topic Re: Dry Eye in Wellness

Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:32:12 GMT

For years I have suffered with dry eye. No drops really helped me that much. I even put them in 4 times a day. Having allergies did not help the situation. Taking anti histimines dries up everything but my nose.

I saw my eye Dr. about 5 weeks ago and he was telling me that they can draw your blood and they spin it and use a part of it to make this serum. It cost 100.00 and no the Insurance companies won't pay. I decided to try it. WOW it has made me feel like I don't remember feeling. I don't need any eye drops anymore and it lasts about 2 1/2 years. (I spent more then that in a year for Thera tears in a year

I just wanted to pass this along incase any of you suffer with this condition. You will need a eye Dr. to get it. I hope that this helps someone, because it is a miserable thing to deal with.

They will draw the blood there and make you up the serum and it takes about a half hour. You will leave with the eye drops. use twice a day until gone and it took me about 5 weeks to use it up.

Re: Dry Eye

millieshops — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:39:33 GMT

@BalletBabeWow! I'd be over the moon happy! Like you I've fought dry eye for years - probably 25 now. I've used Restasis for years plus almost anything else in the doctor's repertoire. I have an appointment next month and I will definitely ask about this serum idea. Besides the discomfort factor, my dry eye is slowly compromising my vision and that's incredibly scary.

Did you get any reading material about the process or see anything bout it online?

Re: Dry Eye

SXMGirl — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:45:29 GMT

@BalletBabe, thank you. I see my eye doctor next month and I will definitely inquire about this. I have had dry eyes for most of my life, so this would be amazing. Thank you.

Re: Dry Eye

Nightowlz — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:58:25 GMT

@millieshops wrote:
@BalletBabeWow! I'd be over the moon happy! Like you I've fought dry eye for years - probably 25 now. I've used Restasis for years plus almost anything else in the doctor's repertoire. I have an appointment next month and I will definitely ask about this serum idea. Besides the discomfort factor, my dry eye is slowly compromising my vision and that's incredibly scary.

Did you get any reading material about the process or see anything bout it online?

@millieshops @BalletBabe

Sounds like Autologous Serum Eye Drops.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1772389/

Re: Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:02:34 GMT

@millieshops wrote:
@BalletBabeWow! I'd be over the moon happy! Like you I've fought dry eye for years - probably 25 now. I've used Restasis for years plus almost anything else in the doctor's repertoire. I have an appointment next month and I will definitely ask about this serum idea. Besides the discomfort factor, my dry eye is slowly compromising my vision and that's incredibly scary.

Did you get any reading material about the process or see anything about it online?

@millieshops Oh trust me, I am over the moon. Restasis never made me feel like this. This is a miracle procedure! I have not researched it online. I research everything, not sure why I didn't. I will see if I can find anything on it and post if I find it. My Pharmacist didn't even know about it. I went there today to pick up another RX and she is all excited, because her eyes are driving her nuts, and she is going to ask her eye Dr. about it. (The guy that did my glasses (in the same office) He said no one has ever complained that it did not work. He did it, and said it is a blessing. So I just did it. Like you, I was also having vision issues because of the drying. You know today we are all staring at these computer screens all day and the Dr. said that we don't blink as often, because we are so focused on what we are looking at. It is causing a lot dry eye issues. I just had to share because it as you know---Is a miserable thing to deal with!

Re: Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:15:11 GMT

Blood Product-Based DES Treatment Options

Scientific Rationale

Human blood has been for many decades the source of a wide range of cell-based or protein-based therapeutic products. Cellular products include red blood cell (erythrocyte) concentrates, buffy coats/granulocytes concentrates, and platelet (thrombocyte) concentrates. Therapeutic proteins encompass coagulation factors, albumin, and immunoglobulins. More recently, new platelet-derived preparations, rich in growth factors, have been increasingly used for therapeutic applications in wound healing, tissue repair and regeneration (55), and in vitro clinical-grade cell propagation and tissue engineering (56).

