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Any remedy for dry eyes?

MNC

Messages
205
My eyes are seriously dry, they burn, tears, double vision, I have very dry rheum all day long, as tiny stones or sand inside the eyes...

I've been seen by a few eye doctors who suggest most of all to avoid screens and some drops.

I know this is caused by excessive internet and screens all day long for years, but still I can't quit, it's my only communication and entertainment. When I try to stop I get seriously anxious as I am all alone in the planet and it makes me feel too unwell.

My life is all online.

So, has anybody found something that helped with dry eyes?

Thanks
 
Last edited:

Oberon

Senior Member
Messages
214
I've done the following to help with dry eyes.

1. Preservative free eye drops 2-4 x day. These are more expensive but my eyes act poorly to preservatives.

2. http://www.bausch.com/our-products/dry-eye-products/dry-eye-products/therapearl-eye-mask - This helped me a lot. You heat it and place it on your eyes for 10 minutes a day.

3. My ophthalmologist also recommends dry eye massages to release clogged oil in your eyes. I never did these consistently but it's probably worth trying.
 

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
I had this problem for a long while. It was helped greatly by gently cleaning the edge of the top and bottom lids of the eyes a couple of times a day, making sure to go right into the corner to unclog and stimulate the tear ducts. You can use eye wipes — baby ones are much cheaper and won't have irritating additives. Or you can use baby shampoo, counterintuitive as it seems, to gently wash the lids with (clean!) fingers. I was advised to do this by a couple of different ophthalmologists and it did make a big difference. They did also recommend eye drops but I was reluctant to use them long-term.
 

MNC

Messages
205
I had this problem for a long while. It was helped greatly by gently cleaning the edge of the top and bottom lids of the eyes a couple of times a day, making sure to go right into the corner to unclog and stimulate the tear ducts. You can use eye wipes — baby ones are much cheaper and won't have irritating additives. Or you can use baby shampoo, counterintuitive as it seems, to gently wash the lids with (clean!) fingers. I was advised to do this by a couple of different ophthalmologists and it did make a big difference. They did also recommend eye drops but I was reluctant to use them long-term.

Thank you! What are eye wipes? (I'm spanish, never heard of that). Thanks. Any baby shampoo to buy in a pharmacy would do or a particular brand?
 

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
I had this problem for a long while. It was helped greatly by gently cleaning the edge of the top and bottom lids of the eyes a couple of times a day, making sure to go right into the corner to unclog and stimulate the tear ducts. You can use eye wipes — baby ones are much cheaper and won't have irritating additives. Or you can use baby shampoo, counterintuitive as it seems, to gently wash the lids with (clean!) fingers. I was advised to do this by a couple of different ophthalmologists and it did make a big difference. They did also recommend eye drops but I was reluctant to use them long-term.

I found that eyedrops helped in the short term but made my eyes more sore in the long term. I saw an ophthamology consultant at the hospital and he has me cleaning the lids once a day as Sarah suggests (I use a drop of baby shampoo in a cup of fresh-boiled and cooled water, applied with a cotton bud), and I massage the lids, in order to make sure that the ducts that put oil on the surface of your eye to stop your tears evaporating are actually getting the oil out. That's the key thing. If you do it right, you might even hear a faint crackling sound as the little ducts squirt the oil!

I've been looking for a good video to show you, because if you understand the anatomy of the glands and what you're trying to achieve with the massage, it makes all the difference to your technique. I remember seeing a close-up film of the oil squirting in response to the movement, which really helped me understand what I was trying to do.

All this has made a huge difference to my eyes. I have chronic blepharitis so I'll be doing this forever, but it would be loads worse without this management, and most of the time, I'm no longer bothered by it.
 

MNC

Messages
205
Thanks a lot!

Do you also think it's caused by the screens or one more part of our illness?
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
Thanks a lot!

Do you also think it's caused by the screens or one more part of our illness?

I've been ill with ME for getting on for thirty years and dry eyes was a new thing about three years ago. I think all sorts of effects of ME are possible, because it's a systemic disease, but in my case, I suspect it's just age.

I find my eyes drier when I use the computer a lot because I tend to blink less, I think. You might find cutting down your screen use somewhat helps, or perhaps making the screen less bright. If you google, you'll find some good advice for dry eyes.

