dry eyes - what am I doing wrong?
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Anonymous
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Discontinue alcohol
Eat anti-inflammatory diet Eat fish, eat avocados, eat olives and olive oil Less screen time Hormones if you are a 50 plus woman Preservative free single use drops Systane drops and Systane gel at night |
Anonymous
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Do you wear contacts?
Change to glasses. |
Anonymous
it’s worth looking into, but most of the symptoms are also symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. I have an entire dry eye regimen. It really helps… I do Tear Care every year, which is done at my Eye Dr.’s Office. They place these little devices on your lids and it pulses. Doesn’t hurt, takes about 15 minutes. Then the eye doctor manually probes the lids… Sounds bad but actually takes about two minutes per eye and only parts of it are a little bit uncomfortable. It’s a little bit costly though… at my doctor it costs about $700 But it’s worth it to me and I don’t use eye drops so saving money there. I tried to do 15 minutes of a warm compress every night. Just getting the water really hot and then just every couple minutes reheating the rag and placing it over my eye. Just do it while I listen to music or a podcast and I find a very relaxing. I take omega 3s and try to eat a lot of healthy fats anyway and stay hydrated, follow a healthy lifestyle. Try to limit screen time when I can and Just try to do blinking exercises. |
Anonymous
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I have chronic dry eyes. My ophthalmologist recommended that I take flaxseed oil or fish oil.
Tried restasis. Didn’t work. Tried Xiidra. It helped, but I eventually developed some allergy to it. It made my eyes super itchy. Had to stop. Tried Tyavara nasal spray. It irritated my nasal cavity severely. High Lo eye gel, Refresh Omega 3, and Optase gel helped, but only as a temporary relief. I so tried a procedure called lipiflow. It’s intended for people with MGD. For me, the help was temporary. My doctor said it’s not for my type of dry eye. I saw a rheumatologist. He tested me for sjogren’s disease. I was tested negative. However, he said about half of people with Sjogren’s will test negative by blood. I don’t have dry mouth at all. So he did not test me with saliva gland biopsy. I was told the best solution for me is to have plugs put in my tear ducts. You can’t feel them, I was told. That’ll be my next step. |
Anonymous
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I do a combination of Tear Support with Maqui Bright and fish oil. I started taking them at the same time so I don't know if it's one of them or the combo that works. Either way, it was a gradual thing where one day I realized I hadn't wanted to put eye drops in all day. I am for everyday, but might miss a day or two. I did stop taking them once for about two weeks while on vacation and there was a noticeable difference. It took a few weeks to get back to normal, so I won't do that again.
I heard about Tear Support from a letter to the editor in the Costco magazine, of all places. The guy was raving about it and saying how happy he was Costco carried it. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| What brand of TearSupport do you use? I can’t find TearSupport on Costco’s website. Thank you. |
Anonymous
There is no cure for it, at least that was what my family doctor told me. |
Anonymous
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The eye maintains a constant level of lubrication through a combination of several mechanisms that work together to ensure the surface of the eye stays moist and protected. Here's an explanation of the main components involved in maintaining the lubrication of the eye: 1. Tear Production: The lacrimal gland, located above the outer corner of each eye, produces tears continuously. These tears contain a mix of water, oils, proteins, and other substances necessary for lubrication and protection. 2. Tear Distribution: Every time you blink, the eyelids spread the tears evenly across the surface of the eye. Blinking helps distribute the tears and keeps the eye moist. It also helps remove debris and irritants that may have entered the eye. 3. Tear Film: The outermost layer of the tear film is a thin layer of lipids (oils) produced by the Meibomian glands located in the eyelids. This layer helps prevent evaporation of the tears and keeps the surface of the eye lubricated. The middle layer is composed of the watery component of tears, which provides moisture and nutrients to the eye. The innermost layer is a thin layer of mucus that helps the tears adhere to the eye's surface. 4. Reflex Tear Production: When the eye detects an irritant, such as dust or a foreign object, it triggers a reflex tear response. The lacrimal gland produces a larger volume of tears to flush out the irritant and protect the eye. This reflex mechanism helps maintain the eye's lubrication by responding to potential threats. 5. Corneal Sensation: The cornea, which is the clear front surface of the eye, is highly sensitive to touch and changes in moisture levels. If the cornea detects dryness or irritation, it sends signals to the lacrimal gland to increase tear production, helping to restore lubrication. 6. Feedback Mechanisms: The eye has feedback mechanisms that monitor the quality and quantity of tears on the surface. If the tears are insufficient or of poor quality, the eye can increase tear production to compensate and maintain the desired level of lubrication. For #1, you can use artificial tears. For #2, hot compress to unclog oil producing glands. |
Anonymous
| Humidifier also helped me. I have one going in my bedroom and family room. |
Anonymous
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Everything that I have done has been mentioned except for the foam eye scrub. You need to clean your eyelids daily. I also use off and on depending on the time of year:
Restasis Fish oil Warm compresses Oaisis plus drops |
Anonymous
| Hormones. What’s your age and sex? |
Anonymous
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OP here. Thank you for all the responses and suggestions! So much to sort through but all very helpful. What I’ve do currently and areas it seems I should improve:
- I recently started warm compresses, at night before bed - I have contacts but rarely wear them anymore due to the dryness. Glasses are fine, but when exercising they’re a nuisance! They fog, gather sweat, etc. Especially outside. And if it rains, I’m miserable. - I only have otc drops with instructions to use 4x/day from optometrist. My insurance doesn’t cover prescription drops and they’re very expensive - I do sleep with a humidifier on my bedside table, but sounds like perhaps also a desktop or office humidifier could be helpful for dry office air - sounds like I need to incorporate massage, especially after the warm compresses - I need to be better about washing lids and lash line at least 2x day - I am 52 and awaiting an appt to discuss HRT with a provider. I have high hopes it could also help my eyes. Question: - I don’t take any supplements specifically for this. I’m a vegetarian. Are vegan omegas any good for dry eye? Any experiences to share? |
Anonymous
Good. I’m the PP who asked your age and sex. This could very well the the root of your issue. Some studies have found androgens to be more important in healing dry eyes than estrogen/progesterone. Look into the studies on testosterone lid ointment and shop for a provider who will get it compounded for you. |
Anonymous
NP. GLA is good for eyes. I take borage seed oil supplements and fish oil - but flax seed would also be good. EPO also has GLA, if you prefer; I have found that borage seed oil works well for me. |