pregnancy and dry eyes - please advise.

[Julie1]

I apologize for this thread because I know that the question has been asked before.

I am going to be getting married August 2008 and will be moving to Chicago. I am thinking towards the future. I do want to have children but am absolutely petrified about what pregnancy will do to my eyes. I have ocular rosacea, which was triggered by birth control and an acne medicine. I don't have any changes in the dryness of my eyes during my menstral cycle. I guess I always had rosacea but the meds put me over the edge into a symptomatic state.

I am curious about how women here with severe dry eye requiring long-term treatment have fared during pregnancy. Did the eyes go back to their pre-pregnancy state or did pregnancy permanently worsen dry eyes? Did anyone have dry eyes while also on birth control and does that correlate with dry eyes during pregnancy?

I am really scared, and I realize that I still have time to think about it. I am actually questioning whether it is worth it to have my own children or to just skip straight to adoption. I don't want my eyes to get permanently worse. I am concerned about this because my eyes were never the same after taking birth control. Is it worth the risk???

Dr. G -- Please give your input if you could.

Thanks so much!

Julie

[DrG]

Julie,

I'll answer this one, but I really think that Rebecca wants us to adhere to the Q&A format as much as possible. I think the contact lens thread was an exception as a means of generating dialogue about a controversial subject.

I think that as long as you don't try to wear contact lenses, you shouldn't worry. I just don't see an epidemic of young women who get full-blown clinical dry eye after childbearing. Typically, as long as they don't wear their contact lenses, they are OK.

But then again, I don't really know how severe your situation is, so maybe a woman is better qualified to answer your question.

[Julie1]

Thanks, Dr. G for your input. I'll post questions in the Q & A forum next time.

I'd like to give you an idea of how dry I currently am so you can give your opinion. I have lower plugs and upper flow controller plugs, use Restasis, warm compresses and lid massages 2x day and take fish oil/flaxseed oil. With lower plugs and numbing drops, my Schirmers scores are a 5 in the right eye and a 7 in the left. However, I visited Dr. Latkany in April and he said that I really did not have an aqueous deficiency and that he did not place a lot of faith in the Schirmer's test. He said that I had very bad MGD and rosacea. I probably have both lipid and aqueous problems. I've read in the literature that up to a third of rosacea patients also have aqueous deficiency. I really don't know if I am aqueous deficient or not, but I do know that it feels better with plugs than without. The burning has subsided to a low-grade burning even though I have to blot my eyes throughout the day. All autoimmuine blood tests are negative, and I've been tested three times since February 2006 and have no other symptoms. I have facial signs of rosacea that are evident without foundation.

Is worth the risk to become pregnant? Or am I risking damage to the cornea and eyes themselves? My eyes are finally tolerable, and I am concerned about the effects of pregnancy and whether any dryness from pregnancy would be permanent.

Thanks to anyone that can give some input. I really, truly appreciate it!!

Julie

[Rebecca Petris]

Julie,

I hear all your concern and I understand because there are several others here who have gone through the same thing... and come out the other side just fine. In my opinion, it's one of those things that seems like a huge issue before you do it, then afterwards you say to yourself "What was I thinking? Of course this is worth it!"

I got pregnant six months after LASIK. There is no way for me to be sure what life would have been like without pregnancy, but I really cannot believe that pregnancy had any lasting impact. I went through a period during late pregnancy when my dryness was worse than it had ever been before then. Back then, I knew nothing about it and there were few options for people like us. I was in England. I would slather my eyes with Lacrilube and put cling film over them to get to sleep... then not sleep. That's the period during which I got desperate enough to try Dr. Holly's drops.

Is it worth the risk???

OH MY GOSH YES YES YES YES YES YES YES.

I would live with ten times the dry eye that I have if that's what it took.

Here's my reason why (complete with Greek grandmother):

[Julie1]

Thanks Rebecca!!!

Your daughter is so cute!!

You are right. It probably seems like a big deal before you do it but afterwards it will be worth it.

[dianat]

I should say Rebecca's daughter is prettier than the last time I saw a pic of her.

I'm just too tempted to show my pride as well, and will post a pic of my baby Matt. He's my post-LASIK child...the one I mourned during all the LASIK mayhem. I just never thought I'd be lucky enough to have him. Now I'm trying to talk the boss into a fourth! It's worth the risk, the discomfort...whatever it takes.

[Lucy]

Right after I posted and went off site, I thought about Rebecca and Diana--


Diana~

Now I'm trying to talk the boss into a fourth

I admire your courage in wanting a forth. You did well with the first 3! Oh, except remember Matt's clingy days? I assume those days are gone.

Lucy

[dianat]

No, they aren't exactly gone! He's the most work of the three!