Why are there so many terrible opthamologists?

[Arcaeon]

Well, I'm up to the third useless opthamologist I've been to.

The first one basically had NO idea about treating dry eye and claimed that my symptoms were because of some sort of 'migraine' so prescribed me an anti-migraine drug.. which obviously did nothing, and gave me cool side effects like panic attacks and shaking hands.

This one has given me steroid drops and an anti-histamine drop - he thinks my dry eye is from allergic conjunctivitis. Despite the fact I get no itching, ever. And I told him this.


Sooo.... after three days on these drops (which all contain benza chloride - you know the preservative, I can't spell it ) my eyes are now approximatley 10 times worse than the day before I visited this doctor. It's actually incredibly difficult to even write this message , I have to rest my eyes about every 20 seconds. So, before I have to pay another $300 to go see him ( and yay I'm running out of money fast because I can't work )and probably get given another useless treatment, is there anyone out there who has tried this particular combo of treatment, and how long does it take to work?


P.S If you can't tell i'm on the verge of suicide over this dry eye condition and if it doesn't improve in a few months will probably end it all.. absolutely no point living through this torturous hell with no help available from anywhere.

[jlg_uk]

Hi mate

I got told by the ophthalmologist that I waited weeks and weeks to see (I live in the UK and our health service whilst free isn't fast!) that I had migraines (I don't) because I was light sensitive. He completely failed to notice my meibomian glands were blocked. This also wasn't the first eye specialist I'd seen - it seems you just keep having to see different people until you are lucky.

The good news is that things get at least partially better in almost all cases.

In my opinion suicide isn't the answer except in extreme circumstances depending on the individual (think definitely going to die over weeks/months in extreme pain which can't be suppressed by medication).

Plus I'm sure some of the people on this board can offer support and advice better than I.

[rhad]

I know what you mean, I have been to 4 opthamologists, they all say the same exact thing, it's incurable, they don't know the cause, you can only manage it, by doing hot compresses, and lid scrubs....it's just what they've all memorized from their text books, they've never had dry eyes themselves, so they don't really care. the only thing they are going to give you are drugs, which just lighten the symptoms, they will never cure your dry eyes, because they don't know how, western medicine today was never created to cure any disease or ailment, only to prescribe drugs, get you in and out of their office as quickly as possible, like a fast food franchise........Don't worry, I actually believe I am going to find the cure for my MGD/Blepharitis, I still have hope, you should too!

Do you have Meibomian Gland Dysfunction or just lack of tears?

rhad

[rubyslippers]

I was told to stick with optometrists as they deal with far more dry eye. It has been true for me. Mine has basically put mine in remission in under 6 months. If I change anything he has me doing, it recurs. At this point I have small bouts of very mild dry eye now and then, but this past winter I did not think I could even live with it it was so severe. It took time and diligence and I do a number of things for it (flax seed, hot compresses, eyelid scrubs, drops, special contacts, 3 ducts are plugged, etc.) but I have my life back and it is nothing more than a mild annoyance. 95% of the time I don't even feel it. Hang in there until you get a doctor who can fix this and not let you suffer.

[suneetk1]

Hi there,
When I was first diagnosed with dry eye I didnt even know what it was, never heard of it before. I asked the Optomo "why/what caused this?" You can imagine my joyous reaction when I got the response of "Yeah, it just happens sometimes, no clear cause, just with age." I'm 30 btw. Oh and the best was hearing that "NOTHING can be done about the redness in your eyes." Using this site i was able to find out that the redness I have are actually Pingueculla's and they actually CAN be removed.
When I think of the number of Optometrists that said these things to me I want to *bleeeeeeep* so many different things at them.
However, using this website, I was able to educate myself as to what questions I should ask the Dr's. It started with questions as simple as "am i aqueous deficient or oil problems etc etc"
Last week I asked another Dr (my regular Doc has moved), "do i have occular roscea?" Her response was "well ur skin looks clear so I dont think so."
BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP.
MANY THANKS TO Rebecca for this site, I have been able to learn alot and treat my symptoms appropriately.
Rebecca, thank you thank you thank you.

[Arcaeon]

Well I'm almost certain I have MGD, I'm 23 and have never had LASIK or anything so I don't know how I could possibly have a lack of tears. Plus warm compresses/massages etc do the world of good for me.

