried various lubricating drops but my eyes would remain red and uncomfortable. I was then on doxycycline for about 3 months but it didn't do anything. I then tried azyter drops which I did see some initial improvement in but then my eyes got worse and were very red and stingy. I have started seeing a private doctor in Edinburgh who says I have allergies as well as mgd. He initially put me on patanol drops, lubricating drops and steroid drops to control the inflmation. This got rid of the stingyness which I assume was from the allergies but eyes were still red and slightly uncomfortable but felt better. I am now off the steroid drops and my eyes are back to being more red, stingy and itchy. My Ige blood tests came back negative so I dont know what I am allergic to. What is the best way to find out what you are allergic to and to deals with those allergies? To treat my mgd he has me taking doxycycline again which I am sceptical about because it didn't help me last time. I was wondering if people had success with oral azithromycin as I saw a study saying it was better than oral doxycycline? I still don't know why the topical azithromycin initially gave me good results then got worse, any ideas? I am really desperate for help as rhthis is ruining my life and caused me to drop out of uni. Please please help. Thanks

[LaDiva]

Hi pokane. Sorry to hear you are having problems. I used Azasite drops for awhile, and was either allergic to the Azasite or a preservative in the drops. It made my eyes very red, and worse than usual, so maybe you are allergic too. I also had a battery of allergy tests that included food, mold, house dust, mites, pollens, and I don't know what else. I was allergic to a few weed, tree and grass pollens and two kinds of mold, but that was it. I cannot eat many foods, even after testing negative for food allergies because I have ocular rosacea. Maybe try an elimination diet and see if this helps the inflammation and your oil quality. It made a big difference for me, although I do still have dry eye and oil problems. The doctor gave me 50mg Minocycline to take daily because the doxy created yeast problems. I am really not sure whether it helps my eyes or not. Rosacea triggers here: http://www.rosacea.org/patients/materials/triggers.php Foods high in histamines here: http://www.michiganallergy.com/food_and_histamine.shtml
I have to watch both, and so for me, diet is a big part of controlling inflammation. Rebecca has moisture glasses for sale at this site, or you can buy them online if you don't already have them. They are great for computer and use at home, although I wear them out in public too. Just bought some prescription glasses with seals and so am hoping those will help as well. Just a thought, but if you are using an old pillow at home, throw it away and buy a new foam pillow with a cover. Sending best wishes, and hoping your problem resolves!

[pokane536]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I have never been told by any doctor before that I may have occular rosacea. I do have very slightly red cheeks but not where its ever been a problem or thought anything of it, could that be rosacea? I will try and avoid those foods to see if I notice a difference. How did you go about finding out what foods you needed to eliminate from your diet? Are foam pillows better for dealing with allergens such as dust mites? Thanks again

[LaDiva]

You are welcome!

I am not sure about the mites and pillows, but remember when my brother was having terrible allergies that the doctor told him to get rid of the feather pillows and buy foam filled pillows. Foam is easier to wash than feather filled pillows. My friend's son is allergic to dust mites, and the doctor told him to get rid of all of his bedding, and use a plastic cover on pillows and mattress. (He also was recommended foam pillows.) Everything must be laundered regularly. I know for a fact that I am allergic to dust and probably dust mites, but they did not show up on my allergy list. If I pick up something dusty, my hands turn bright red and itch like heck. http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef646.asp

Ocular Rosacea is hard to diagnose. I went to three doctors before the fourth finally diagnosed rosacea, and he was right on target. I have it on my face as well, but it rarely bothers me. Not so for the eyes. Figuring out which foods to avoid is individual as we don't have the same triggers, but I can't eat much of anything on either of the lists I posted. (Dairy and sugar do extremely bad things to my eyes as does alcohol.) I also take a good probiotic at night before bed. I am not a doctor, so can only pass on what I have personally experienced. Best of luck to you. I hope this will help.

[justbob]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I have never been told by any doctor before that I may have occular rosacea. I do have very slightly red cheeks but not where its ever been a problem or thought anything of it, could that be rosacea?

I have slight redness around my nose, could that be rosacea too?

[pokane536]

It could be. I'm not too sure. I'm going to see my gp tomorrow to see what he thinks. Have you ever asked a doctor about it?

[LaDiva]

Pokane, my gp sent me to a dermatologist to get diagnosis for facial rosacea.

[justbob]

I saw a dermatologist a few years ago and they didn't say anything (my nose wasn't focus though), could it be missed?

[unicorn]

Pokane, my GP was able to confirm the rosacea diagnosis. But they're not always that clued up about it.

Do you know what your allergy testing covered? Have you ever had patch testing? Do you have other symptoms of allergies - runny nose, skin sensitivities etc?

I am allergic to preservatives in eye drops, and when this first started three years ago this caused me a lot of problems as it went undiagnosed for some time - my eyes got worse the more chemicals I poured into them trying to 'fix' things.

[pokane536]

I saw my gp today who said he didn't think I had rosacea so I'm not so sure. My allergy test was a blood test for dust mites, pets, grass mix and other stuff like that. I don't have any other symptoms of allergies apart from my eyes. I have not had patch testing, is that more for if you have skin sensitivities? I haven't really had any allergies with eye drops which is good. So its difficult to combat the allergies of I don't know what the cause is.

What treatment do you use for your rosacea?

I'm not sure if I am just making up that I could have rosacea or if I have just always had slightly rosy cheeks. My cheeks are really flushed atm but I'm not sure if that's because I am on antibiotics and got sunburnt.

[LaDiva]

Pokane, you can have facial rosacea and not ocular, ocular and not facial rosacea, or both. Mine started on my face about twenty years ago, and the ocular rosacea didn't become evident until about five years ago. Some people have it on their face and never in their eyes, and the other way around. At first, two gps thought I had eczema, until they sent me to a dermatologist who proclaimed it rosacea. I use Metrogel on my face and take Minocycline daily.

[unicorn]

I still don't know for sure if I have ocular rosacea, no doctor has specifically said this. I don't have any treatment for my facial rosacea other than trying to minimise triggers (for me - heat, stress and alcohol - I get very flushed in response to these). Gentle skin care and good SPF daily. I don't have p&p rosacea, just flushing and some mild permanent redness.

One ophth I saw said I had allergic eye disease but I've also tested negative to any allergens. Problem is, a dry and inflamed eye can look like an allergic eye.

Pokane, can you think of anything else that happened when your eye trouble started? Any clues as to what's causing this?

[pokane536]

I really don't know. I was diagnosed with mgd about 6 years ago and my eyes would flare up now and again but just go back to normal after a couple of weeks without really doing anything. But then since may 2014 they have been cosistenly bad. But it was only in like November 2014 when my eyes started to get stingy and itchy like allergies. My specialist was the only one that saw any signs of allergies like a month ago. I really can't tell what it is that I am allergic too.

[unicorn]

http://www.reviewofoptometry.com/con...ssonid/108499/

http://www.reviewofophthalmology.com.../1310/c/25228/

These articles might help. They explain how dry eye and allergy can overlap and present in a similar way.

If you search the board for posts by forum member Scout, her posts are very helpful on the subject of allergies.

Do your eyes itch?

[pokane536]

Thanks, those are useful articles.

Yeah my eyes do become quite itchy at times. This completely went away when I was on the steroids and is slightly reduced now I am just on patanol.