There is now great interest in the application of human blood derived products as eye drops for DES. The most common blood product used as eye drops is serum, which is obtained by a physiological clotting process of blood collected without anticoagulant, as described in details below. The therapeutic benefits of blood-derived serum eye drops (SED) are probably multifactorial and may be explained by a composition that, in part, shares similarities with that of tears (32–34, 57). Like tears, SED contains carbohydrates, lipids, and various electrolytes, but 10 times more proteins including albumin, fibronectin, and transferrin (33). SED contains natural antimicrobial components, like complement component (58), and IgG, but less lysozyme than tears (32). Tears and SED provide vitamins and both share a similar osmolality (close to 300 mosm/l) as they contain comparable sodium and anion levels, and a similar pH (close to pH 7.4) (33, 59, 60). Potassium ion levels are about five times higher in tears than in SED, but calcium ions and phosphate levels are less in tears than in SED (33). However, the total protein content of tears is only about 10% that of SED (33). IgA is the major immunoglobulin in tears, playing a role in protecting against infections. Vitamin A is less in tears than in serum. Vitamin C and glutathione antioxidants are present at higher levels in tears than in serum. Most importantly, SED, like tears (61), also contain a mixture of cell growth promoting agents (62, 63), since blood clotting is associated with a degranulation of the platelets and a release of a plethora of growth factors from their alpha-granules (56, 64, 65). Growth factor composition is said to be qualitatively equivalent in tears and serum, but concentrations may be higher in serum, as is the case for transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Table Table11presents some of the known similarities existing between tears and SED.

Re: Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:20:20 GMT

Serum Eye Drop

Preparation

Serum refers to the fluid portion of blood, devoid of cellular components that is obtained by letting blood collected without an anticoagulant to clot. It is typically prepared by collecting blood from patients (autologous source) or donors (allogeneic source), allowing the blood to clot for several hours prior to a centrifugation step at ca. 3,000 × g for approximately 10 min at 20–25°C to recover a supernatant serum. Serum may be passed through a 0.22-μm pore-sized filter for bacterial sterilization and clarification (34, 57, 66). In such a preparation, the platelets are not concentrated compared to the level found in the blood circulation, by contrast to newer SED formulation made from platelet concentrates where platelets are threefold to fivefold enriched compared to blood. When SED are made from platelet concentrates for transfusion, the content of serum plasma protein depends upon whether the platelets are suspended in 100% plasma or a mixture of plasma and platelet additive solution (PAS).

An informative survey of methods used at international levels to prepare SED has recently been conducted by the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative (67). A summary of the preparation methods of SED is illustrated in Figure Figure1.1. Briefly, this survey indicates that SED for clinical use are prepared by national or regional blood establishments (also known as blood centers), as well as by hospitals or medical centers. Although most centers are manufacturing SED of autologous origin, an increasing number is now producing SED from allogeneic blood donors (68–70). When the SED are from allogeneic origins, procedures are in place, e.g., by preparing SED from AB group donors to hold a single blood group inventory or by donation screening to match all blood groups to ensure hemato-immunological matching between donors and recipients. It is, however, still unknown whether presence of anti-B agglutinins affect corneal healing (67).

Re: Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:23:42 GMT

@Nightowlz @SXMGirl @millieshops Okay that is it. I hope you can get the relief that I did! Best 100.00 I ever spent!

Re: Dry Eye

Nightowlz — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:30:24 GMT

@BalletBabe wrote:
@Nightowlz @SXMGirl @millieshops Okay that is it. I hope you can get the relief that I did! Best 100.00 I ever spent!

@BalletBabe

I take fish oil & evening primrose oil which help mine.

If mine go back to burning & have that gritty feeling like they are full of dirt I will try this. Thx for sharing.

Did it help with your eyes running? My eyes are running so much especially in the morning.

Re: Dry Eye

Katcat1 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:33:18 GMT

@BalletBabe What does your blood have to do with it? I need more explanation to understand this procedure, please. There is an auto-immune disease that can give a person dry eyes. Off hand I don't remember the name but because I have rheumatoid arthritis my dr. will ask me from time to time if I have dry eyes.

Re: Dry Eye

Scooby Doo — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:33:26 GMT

I took my dog to a vet eye specialist who used this method to heal a deep ulcer in the dog's cornea. This was about 8 yrs ago. The Dr. took the dog's blood and spun it to make a plasma that I dropped in her eye a couple of times a day. The plasma healed her eye. Before the treatment the Dr. warned me that the ulcer was so deep the eye would probably have to be removed. It was a miracle treatment.

Re: Dry Eye

millieshops — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:41:47 GMT

@BalletBabeThank you , thank for starting this thread and adding the info which I will take with me next month. And if this doctor is unable to talk with me about it, I'll also be checking with my Florida specialist who is a part of a huge group.

Re: Dry Eye

IdahoGram — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:58:18 GMT

About 7 or 8 years ago, one of our neighbors sprayed something at our dog and into his eye's. The vet gave us a prescription to treat his eyes, but it didn't work. About 4 days later the vet used the same type of process to make drops for the dogs eyes and they cleared right up in just a few days. Why is it we have to learn about these things like this? It should be common practice. If it works, use it.