I think I'm going to drop this doc's treatment as it really is causing me pure agony, I woke up several times last night with severe burning and bone dry feeling. Pretty sure it's the BAK. I seem to be so intolerant to any kind of preservative. I truly have so much more help from this website than any of the expensive doctors I have seen, and this whole experience has made me lose faith in doctors generally. I've never met one who seems to actually 'care' about the patient (me in this case), or even show an academic or professional interest in finding answers to uncommon or difficult problems like mine. They seem to treat their job as if it is a mundane factory job or something, and just want to give the standard textbook answer without actually looking in any depth whatsoever.

Well I'm going to try a different opthom and ask for some Tetracycline antibiotics... I heard these work well to combat MGD.

[Arcaeon]

Also, I forgot to ask, does anyone know if a regular GP will prescribe me tetracycline antibiotics? I really don't want to go through the hassle of making an appointment with the opthomolgist again.


Cheers

[rhad]

you could try tetracycline, but I am not a fan of antibiotics, such as Doxycycline, tretracycline, etc. because these can actually worsten your condition and possibly cause other health problems.

In your intestines, their are several different species of Bacteria that live their (they total about 3.5 pounds). their are good bacteria and also bad bacteria, the good bacteria is what eats the vitamins and minerals from the food you ingest, and convert them into the vitamins and minerals that your body can utilize. when antibiotics are used, they do not kill the bad bacteria, but kill the good bacteria that supply your body with the vitamins and minerals your body needs. I would go ask a few other doctors thoughts on Doxycycline and Tetracycline. I've had a few doctors tell me not to use them, because other problems can happen.

Rhad

[Rebecca Petris]

Also, I forgot to ask, does anyone know if a regular GP will prescribe me tetracycline antibiotics? I really don't want to go through the hassle of making an appointment with the opthomolgist again.

I think several DEZ members have had it prescribed by a GP rather than an ophthalmologist. I once had it prescribed (though I never filled the script) by a GP in England. He was puzzled - as was the pharmacist! - but cooperative. I share others' concerns about long-term use of this BUT it has clearly been very beneficial to many MGD patients here on a short or long term basis.

Arcaeon, I was very sorry to read about the severity of what you're going through right now. Setting aside eyeball stuff for a moment, I want to urge you and anyone else in a similar situation of distress & near-despair to not neglect the vital need to address mental health as a separate task and with priority at least equal to addressing dry eye.

There comes a point where situational depression eclipses eye problems in terms of the urgency of facing it, and if you are having suicidal thoughts, you're at that point. I hope you don't feel offended or talked down to when I bring this up but suicide scares the heck out of me and I've learned over the years to be less shy talking about it very forthrightly here. Getting depression under better control will have the benefit of enabling you to be a more effective advocate for yourself and make better, more effective use of the limited and far-from-ideal eyecare resources (my euphemistic term for "terrible ophthalmologists" ) that may be available to you right now. Talk to your GP, family, some close trusted friend, someone in your church if applicable, counselor, therapist, whatever, but please, don't neglect to take care of this part of yourself.

[GLS]

You sound like where I was about a year ago.

Here is a couple of things, if you get eye strain pain get reading glasses. This I think has been the single most important thing for me, my dry eye gets worse the more my eye muscles get tired. Don't ask me why but it just is what it is.

Second, DON"T RUB YOUR EYES, I know this is hard, I use to touch my eye lids all the time and I think that was half the problem with my MGD etc.

I know it is hard to hear but stay the course, do your lid hygiene. I do mine every time I shower and at night and morning with occusoft. Do your heat compresses, if the pain gets too bad ice ice ice. I feel normal when I have ice on my eyes.

A year later I still have bad days but I can make it through a full day of work on the computer, some days I feel NORMAL. I am 27, no lasik, no eye problems whatsover before this and I still have 20/20 vision so I really don't know why I have this and I used to ask myself that all the time. WHy me, Why me. I now have a new attitude and it is all about staying focus with my treatment and not letting it get to me. Trust me the hardest thing I've done in my life, but it can be done.

