Going out ,driving ,nightmare!

[Rich S.]

Hi All

Joined this wonderfull site last week( Rich S. Uk) still trawling through it all but can only do a bit at a time becasue of over 40 yrs of dry eye!

Already though many many thanks for a simple but effective tip a night time mask this really does help and i dont know but for some reason it gives a better sleep as well but waking up now the stinging does not start for maybe a few hours instead of the usual 20 seconds upon waking,so good stuff and any little thing like that really does help as you all know! before putting on the mask im trying a new drop called Clintas 3 well new to me and bought on line over here in the UK ,are they ok to use anyone please??


Oh also tried the homemade rice bag and conducted a little experiment yesterday as soon as 15 minutes of the bag placed over my eyes it felt good( i was having another bad dry eye day) i went straight outside into the cold wind to which i have always suffered badly and it was a really cold raw day here in the UK yesterday as well , anyhow my eyes felt good very good like they had a bit of tear protection on them within 5 mins it started to wear off but by god did i feel great with that experiment, so well done all you people.

I have loads to ask but all in good time but as well as my above text can you people please or do you have any tips on going out for the day or driving more than 5 miles, because of my dry eye it has for years simply ruined my social /business life and many many trips etc has been cancelled because of it ,even say a pre arranged trip 2 months up the line i know im going to be in a mess that day with dry eye!

How do you cope with all this am i putting negative thoughts in my head which i didnt ought to its so hard because i do know that the trip say in 2 months time will be a disaster because of dry eye, i have cancelled no end of family get togethers , motor racing track days ( my passion) football trips as a supporter ,wedding party invitations ,meals out with friends??

Im sure many of you are the same but i just cant last a day out anywhere only a few hours if that and even then thats better in the morning ,its ok wearing dark glasses to hide behind but if your feeling absolutely miserable with dry eye as well its no good.

My patrner Allison is great with it and really understanding but i know she would like the odd holiday( not been away for 20 odd years because of dry eye) ,weekend away etc etc but with me being so negative that im going to have a bad time when i get there it really doesnt help and if its an evening meal out and ive had a bad dry eye day anyway its just pointless going for the meal.

So how do you cope ,what do you say to your brain about a forthcoming trip, day out a business meeting, a meal out etc etc,??

I run my own Driveway / Plant Digger Hire business and as you would expect i have to meet many customers ,if its down to me i try and arrange a mid morning meet but this is often not possible so maybe a late afternoon ,evening appointment might suit them by which time my eyes are out of my head and ive had to cancell some appointments purely because of dry eye ,which of course makes my business suffer and let me tell you that running your own business in the UK at the moment is horrendous but dont start me off about the state of the UK because i will be typing all day!

I wish i could programme my mind to say the trip,day out etc is going to be ok but i know it wont be ,because ive already talked myself into it being a bad dry eye day and as you all know it will be a bad dry eye day as well ,it just will be!!

How / what do you good people do with dry eye for these trips meets etc etc. Would love any tips no matter how small.

Rich.

[IanJ]

Hi,

I share the holidays problem with you, holidays abroad are simply out of the question........I simply wouldn't want to go to all the hassle and cost of getting something great arranged.....and then have a bad eye week!

Me and the wife are quite content these days to pop down over the border and rest and recuperate in and around Windermere......have done so the past 5 years.....3 of which have been dry eye years.

My eyes are bearable these days, but only just! The difference has been a daily regime that is stuck by without fail, a good eye doc & help/advice from these forums.

Ian.

[eva b]

Rich,
glad you got some relief with the heated rice baggie. I also get immediate relief from it, though I must confess I find damp heat (ie a face flannel repeatedly dipped in a bowl of boiled water) more effective. It's more time consuming, cos you have to keep adding more hot water and re-dipping the cloth, but another member here has found the same benefits as me. May help you - worth a try.

