dry eyes

One chronically dry/stinging eye

It is driving me mad. It has driven me mad for years. I am certain something is disrupting the lipid layer in my right eye, and I have a feeling it is something on the inside corner of my upper eyelid, though I don't have any proof apart from how it subjectively feels. I don't think this is a 'you've just got dry eyes' problem.

Anyone experienced anything similar?

 

Yes but both eyes, really dry and stinging and hurting

tried lots of things for a long time, really Suffered with it for years.

Now it’s so much better because I started using specialist eye drops for dry eyes (not usual OTC ones), as well as an eye spray for my eyelids - seems like it didn’t make sense but helped so much.

https://www.boots.com/thealoz-duo-10ml-10221524
https://www.boots.com/boots-eye-mist---dry-irritated-eyes-preservative-free-10245343

However worth getting an optician And doctor check up if you can make it, to make sure it’s not anything else. They can check eyelids and eyes.

But for me it was very dry & allergic/irritated eyes and these helped hugely.

 

You could have this :

https://www.aop.org.uk/advice-and-support/for-patients/eye-conditions/meibomian-gland-dysfunction

Two people in my family have had very visible lumps developing on the underside of their upper eyelids. They were caused by blocked meibomian glands and both of them had treatment to unblock the glands. One of the sufferers is my husband. He follows the same advice for his eye care as is given for blepharitis.

He follows most of the advice in this video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBgqZsdCYAw

alternating between the use of a hot eye compress as shown in the video and a flannel in quite hot water.

The eyelid wipes advertised in the video aren't good value for money, so my OH doesn't use them. Instead he uses cotton buds and eye makeup pads with Blephagel or Blephasol which are easily sourced on Amazon or in many pharmacies. The Amazon reviews for Blephagel and Blephasol are actually a surprisingly good source for advice on how to care for dry eyes.

 

I had a similar problem that I am currently "controlling". Only with the right eye, recurrent and painful inflammatory redness for several months. My optometrist diagnosed me with conjunctivitis (right eye only! And extreme dry eye), antibiotic and corticosteroid drops finally healed him. But ... shortly after, it started again. I am therefore condemned to use 2 times a day, more if necessary, "Systane ultra". I suspect either a recurrent infection or inflammation ... Ps: no allergies since antihistamine drops did nothing

Good luck !

(Sorry for spelling mistakes, I speak French)

 

If you wear contacts and your eyes dry out, the less pliable contact lenses can cause friction with the conjunctiva surrounding the eye, leading to GPC (giant papillary conjunctivitis). This can be really quite painful, even to the point of preventing sleep, and it takes quite a while to heal. I learned this the hard way when I used a small fan to blow air in my face while using my computer during a hot summer spell years ago. In my case, I began to notice increasing light sensitivity before it became painful. I may have been given antibiotic eye drops, but I remember the main advice was to use moistening eye drops (like Thera-Tears) "everytime you think of it."

 

The place to go for information is here

https://www.dryeyezone.com/

Rebecca Petris who runs this has become well respected for her advocacy. She believes that patients are a resource for medics and has helped develop modern strategies for treating dry eye. There is everything you need to know about what works best and reviews of how helpful treatments can be.

I was almost blind and terrified of nighttime because of recurrent corneal erosions, waking up with a scream as it felt like chillies being rubbed in my eyes 2 or 3 times a night. The information I got finally gave me the courage to get a referral to a consultant. He was very understanding (I might have just been lucky) and used the site himself so we could work to the best way to treat me.

It has been 10 years and I have to baby my eyes all the way but I only get a mild erosion once or twice a week and most of the dead spots in my eyes have healed.

Dry eye is like chronic fatigue, means lots of different things and is very common. Ocular surface disease is what is used now to try to give it the importance it deserves and to acknowledge the many different things that can go wrong in this immensely complicated system.

 

Does anyone else deal with eye dryness? I'm not even sure if this is something connected with my ME/CFS, but back in 2013-ish my eyes suddenly became quite dry and haven't gone back to their previous level of moisture. I was nearly on the Ristasis (sp) eyedrops. I do wear contacts, but I wear the Acuview Oasis and then use the type of contact solution that is supposed to provide moisture for 16-20 hours. I don't sleep with my lenses in.

My eye doctor told me to take more Omega 3 (than the 6, and 9), so I switched to only Omega 3 which seems to have helped some. I haven't tried doubling up my capsule/softgels to see if it would improve more however (something I should probably do).

I'm just curious if this has happened to anyone else.

 

I use a sterile vaseline overnight eye ointment as told by eye doc. Seems to help in general, though I still have to put in saline drops an hour or so after taking a medication that dries out the eye (in this case a muscle relaxant).

 

My dry eyes got better when I consistently increased the amount of water I drink. I add a little salt to each glass.

GenTeal Severe Eye Gel is great for my dry eyes. It's not necessary, but I sometimes refrigerate it because the cold gel feels very refreshing in the morning. My eye doctor gave me that tip.

I usually get it on Amazon because the price is better than at Walgreens or grocery stores. GenTeal also comes in moderate, but the severe is much more lubricating.

 

If you use eye drops of any kind make sure that you avoid the ones with preservatives. They increase the problem of irritation of the eyes.

Dry eyes is a common problem for people as they get older. There is also an autoimmune disease which dries out various body parts - mouth, eyes, ears, joints, and probably some others as well - and that is Sjogren's Syndrome. I don't know if this might be relevant for you :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sjögren_syndrome

Edit : I should point out that diagnosis is often painful - I think it involves a biopsy from the tongue, but it depends on which parts of the body are affected.

 

PEM tends to negatively affect my meibomian glands (they help make the oil layer of your tears). I'm not sure if that's the same thing as "eye dryness" exactly, but it's very uncomfortable.

 

Since having ME, I too have developed eye dryness (bucal, and mucous membranes). The medications I take may contribute a little, but maybe not only. For 11 years I have been taking the same medications but my dry eyes have gotten worse (I am neither young nor old). To the point that I had a kind of chronic conjunctivitis in one eye requiring cortisone. The ophthalmologist told me that I had 2 very dry eyes (impossible to wear contact lenses, which I knew) however particularly the right, which she evaluated at 3/10 of humidity whereas normal is 10/10.

So I have been wearing glasses for years and have to put drops in my eyes morning and evening + prn (systane ultra). Impossible to forget because otherwise my conjunctivitis starts again !

NB: I also take omega 3

 

I have dry eyes and my eye doc thinks it is because of the amount of time I spend on my computer every day.

 

I was diagnosed with Sjogren's by blood work. At the moment I don't have any noticeable symptoms and I'm hoping that it stays that way.

 

I don't know whether hypromellose would help, or whether it's contraindicated for people who wear contact lenses?

 

I have found dry eye relief from supplementing with Omega 7 (Sea Buckthorn Oil).

 

Meibomian gland disorders are the commonest reason for dry eyes and it can be very uncomfortable. They recommend using heat pads on your eyes to melt the dried oil causing the blockage and let it run free again. The pad needs to be warm but not near hot and even a pad of kitchen roll dampened with warm water might help.

If you are bothered by a lot of itching and blepharitis it could be the dreaded Demodex, the eyelash mite. Carefully wiping along the root of the lashes with warm water can help but it is worth asking a pharmacist.

There are little computer programs you can download that remind you to blink if that is a problem.

Dry eyes can cause a lot of misery so it is important to keep your eyes lubricated, stay out of draughts and remember to blink!