Re: Dry Eye

IMW — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 03:10:28 GMT

Thank you so much for posting this. Amazing what I learn at the forums. Will discuss with my

ophthalmologist. Presently spending $400 every 2 months for restasis, I also take omega oil, eat salmon 5 Times a week, etc.

Re: Dry Eye

Kachina624 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 03:12:45 GMT

I wish someone, while searching online, would find some info about new treatments for macular degeneration. Two months ago when I had an eye exam, I was told I had the beginning of it. This was expected because both of my parents had it, eventually becoming legally blind. There isn't much you can do except take luetin.

Re: Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 03:22:45 GMT

@Nightowlz I am not sure what you mean about running??? The only times my eyes ran, is if I am having a major allergy attack. I think mine were so dried up that I didn't have anything to run. LOL

I had to laugh when I read that this is a problem with the elderly. I have had dry eyes since I can remember. I do believe it is a lot from anti histamine. He has me flushing out my sinuses with saline and then using Flonase. It helps a lot, but man I hate the saline! I trust my Dr. so I will do it.

Re: Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 03:28:22 GMT

@Katcat1 wrote:.
@BalletBabe What does your blood have to do with it? I need more explanation to understand this procedure, please. There is an auto-immune disease that can give a person dry eyes. Off hand I don't remember the name but because I have rheumatoid arthritis my dr. will ask me from time to time if I have dry eyes.

@Katcat1 They spin your blood and use part of it to make the serum. If you read what I posted it explains it in the article. Some diseases can cause dry eye, but most people I have spoke with seems to be connected to allergy. I do think as we age we dry out. I have had it for many years. He had me on Thera tears 4 times a day, but I told him that I am losing my eyeliner and that I am a Geller girl now, and I want my spackle to stay in place. LOL

Re: Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 03:31:49 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
I wish someone, while searching online, would find some info about new treatments for macular degeneration. Two months ago when I had an eye exam, I was told I had the beginning of it. This was expected because both of my parents had it, eventually becoming legally blind. There isn't much you can do except take luetin.

@Kachina624 I hate to tell you but if it is hereditary I don't think that you can stop it. It is like Cataracts. We will all get them eventually. Lutein is good for the eyes period. My Dr. has had me on that for about 5 years now and my Pharmacist said it helps with a lot of eye issues. Sorry to hear that you are dealing with that!

Re: Dry Eye

BalletBabe — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 04:14:34 GMT

@IMW wrote:
Thank you so much for posting this. Amazing what I learn at the forums. Will discuss with my
ophthalmologist. Presently spending $400 every 2 months for restasis, I also take omega oil, eat salmon 5 Times a week, etc.

@IMW Don't stop the salmon and omega, because that is good for the heart. I know restasis is awfully expensive. I hope that you can get this treatment. Another tip that I discovered a few years ago, is keep your eye drops in the refridgerator. No it won't cure your dry eyes, but man it is so refreshing when your eyes are dry and burning. Good luck!

Re: Dry Eye

novamc1 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 10:29:56 GMT

@Kachina624

I have the beginnings of macular degeneration, and both my opthamologist and the retinal specialist he sent me to for another reason, have strongly recommended I take a vitamin supplement under the brand name of AREDS II.

It contains heavy doses of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Copper, Lutein, Zeaxanthin.

A similar vitamin supplement is being advertised on TV under another name for the same issue.

It's not supposed to cure macular degeneration, but will slow it down and help preserve vision over time, according to my doctors who recommend it. (And believe me, I've questioned both of them thoroughly, because the amounts of the vitamins and minerals in those large capsules, plus the dose recommended, are awfully high, and I take other supplements, too. which contain some of the same thing.)

My opthamologist says there is no other known way to protect our eyes, except through use of sunglasses to block harmful sun rays.

I am taking a more moderate dose (half of what is recommended on the bottle), so either I'm being prudently cautious or sabotaging the benefits that this supplement are supposed to provide.

A chiropractor on the radio (at least around here) addressed macular degeneration one day and claimed he took this type of supplement and it "cured" his eye problems.

Hmmmmmm..............He also goes so far as to say that "he will become our best friend" for recommending this concoction. He wasn't advertising a specific brand of the supplement, but wholeheartedly thinks the formulation has saved his eyesight.

Who knows for sure about anything like this?????