Also, I had to persevere. It was several weeks before I got a really lasting effect...doing it religiously twice a day, morning and evening, for at least 10 minutes, followed by some gentle massage.

Get Dr Latkanys book - absolutely invaluable.

Also can identify with you re dry eyes ruining social life and work. I've had to stop working - I was teaching adult education, and couldn't stand the aircon and dust in the air. Can't go out in the winter (cold and windy), or to draughty places, or away for a day out because of the fear I might feel awful. Mind you, last year, as my eyes settled with my routine of compreses, massage, and avoidance of all chemicals, I did manage a weekend away in the summer.

You're right, sometimes it is our own negative projections getting in the way, but there's no point in beating yourself up about it...just concentratte on making your eyes as comfortable as you can day by day, and the rest will slowly follow.

Have you investigated the foam lined goggles and moisture chamber glasses yet?

There is an optometrist in London who stocks Wiley X - they're quite similar to panpoptx, and you can try them on to find the best fit. An awful lot of people here really swear by the improvement moisture chambers have made to their quality of life.

Even with my cheap fit-over goggles I've felt much more comfortable going out in the recent horrid weather here - worth a try.

Anyway, all the best, and keep posting

[liz56]

Same problem

Hi, Rich.

I have had the same problem since my eye troubles began. I rarely do anything at night, and I am in such a routine with my eyes that my whole evening is about when to put in drops and warm compresses, so it makes it hard to do anything. I used to love camping but now cringe at the thought of being outside and waking up without a clean nightstand to hold the drops that I need to open my eyes in the morning. I may be over-reacting, but all of these things I do have helped so much, I cannot just yet imagine going without it.

Perhaps over time, the Clinitas 3 will help you get to a point where the days become more comfortable for you. I certainly hope so!

--Liz

[Rojzen]

Clinitas Ultra 3 is a unique and potentially amazing product to try

Rich S - - You have happened on something very special, in Clinitas Ultra 3. . .This is the same product as FreshKote, sold in the U.S. by prescription, only. . .It is a high-oncotic pressure drop that contains polymers and a patented lipid supplement. . It is like the product Dwelle, with the lipid added. . .High oncotic pressure can, for many of us, provide unique benefits for keeping the cornea intact and bolstering tear film stability. . .For more info., please visit the Department here dedicated to the work Dr. Frank Holly, who invented high oncotic drops. . .In my particular case, these drops brought me to near normalcy after 10 years of unrelenting symptoms and the need to wear protective eyewear 24/7. . .Give the Clinitas Ultra 3 several months before judging, OK?

More soon. . .

[Terri]

Rich: I agree with Rojzen. The Clinitas Ultra 3 drops will probably make a great difference for you. I also recommend you follow eva_b's advice about trying on WileyX or Panoptx glasses. I have a pair of Panoptx glasses that are fabulous for wearing outdoors in windy conditions. They enable me to go hiking and cycling without worrying about my eye getting dry.

Terri

[Rich S.]

Rich S - - You have happened on something very special, in Clinitas Ultra 3. . .This is the same product as FreshKote, sold in the U.S. by prescription, only. . .It is a high-oncotic pressure drop that contains polymers and a patented lipid supplement. . It is like the product Dwelle, with the lipid added. . .High oncotic pressure can, for many of us, provide unique benefits for keeping the cornea intact and bolstering tear film stability. . .For more info., please visit the Department here dedicated to the work Dr. Frank Holly, who invented high oncotic drops. . .In my particular case, these drops brought me to near normalcy after 10 years of unrelenting symptoms and the need to wear protective eyewear 24/7. . .Give the Clinitas Ultra 3 several months before judging, OK?

More soon. . .

Rojzen /all thanks ,these Clinitas ultra 3 were found on a UK dry eye shop website and although ive thought ive tried them all ,for some reason this one caught my eye (pun sorry) it is no3 in the ultra range and the dearest apparantly it has all 3 ingredients that nos 1 and 2 have as well,so far so good and actually having not a to bad weekend ,i dont have good days only bad or very bad and today is a good bad day if you can understand that!

