topic Re: Dry eye in Wellness

Dry eye

KringleB — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:07:32 GMT

After suffering with eye problems for the past month, a misery which I've never experienced, I was diagnosed with chronic dry eye. My eye dr walked in and could tell I was miserable. I'm diabetic and apparently it's common in diabetics. Like we diabetics don't have enough to deal with!! I've felt like I was punched in eye and puffy & pink. Can't wait to feel better. Does it get better? Is it a daily battle? TIA

Re: Dry eye

AugustPeridot — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:25:42 GMT

I have dry eyes related to an autoimmune condition. I used artificial tears during the day and GenTeal eye gel at night., both helped some. Within the past month, I've had punctual eye plugs inserted in my tear ducts. They are used to block drainage and keep moisture on the eye. This has helped significantly. I no longer use the artificial tears and occasionally use the gel. Restasis was an option, but I was getting tired of using drops. So, it does improve with treatment. Hope you get relief soon.

Re: Dry eye

Penellope — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:45:33 GMT

I'm sorry you are suffering with this. I've had dry eyes for about 8 years with a recurrent corneal erosion. It's very painful and requires constant attention. I don't have diabetes or Sjogren's, but I do have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism (no Dr. has made a connection to this).

I have tried warm soaks and eyelid massage, eyelid wipes, lubricant drops during the day, ointment at night, Omega-3 supplements, tear duct plugs and Restasis. The best drops are Refresh Celluvisc - no preservative. The Restasis supposedly improved my tear production but I didn't notice an improvement with it, nor with the tear duct plugs.

My situation seems to be pretty severe, hopefully yours isn't as bad once you get it under control. I hope you feel better!

Re: Dry eye

receptionist — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:53:05 GMT

Hi KringleB...I too have an autoimmune condition and have had dry eye for some time. My eye doctor placed me on Restasis. I was on this for about one year and thought it wasn't doing anything for me, so I stopped it for about 3 months. During that time, my eyes burned, were red and felt like I had sand in my eyes. I then went back to the eye doctor and he again placed me on Restasis. I guess it really did help me and I didn't realize it. Eye drops and GenTeal did nothing for me. You're not alone with this problem. Hope things work out for you....blessings!

Re: Dry eye

willdob3 — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 05:57:19 GMT

Andrew Lessman's Ultimate Eye Support has made a world of difference for me. I went from needing drops constantly to never using them at all.

My eye doctor wanted me to get tear duct plugs but the temporary ones I tried did not help.

Re: Dry eye

sylviahomeatlast — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 05:58:55 GMT

I have this.

Re: Dry eye

gmkb — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 06:08:20 GMT

I, too, have dry eyes. My ophthalmologist sells a vitamin created specifically to combat this problem. It works very well. The only problem is he has ordered 3 per day, which is very hard on the stomach. I find I can only take one per day, but it does help.

Re: Dry eye

KringleB — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 06:15:48 GMT

My optho has a supplement he wants me to take but it has cod liver oil in it and I'm vegan so I'm in search of something vegan that will be comparable to help. I'm tired of being uncomfortable with this and I admit I've been unbearable to live with!!!!

Re: Dry eye

Penellope — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 06:40:32 GMT

There are vegan Omega-3 supplements which might be an alternative to cod liver oil. Maybe your Dr can guide you on this.

Re: Dry eye

divine — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 06:55:14 GMT

I suffer from chronic dry eye caused by my RA. I am prescribed Restasis but I don't find that it helps any more than Artificial Tears; and the Restasis is much more expensive, and in my opinion a total rip-off.

Re: Dry eye

Tissyanne — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 07:53:55 GMT

I have suffered from dry eyes for several years. A combination of things suggested by my eye doctors have made my situation manageable. When I awake every morning I wash my top and bottom eyelids with an eyelid scrub. The brand I use is Occusoft, and can be found at drugstores, but are less expensive at WalMart. You said your eyes are puffy, and red. This helped that problem for me. I have been using Restasis for two years, and no longer need artificial tears during the day. Restasis works differently from artifical tears. My eye doctors also suggested a humidifier at night. I used one for a while, but no longer do. Dry eyes are a chronic problem, and you need to try a combination of things to make it manageable as it is very miserable. In my case, the Restasis has helped. It takes about three months to become effective, and you have to stay faithful to using it twice a day for success. Restasis is not instant relief, you must have patience. Good luck, and keep your eyes very clean, helps with this condition.

Re: Dry eye

divine — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 08:01:10 GMT

I used Restasis faithfully, as directed, for many months, twice daily, and had no positive benefits. Even my opthamologist said it was useless. Of course, different people react differently to medication, so it might work for some.It did nothing fo me but waste a lot of my money.

Re: Dry eye

Tissyanne — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 08:04:49 GMT

On 2/27/2015 Penellope said:
I'm sorry you are suffering with this. I've had dry eyes for about 8 years with a recurrent corneal erosion. It's very painful and requires constant attention. I don't have diabetes or Sjogren's, but I do have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism (no Dr. has made a connection to this).

I have tried warm soaks and eyelid massage, eyelid wipes, lubricant drops during the day, ointment at night, Omega-3 supplements, tear duct plugs and Restasis. The best drops are Refresh Celluvisc - no preservative. The Restasis supposedly improved my tear production but I didn't notice an improvement with it, nor with the tear duct plugs.

My situation seems to be pretty severe, hopefully yours isn't as bad once you get it under control. I hope you feel better!

Penellope, I have had recurrent corneal erosions also. Have you tried Muro 128? It is in drop, and gel form for this specific condition. It actually pulls fluid from the cornea to help the erosion heal. I was suffering from this often, and used the Muro for a couple of months. It helped a lot. You can of course read about it on the internet. It is available over the counter at drugstores. It does burn, because it is a salt solution, but is much less painful than corneal erosions.

