Jump to content

Menu

Dry Eyes


1GirlTwinBoys
 Share

Recommended Posts

Do you know the underlying cause of your dry eyes?  The solution is likely to depend on the cause, but here are some possibilities. 

Taking fish oil with Omega-3 fatty acids is supposed to help some people with dry eyes.  Sometimes dry eyes are caused by blocked ducts; using this product helps some people with that.  Drinking lots of water can help if the cause is dehydration or dry air.  If you want to use eye drops, you need a lubricant, like Systane Ultra or other brand that specifically says it lubricates.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do. I use refresh plus. It is preservative free and can be used as often as needed. Whereas, most of the eye drops otc can only be used 4 times a day.

Refresh plus is disposable, so once opened one needs to discard it within 24 hours.

Nothing wrong with the otc eye drops.

The information above came from my eye doctor.  hth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My mom suffers terribly with dry eye, to the point that her corneas started shedding cells about a year and a half ago.  She saw a wonderful ophthalmologist who specializes in corneas.   He initially treated her with antibiotic drops and steroids to heal the corneas. He also permanently cauterized her tear ducts (after the plugs kept falling out). After she was healed and under control, he put her on a long term plan to manage the dry eye symptoms.  She has not had a recurrence of ulcers on her eyes.

She uses Refresh or Systane lubricant eye drops as needed throughout the day
plus Refresh or Systane Nighttime ointment at bedtime (applies just as she's getting in bed, since it blurs vision for a time)
Rice bag or warm washcloth as compress on eyes 2 times a day (stimulates oil production naturally) - she does this any time she's resting or going to bed
Scrub/Massage eyelashes with warm, damp washcloth once a day (also stimulates oil production)
Drink lots of water

I hope you get some relief.  This has been a miserable condition for my mom in the past.  As long as she keeps up her regimen, though, she is not bothered by it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have dry eye due to age, hypothyroidism and RA. The RA medications I'm on are, I think, slowly helping my eyes (my rheumy said they would).

Other things that help me:

Wash around my lids in the mornings with a tiny bit of baby shampoo in warm water. Rinse thoroughly. If things get bad during the day I repeat that. That process is usually recommended for blepharitis (sp?). I only have very mild issues with that, but it still helps. You can also buy lid scrubs and wipes made for the same purpose. From what I've read having dry eye can lead to a build up of bacteria around the eyes even w/o full blown blepharitis, which makes eyes even more irritated (bacteria would typically be washed away by tears). Cleaning the eyelids helps with that.

Refresh Mega 3 drops are by far the best for me. They're single use but according to my optometrist it's perfectly fine to keep the unused portion in a vial as long as it's used within 24 hours. For me since they work longer than other drops, and being able to continue to use what's in the vial instead of throwing it away, makes them no more expensive than other drops. And so far I've found plenty of coupons. Single use vials don't have any preservatives and are absolutely what should be used if you have to use drops more than four times a day. If you use drops from a multi-use bottle more than four times a day you're putting too many preservatives in your eyes, which can be irritating and make the eyes even worse.

I use Systane or Soothe drops (multi-use bottle, with preservatives) if I'm out and about and don't want to take a single use vial that if opened will have to be thrown away (because it's inconvenient to carry once opened).

I keep all drops in the fridge. The cold drops are SO much more soothing!

ETA: Another important thing for me is doing the lid washes and using drops consistently. Whenever I slack off thinking my eyes feel okay right then and I don't need to do the lid wash or use any drops, I almost certainly pay for it in an hour or a few hours. So I make myself consistently do the lid washes every morning and use drops several times throughout the day.

Edited by Pawz4me
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And make sure you mention to your doctor if also have dry mouth, etc.  It could be Sjogren's.  If you have any joint pain, also mention both of these things. 

I use Restasis, have eye plugs and also use Refresh normally if extra dry but normally if I keep on top of all my other autoimmune diseases and keep them from flaring, the Sjogren's doesn't either.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh wow I think mine must be mild compared to most of you.  I have watery eyes, blurry vision sometimes, feels a little gritty sometimes etc. Pretty mild but just need a little something to help occasionally OTC. I'm sure it's probably age related because I noticed it after turning 40 ten years ago. 

DH is Celiac and also diagnosed with Sjogren's.  He's 100% gluten free the last four years and the Sjogren's doesn't flare now.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, 1GirlTwinBoys said:

What baby shampoo?  And why baby shampoo?? 

Any baby shampoo that's tear free (that's why it's recommended). There are also commercial lid cleaning scrubs and wipes. They're more convenient and on the RA/Sjogren's forum I belong to some people say the commercial products work a little better for them. Heyedrate products seem to get particularly good reviews. But baby shampoo is a lot less expensive. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...