Here's some NHS advice, which mentions computers:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dry-eye-syndrome/Pages/Prevention.aspx

It's important to be aware that you can damage your eyes if you let them get chronically dry. You might want to experiment a bit to find out whether the condition is largely due to your computer use, and if so, think about how to manage things differently. I understand how being online is a lifesaver for PWME - it's a question of being aware of how it might affect your eyes, and learning how to work around it.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
I recommend A Vogel eye drops which are preservative free, natural ingredients. I have used these successfully for years with a silk eye mask ( corneal erosion).

I heard once that Johnson's baby shampoo contains a chemical that numbs the eye. I would believe that.
 

Oberon

Senior Member
Messages
214
Many thanks. Can you remember the name of the drops?

I use PurGel drops. http://imedpharma.com/pharma/viscoadaptive-tears/

The reason I didn't recommend them even though I like them is because I'm not sure they're sold outside of Canada and they can only been purchased from Opthalmologists/Optometrists from what I understand.

I've never tried any other preservative free drops but the real key is preservative free. If you read what @Sasha wrote they said that their eyes got sore from using drops. When I was using Systane Ultra I realized after a few weeks that my eyes were significantly more dry and sore probably from a reaction to the preservative. I tried other non-preservative free eyedrops too and had a similar issue. I don't know if this is the case with Sasha or not.

The only problem with preservative free drops is they are 2-3x the money and a lot of them come in single serve which can be annoying (they do this because the lack of preservatives can produce Bacteria so the container has to be more isolated.)

The massages recommended by others in this thread are what my eye doctor told me to do. This is essentially what my ophthalmologist told me to do except instead of using the therapearl she said to do it in the shower for a few minutes after you've been in there for a bit and massage both the op and bottom. The reason as stated in the video is the heat helps to release the oil which is why the Therapearl worked so well for me.

I hope all of this helps and good luck!
 

MikeJackmin

Senior Member
Messages
132
Applying heat to the eyes works wonders.

My eye doctor explained that the integrity of the 'tear film' of wetness over the eyes depend on the presence of a special oil thats present there. As we age, our eyes cool just enough to cause this oil to congeal. 30 seconds use of a warm pack will bring it right back.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
Applying heat to the eyes works wonders.

My eye doctor explained that the integrity of the 'tear film' of wetness over the eyes depend on the presence of a special oil thats present there. As we age, our eyes cool just enough to cause this oil to congeal. 30 seconds use of a warm pack will bring it right back.

That's an interesting explanation for why heat packs work, when they do. They don't work for me, but I'm glad they work for others!
 

SuzieSam

Senior Member
Messages
201
Location
Israel
I've had chronic dry eye problems for several years. I use Viscotears Gel. Eye drops just vanish instantly. This keeps my eyes moist for a few hours.

I wake up in the night with painfully dry eyes. I'm thinking of taking them shut, like they do to people having operations!
 

caledonia

Senior Member
High dose pharmaceutical grade fish oil works great for me. I use Sear Labs Omega Rx brand. It also helps with dry mouth. I'm currently taking 1.5 teaspoons, which is the equivalent of 12 grams.

Dry eyes and dry mouth go together. You may not realize you have dry mouth, but if you're getting lots of cavities or your dentist notices, you have it.

I believe this is due to adrenal fatigue, or at least when my adrenals are worse, I need more and when they're better I need less.

Note that due to mercury and PCBs I would not suggest using high doses of regular types of fish oil. It needs to be either molecular distilled or pharmaceutical grade, or be certified free of mercury and PCBs.

Prior to discovering the fish oil, I used Celluvisc eye drops before going to bed at night. They're preservative free and last 24 hours.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
My ophthalmologist also recommends dry eye massages to release clogged oil in your eyes. I never did these consistently but it's probably worth trying.
Mine too. He told me to get drops that are oily. I can give a US brand but each country will probably have different ones. The one I use is Soothe.
. http://www.bausch.com/our-products/dry-eye-products/dry-eye-products/therapearl-eye-mask - This helped me a lot. You heat it and place it on your eyes for 10 minutes a day.
My doc also prescribed a similar heat pack--helps a lot.
Do you also think it's caused by the screens or one more part of our illness?
I'd guess looking at screens makes it worse, but for me the root of it is clogged oil ducts. They did some sort of test that showed the lubrication level of my eyes.
My eye doctor explained that the integrity of the 'tear film' of wetness over the eyes depend on the presence of a special oil thats present there. As we age, our eyes cool just enough to cause this oil to congeal. 30 seconds use of a warm pack will bring it right back.
Exactly.