So is Clinitas 3 ok to take then,they sting a bit when dropped in and i find its better to put them in a good 1/2 hr before bed time so they soak in a bit.

Am i ok with this drop then please?

ps; Love this site but its also very sad i really didnt know this condition is such a big thing reading some of your stories wow, but its because we can relate to all the pain /suffering /misery etc,someone the other day said about the menthol feel on your eye balls, spot on and also it was mentioned that your eyeball feels like its been taken out and rubbed on a rough door mat again exactly as i feel often and the stinging is like peeling the worst smelling large onion you can buy,get that lot in one day after only 20 seconds of waking no wonder were suicidal ,no one understands or even heard about it and UK docs are very poor on dry eye. In my 40 yrs ive never met anyone with it,but having said that i was only told by my bupa opth 2 yrs ago that i had a condition called "dry eye" so he patted me on the head sent me to the local chemist for more drops and charged me £120.00 every visit.typical UK rip off.

Ive learnt more in one hr on this site than ive done in 40 yrs,brilliant you guys,is this site going to become addictive??

Rich

[eva b]

addiction

yes, Rich, this site will become addictive
but in the nicest possible way.

[rubyslippers]

For those who get relief with warm, damp heat, I just discovered something that helped so much.

Get in the shower with the water as warm as you can tolerate. Fold a wash cloth in half and press it to your eyebrows. Now let the warm/hot water flow through the cloth as you hold it there. I did this off and on for 2 minutes at a time and what relief and it seems to be lasting as I did this an hour ago and my right eye is completely comfortable and the left is more bearable.

[Seamus]

Holidays

Hi there,

Like everyone I have my ups and downs, but surely not going away on holidays is

(1) Giving into dry eye and letting it dictate your life.

(2) Unfair on family/partners...

I am not being glib as I DO understand where you are coming from - I also dread bad dry eye weeks while away on holiday but usually find that the benefits of holidays (rest/change/new experiences) mean that I am distracted from my dry eye so normally holidays are actually better weeks (unless you are going somewhere like a desert, obviously).

I would say give it a try at least - start small/local and build from there.

[Rich S.]

For those who get relief with warm, damp heat, I just discovered something that helped so much.

Get in the shower with the water as warm as you can tolerate. Fold a wash cloth in half and press it to your eyebrows. Now let the warm/hot water flow through the cloth as you hold it there. I did this off and on for 2 minutes at a time and what relief and it seems to be lasting as I did this an hour ago and my right eye is completely comfortable and the left is more bearable.

Can anyone explain the feeling i get when putting the rice baggy on my eyes, after approx 2 to 3 mins i can feel a slight moistening of the eyes with a mild stinging albeit a much nicer stinging than dry eye,whats happening when this occurs please,but must say those rice bags are great.

thanks

Rich.

[Rich S.]

Also forgot to ask why /how does Alcohol affect our dry eyes, one pint and they really do sting? anyone??

Rich.

[IanJ]

Not that I ever drank a lot, I have reduced my drinking due to having retinal vein occlusions, but I still have a maximum of 4 drinks if I go out on a Saturday night. The rest of the week I don't touch a drop.
If I have those 4 drinks then I notice my Sundays can be pretty dry.

However, and this is the catch.......to me it is really, really hard to decide what is good for my eyes, what is bad for my eyes and what is quite simply just natural ups & downs.

Ian.

Also forgot to ask why /how does Alcohol affect our dry eyes, one pint and they really do sting? anyone??

Rich.

[eva b]

allcohol

Alcohol dehydrates the body in general...and if a certain part is already dehydrated to begin with, that's where you'll feel it first!

I haven't had a drink for over 18 months and believe me, I really used to enjoy my glass of wine. But not worth the pain....