TBUT is OK and still MGD? DES stress-related?

[Settembrini]

Hi, I am Jan from Germany, 33 years old, and a pretty new Dry Eye sufferer.
I always had a tendency to have red eyes, but it never bothered me.
In the last two months, however, during a very stressful period, my eyes became worse and worse. Now
they are constantly red and constantly burning, including an occasional bad gritty feeling.
I went to a specialist right away, and I am a little confused about the results:

He did a meibography and my MGs are OK, he said - no atrophies at all.
While some of the MGs were blocked, he could express normal oil out of
the others.
Schirmer Test was 9mm and 5mm, but my BUT in a NIK-BUT-Test was OK.
So how does all of that fit together?
He gave me steroids and the recomendation for warm compresses and a lid scrubbing-routine
which I had done before anyway.
Is it possible to have MGD even though the BUT is fine?

Furthermore: I developed my problems in a really stressful period in my life.
I know, the question ist stupid and probably discussed at lenght in other threads, but:
Can someone give me some hope that symptoms disappear at least largely when the
stressful time is over? Or is the equation chronic stress - inflammation - dry eyes to
simplistic and therefore the equation no Stress - less inflammation - less dry eyes as well?

[Colin P]

Hiya Jan, you are correct, the stress=worse symptoms has been done many times, every new dry eye sufferer will ask it.
I think the only known link between stress and making your symptoms worse is that stress multiplys the fear, and the fear is always worse than the reality as the saying goes.
Fear/stress you find you will worry/panic yourself much much worse.. You go from a normal person with few worries to a hyper-worrying person making yourself ill.
Your mind/brain needs rest just like the rest of your body, if you cant give it due to stress it will run riot with your emotions/thoughts convincing yourself you're worse than you actualy are.. A 'Hypercondriac' can literlaly worry him/herself sick.
Click on the link below...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypochondriasis

[waterbee]

Hi, I am Jan from Germany, 33 years old, and a pretty new Dry Eye sufferer.
I always had a tendency to have red eyes, but it never bothered me.
In the last two months, however, during a very stressful period, my eyes became worse and worse. Now
they are constantly red and constantly burning, including an occasional bad gritty feeling.
I went to a specialist right away, and I am a little confused about the results:

He did a meibography and my MGs are OK, he said - no atrophies at all.
While some of the MGs were blocked, he could express normal oil out of
the others.
Schirmer Test was 9mm and 5mm, but my BUT in a NIK-BUT-Test was OK.
So how does all of that fit together?
He gave me steroids and the recomendation for warm compresses and a lid scrubbing-routine
which I had done before anyway.
Is it possible to have MGD even though the BUT is fine?


Furthermore: I developed my problems in a really stressful period in my life.
I know, the question ist stupid and probably discussed at lenght in other threads, but:
Can someone give me some hope that symptoms disappear at least largely when the
stressful time is over? Or is the equation chronic stress - inflammation - dry eyes to
simplistic and therefore the equation no Stress - less inflammation - less dry eyes as well?

Hiya,
My dry eye started during the most prolonged stressful
Period of my life too! I was doing a lot of crying and had chronic
Insomia (had done for years on & off - but had got to the point where now I couldn't sleep at all for 3-4 days at a time!) i believed it turned my dry eye (which I must of had but
Didn't bother me) from symptomatic to problematic. I asked my opthomogist about this
(The first one I spoke to) he said there certainly is a link between dry eye and stress. I've found since
My stress level has gone down and I'm sleeping more!
(It took sleeping tablets to correct this)
My eyes have improved, since getting sleep, which helped my stress - which helped me sleep - a good cycle (also taking the right fish oil) I actually woke up today with my eyes not stuck
Together, which was pretty awesome, and it's now day 7 of taking them. I'm not telling everyone to take sleeping
Tablets - just wanted to point out how stress /sleep/ mind are so connected.

Also I have similar symptoms to you, no blocked glands but oil won't come out and if it does, there isn't enough!
I'm now looking into seeing a specialist in london that I read can tests to see why the oil isn't coming out, they said on there website that some times blinking exercises Might help, for this type of mdg.so might be worth looking into this where you live.

Finally - I read a post a while ago that linked tear flow to meditation - it's on the forum some place. Maybe someone can link it here who has it to hand?