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Just got back from my appt with a new ophthalmologist---a dry eye sufferer himself. So he got right to the point. My eyes are very dry and I shouldn't be wearing soft contact lenses. He says they make the irritation chronic and don't provide the eye with enough oxygen. When I said that my eyes feel better in lenses, he acknowledged that, said they were acting as "bandage lenses," but that still, it wasn't good.
Skipped the Schirmers. Didn't need it, he said. Stained my eye surface and saw the condition of the tears, the quantity, the break-up time, etc. Inspected the meibomian glands, said I had mild blepharitis, too.
I got quadra-plugged. Just decided to go for it. I had the lowers done in the spring, but one had fallen out this week. I liked the fact that the only type of plug he uses is the removable kind.
Said I should only use unpreserved drops, and use them often.
Suggested autologous serum drops (from Leiter's) and doxycycline as possible things to try in the future.
So......I hate to give up contacts, but......this sounds like the right thing to do. He's a good, pro-active doctor. Finally, I found somebody who knows more about this than I do. I've heard about all these things (plugs, serum drops, doxy) on Dry Eye Talk, but always in the past (with the previous doctor) it would be me explaining things to him. That's not a good sign. I had never gone forward with trying new things---if the doctor hadn't even heard of it, I didn't want to take a chance.
I realize that over the past 4-5 years I had come to accept the horrible condition of my eyes, but now I'm thinking I might even feel some improvement. I was too set in my ways before---didn't think anybody could help me.
Sorry this is so long!
I think the change will be good for me.
Calli
Skipped the Schirmers. Didn't need it, he said. Stained my eye surface and saw the condition of the tears, the quantity, the break-up time, etc. Inspected the meibomian glands, said I had mild blepharitis, too.
I got quadra-plugged. Just decided to go for it. I had the lowers done in the spring, but one had fallen out this week. I liked the fact that the only type of plug he uses is the removable kind.
Said I should only use unpreserved drops, and use them often.
Suggested autologous serum drops (from Leiter's) and doxycycline as possible things to try in the future.
So......I hate to give up contacts, but......this sounds like the right thing to do. He's a good, pro-active doctor. Finally, I found somebody who knows more about this than I do. I've heard about all these things (plugs, serum drops, doxy) on Dry Eye Talk, but always in the past (with the previous doctor) it would be me explaining things to him. That's not a good sign. I had never gone forward with trying new things---if the doctor hadn't even heard of it, I didn't want to take a chance.
I realize that over the past 4-5 years I had come to accept the horrible condition of my eyes, but now I'm thinking I might even feel some improvement. I was too set in my ways before---didn't think anybody could help me.
Sorry this is so long!
I think the change will be good for me.
Calli
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