[Rojzen]

dry eye as RECOGNIZED trigger of depression

Arcaeon: Please know that it is now well recognized that inadequately treated and/or extremely severe dry eye seem to trigger serious depression and anxiety at a rate that may exceed correlations between other illnesses and mental distress. If I'm not mistaken, the Food and Drug Administration, here in the U.S., has taken a new interest in this linkage; and in our circles, here at DEZ, many of us have struggled with devastating depressions, and gone on to recover, both ocularly and in the mental health department.

If your despair and physical suffering are sufficient to trigger thoughts of self-injury, you have lots of company in going through this, at some point; but many in the crowd have, as I've stated above, moved past the worst times, and even flourished over time.

Go after help for your despair as aggressively as you can. If your outlook improves before your eyes improve, that will, as Rebecca so astutely pointed out, make you a more powerful advocate for yourself. And never, never worry that you are giving up on getting those eyes healthy again just because you are tackling the despair directly, and as a problem in its own right. It doesn't matter which problem resolves first; but both should and can be tackled.

I second those who hope you will be able to try Dwelle, or other Dr. Holly products. These are unique. And if systemic antibiotics are indicated, I can also echo that I have had no trouble getting these prescribed, as needed, from dermatologists and GPs who were familiar with my ocular diagnosis.

[lasiksurvivor]

Seek help!

I would strongly recommend seeking psychiatric help, preferably from a provider who can prescribe medication. I was lucky enough to have a fantastic sister who got me into to see an excellent psychiatrist. The only downside was she is so good that it tooks 4 months to get in to see her. I really don't know how I made it through that time but it was dark! She prescribed Fluvoxamine for me for OCD and it helped a lot. As far as eyecare goes, I've been very lucky and have had some great doctors. The free post treatment from the Lasik people was pretty worthless other than referring me to Doctor Jurkus (see below). I would recommend seeing doctors at a University if one is in the area I saw Dr Goins at the University of Chicago although I think he has gone to the University of Iowa now. (He was the first doctor who explained in detail that cilliary nerves are cut when the flap is made and it takes 6 to 12 months for them to grow back and return sensation to the eye. This is something that I have never heard for any Lasik providers.) Dr Janice Jurkus at the Illinois Eye Institute (she's the best!) and Dr. Kaufman at the University of Minnesota. He is also fantastic. They all took my condition seriously and had a plan of action to address my dry eye problem. A hypothyroid condition was also discovered at the University of Chicago that had gone unnoticed by other providers. All doctors are not the same and word of mouth referrals or going to a University has worked best for me.

[William53]

Arcaeon, please hang in there. Get some help.

This is very hard. You are really suffering. The pain seems endless. But forum members are making a good point. Many have been through tough times and eventually seen some improvement. I’ve had dry eye issues for over 20 years. Mild at first. For a while things were really bad. Now, with a mix of diet, drugs, exercise, self-education and an improved attitude, I’m doing pretty well. Not great. Not even normal. But much better.

I hear you about the eye doctors. I’ve had car mechanics who were smarter, more methodical analysts. And a lot of them get stuck on a particular remedy or batch of remedies or the last drug they read about in Pharmaceutical Quarterly. But the 5th optometrist/ophthalmologist is thoughtful, a good listener, dedicated to minimizing drugs, not threatened by my questions and ideas. She’s even funny.

Every day is a new beginning. Take care of yourself.

[dnew85]

Dr. Upset about Upper Plugs

Just to piggy-back on all of your posts, I had a check of with one of the two opthalmologists that I like to see. I have one in my town and one in my in-laws town. The Dr. near my in-laws agreed to try capped plugs in the upper tear ducts in addition to the capped plugs that I already have in my lower ducts. When I saw my local Dr., He was very upset that I had gotten upper plugs. He said that it is not physiologically necessary as tears naturally drain downward due to gravity. He said that in twenty years of treating dry eyes, he has never had to plug the upper tear ducts. My eyes, however, are much better with all four plugs. I am still very dry upon waking but as the day goes on I continue to improve and have some overtearing throughout the day. The overtearing is kinda annoying but FAR better than the extreme dryness and redness I was experiencing otherwise.

Thanks to all who have helped me along the way and I hope each day is an improvement on the previous. Take care, DN

[rubyslippers]

The lower plug in my left eye was not nearly enough. When they plugged the upper in that eye I got significantly more relief. I never needed to plug the upper of the right as the DES in that eye has always been milder.