Back from a "specialist"

[stephgurl1986]

Hey @ all!

I'm sorry but this post might be a bit longer than normal.

Okay, as I haven't found a good doctor here in Berlin I flew to the south of Germany to see a specialist.
He tested a lot of things. He found out I have a reduced tear production (which I knew of before) and Blepharitis. The weird thing is that my eyes are changing. During the last 2 years only my tear production was reduced but know it seem like I developed Blepharitis and a TBUT of 4 sec. I think it is quite strange to have these two things at the same time. I thought it was normal to have "just" one. In the morning for example I need to cool my eyes and in the evening I use hot compresses. Why do I need both???

My eyes are horribly red. They started getting red (only a little) when I was 13 but I didn't have dry eyes then. The doctor said that he could cut away these blood vessels. They will come back but maybe not that horrible. Has anybody ever heard of this before? He said there weren't any risks. I don't know what to do. I'd love to get rid of them because they are my main problem (vessles fill with blood and cause pressure). I only feel pressure in one eye.

My blood was tested and they only found a change in my proteins and they believe that I might develop Sjögren's symdrome in the future. The doctor also that I might have rosacea. So I went to a dermatologist who told me that I don't have rosacea but that it could be that I have occular rosacea. But only an eye doctor could tell me this- seems like no one here can tell me what's wrong with me.

I already have lower plugs, use 2%cyclosporine and artificial tears as often as possible. He told me to start serum drops and doxycycline. I'm really afraid of this, I'm just 21, I actually don't want to take doxycycline...
I just don't know what to do. Does it actually matter whether I have rosacea (and know it) or is it also treated with doxy?

I asked the doctor about special contact lenses but he told me that they are only used in extreme cases when people are almost blind. I'm confused because I read different things in these forums here.

Okay, I don't actually know why I made this post. Maybe some of you have an idea what I could do to improve my situation. I just really had a horrible day today....

[Judy]

Hi stephgurl1986, I'm sorry you are having such tough times at such a young age. I wanted to tell you that I found out last year I had MGD/Blepharitis (what an ugly name, blepharitis is, isn't it?). Anyway I went on the doxy for a couple rounds and it did improve my eyes and the redness. It took some time and I can't remember how long, maybe even close to 4 to 6 months, but since then I haven't had to take it. It might be worth a shot, you know? I do eyedrops and the rice baggies that are sold on this website. Also I absolutely love the Ocusoft Foaming eyelid cleaner. The other thing I love is the Unisol saline (preservative free). I rinse my eyes with this in the shower in the morning (it is very cool which of course feels good) and sometimes clean my eyelids with this using q-tips. Anyway, I figure I may have to take doxy again off and on, but once you do this for a treatment period, there may be a chance you can manage your eyes better for quite awhile. Hang in there and keep researching this web-site! God Bless! Judy

[robinzb]

hi, stephgurl.

sorry to hear ur experience. im also 21, protein in blood test a year ago is a little a bit higher than normal,now i start to have jaw pain, which lots of Sjögren's symdrome sufferers have. i had another blood test 1 month ago, everything is ok. so , right now, i still dont know what exactly the reason of my dry eye.

i also got this pressure feeling from right eye, its on and off over a year now.

when i was 13, i started to have those horrible red eye esp in the evening. After having various eye drops, it just became worse, although eyes are not as red as before, but they become drier.

I have tried dox as well, it didnt have obvious side effect. bear in mind u need to drink plenty of water to ensure the capsule goes to ur stomach rather than stuck in ur esophagus, otherwise u might feel chest burning.

unluckily it didn't help me at all, though it didnt do any harm, so i guess u should give it a try. serum drops are from ur own blood, i guess. so its completely safe.

keep trying new things until u feel ok as long as the treatment is safe. u know we cant live like this forever...

[stephgurl1986]

Thanks for your answers.

I still have some questions: my inner eyelids are so inflammed and red. What am I supposed to do? I mean, I do the massage and so on just as Dr. Latkany wrote in his book twice a day but it doesn't seem to help.

How long does it take till you notice any improvement due to doxy? A doctor prescribed me doxy due to an influenzal infection for 9 days. I've been taking it for 3 days now and my eyes aren't as red as they used to be (at least in the morining). Is this just an accident or is it doxy that helps me?

And another question: How long do postive side effects last after taking doxy for several weeks?

Is it normal to suffer from both kinds of dry eye (as I described)?

[sazy123]

Is it normal to suffer from both kinds of dry eye (as I described)?

Yes it is normal becuase i think one can effect the other via feedback loop, or both can be affected when corneal nerves are affected. i think most people have abit of the other one as well as the main problem.

[Kathel]

Stephgurl,

I would encourage you to try the doxycyline. It is a very powerful anti-inflammatory medication, and that is what you need, as your eyes are inflamed. It is a very safe drug; just don't take it if you're pregnant, and remember to wear your sunscreens as it might make you more sensitive to sun. Good luck,

Kathel

[GeorgeT]

Kathel,

Any idea if minocycline if better than doxy? The majority I've read about were on minocycline...
Thanks,

George

[Kathel]

Minocycline works better for some people, but doxy is fine for most. I personally don't like to prescribe Minocycline much because the side effect profile is not as good. In fact, I just tried some this past week just to see if it was any better than the doxy I've been on, and I got terribly fatigued. I think it was from the drug. I have stopped it now and my energy is back. I'll stick to the doxy. This is just one anecdote, and I'm very prone to drug side effects, so I don't want to discourage anyone who is getting relief from Minocycline. Use whatever works, but I would try doxy first.

Kathel

[Rebecca Petris]

I think of this much as I do antidepressants: there is no way to generalize about which is best for dry eye patients because responses are so individual that it can't be predicted with accuracy. I know many doctors who prefer minocycline. Similarly, I know many people who think Wellbutrin has a better side effect profile for dry eye patients than other antidepressants yet we have had a handful of opposite reports here on the board.

[Joey]

do antidepressants cause dry eyes?

[sazy123]

do antidepressants cause dry eyes?

yep my horrible dry eye began after taking lexapro antidepressant, i think.

[Rebecca Petris]

do antidepressants cause dry eyes?

I believe that it is listed as a side effect on some, and people on the boards have often reported an increase in dry eye when on antidepressants.

I have been increasingly hearing from ophthalmologists and optometrists who are concerned about the number of children and young people they're seeing with dry eye and MGD. Some of the top things they blame are:

1) Drugs: Antidepressants and acne meds primarily.

2) Diet: Seeing a correlation between poor diet (as a brief aside... y'know how everything in the grocery store now is laced with high fructose corn syrup...), mild obesity and MGD prevalence.

This is all anecdotal, obviously.

[stephgurl1986]

wow,I'm back from another doctor: Seems like I have rosacea and sjögren (not sure yet).... How unfair is that??????