Diagnosed with Sarcoidosis?

[DanG]

My dry eye affects my right eye only, and is just one of my many gifts from a disease called Sarcoidosis. I'm looking for other members who also have this same disease, so we can swap war stories and possibly benefit each other. So...any of you out there afflicted with both dry eye and Sarcoidosis? Love to hear from you.

Glaucoma surgery, another gift from Sarcoidosis, left a weak spot on my right eye that has twice before ruptured due to nighttime abrasion from dry eye. When that happens, my eye loses pressure and collapses, and without immediate surgery, I would lose the eye. My dry eye has gotten so severe, repair surgery will no longer work. So, I'm hoping there's someone's out there who can offer me a little bit of their wisdom.

I have punctal plugs, use Restasis, take fish oil & flax, use eye drops throughout the day, and sleep with a humidifier. I apply warm compresses, and at bedtime use Muro 128 or some gel, and wear a moisture mask. I wake up every hour and a half in pain, and apply more gel. During the day I must keep my eye shut around any moving air, however slight. All this I do, and it's not enough. Advice anyone?

[Eli]

Dan,
Welcome to the site. Your story sounds awful, and I feel for you. I have ocular rosacea myself which leaves my eyes very dry too, though apparently not as bad. It sounds like you are doing many of the right things for your eye(s). Obviously, preservative-free tears are helpful in many cases where people use them constantly throughout the day. However, many people have had good results with Dakrina/Dwelle which are sold on this site. They are preserved, but with a supposedly non-irritating agent that seems to be tolerated well. Their inventor, Dr. Holly has claimed they demonstrate healing effects on the cornea as well. Maybe worth a shot if you have tried anything else. Also, many of our members have found significant relief from some kind of moisture chamber glasses. Panoptx and Wiley-X are both options, as are custom made shields adopted to fit on normal spectacles. I am trying to get a pair made myself. In any case, this will help substantially with wind/other air currents, which I know can be killer, especially in the winter. I hope you can find other members with similar issues.
Best of luck
Eli