Re: Dry eye

Tissyanne — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 09:02:31 GMT

On 2/28/2015 Divine said:
I used Restasis faithfully, as directed, for many months, twice daily, and had no positive benefits. Even my opthamologist said it was useless. Of course, different people react differently to medication, so it might work for some.It did nothing fo me but waste a lot of my money.

Divine, I was told we have three different layers of tears, and depending on which one is malfunctioning will determine positive/negative results with Restasis. My eye doctor did a test on me before using it, and after 30 days. In my case the tear production improved significantly. They told me it either works or it does not, and there is no in between. They offered me tear plugs, but I could not tolerate even the thought of it.

Re: Dry eye

Penellope — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 12:45:27 GMT

On 2/28/2015 Tissyanne said:
On 2/27/2015 Penellope said:
I'm sorry you are suffering with this. I've had dry eyes for about 8 years with a recurrent corneal erosion. It's very painful and requires constant attention. I don't have diabetes or Sjogren's, but I do have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism (no Dr. has made a connection to this).

I have tried warm soaks and eyelid massage, eyelid wipes, lubricant drops during the day, ointment at night, Omega-3 supplements, tear duct plugs and Restasis. The best drops are Refresh Celluvisc - no preservative. The Restasis supposedly improved my tear production but I didn't notice an improvement with it, nor with the tear duct plugs.

My situation seems to be pretty severe, hopefully yours isn't as bad once you get it under control. I hope you feel better!

Penellope, I have had recurrent corneal erosions also. Have you tried Muro 128? It is in drop, and gel form for this specific condition. It actually pulls fluid from the cornea to help the erosion heal. I was suffering from this often, and used the Muro for a couple of months. It helped a lot. You can of course read about it on the internet. It is available over the counter at drugstores. It does burn, because it is a salt solution, but is much less painful than corneal erosions.

Hi Tissyanne, no I haven't tried that, but I will. I'm surprised none of my Drs. suggested it. Thanks!

Re: Dry eye

AngelPuppy1 — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 13:44:57 GMT

I have this, too. I feel like there a bugs in my eyes all the time. Seriously, I just feel like pulling all my eye lashes out at times! My eyes get very red, dry, scratch, irritated, etc. The doctor said take a fish oil cap. Also, use drops at least 3 times a day or more. He suggested Refresh Optive Advanced, which I use during the day. Before bed, I used Refresh Liquigel. Occasionally, I will use Refresh P.M., but this is an ointment and you really can't see much after you use it, so apply right before bed.

If you use the very warm compresses 2ce a day and use the eye drops faithfully, you will see, I believe, I big difference. It took about a month for me to get some relief. But, you have to be faithful about doing these things. I believe this is pretty much a chronic condition, sorry to say, so you must be vigilant.

Re: Dry eye

LilacTree — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 17:34:11 GMT

I have Sjogren's, so I have dry eyes, dry mouth, and severe itching. I am learning to live with it.

I also have RA, hypothyroidism, osteoporosis, GI issues, and take low dose (6 mg) prednisone every day, as well as Synthroid for almost thirty years. I have no idea what causes what anymore.

Oh, and I now have cataracts as well. Have to get that checked out again because my eyesight has worsened.

Once one gets one autoimmune disease, the rest just pile on, don't they?

Re: Dry eye

Zhills — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 19:03:17 GMT

If you are using OTC eyedrops for dry eye, check the ingredients. I found out that I am allergic to Benzalkonium chloride (BAK) in the drops. There is info on the internet about this.

I was putting drops in my eyes that were causing the condition I was putting the drops in my eye to help ease. I changed drops (there are preservative free ones available OTC) and my eyes got better in 2 days.

Even my eye Doc did not figure out that the BAK was my problem and gave me a Rx with BAK in it. Like pouring shampoo in my eyes!

Re: Dry eye

glmama — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 19:15:08 GMT

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Although I don't have clinical dry eye, I do have a scar tissue issue that makes one of my eyes irritated and often feels dry. My doc recommended OTC GenTeal drops and they have provided relief for me when I need it.

Re: Dry eye

Tissyanne — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 22:55:44 GMT

On 2/28/2015 Penellope said:
On 2/28/2015 Tissyanne said:
On 2/27/2015 Penellope said:
I'm sorry you are suffering with this. I've had dry eyes for about 8 years with a recurrent corneal erosion. It's very painful and requires constant attention. I don't have diabetes or Sjogren's, but I do have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism (no Dr. has made a connection to this).

I have tried warm soaks and eyelid massage, eyelid wipes, lubricant drops during the day, ointment at night, Omega-3 supplements, tear duct plugs and Restasis. The best drops are Refresh Celluvisc - no preservative. The Restasis supposedly improved my tear production but I didn't notice an improvement with it, nor with the tear duct plugs.

My situation seems to be pretty severe, hopefully yours isn't as bad once you get it under control. I hope you feel better!

Penellope, I have had recurrent corneal erosions also. Have you tried Muro 128? It is in drop, and gel form for this specific condition. It actually pulls fluid from the cornea to help the erosion heal. I was suffering from this often, and used the Muro for a couple of months. It helped a lot. You can of course read about it on the internet. It is available over the counter at drugstores. It does burn, because it is a salt solution, but is much less painful than corneal erosions.

Hi Tissyanne, no I haven't tried that, but I will. I'm surprised none of my Drs. suggested it. Thanks!

Google Muro 128 for cornea erosions. There is an article written by an eye doctor there that explains this in detail. Good luck to you. This is a painful condition. The cornea has many nerve endings, and any disruption is bad news.