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Does your fatigue level correlate with dry eyes?

Do you suffer from dry eyes?


  • Total voters
    39
Messages
11
I recently noticed something very interesting. I suffer from dry eye symptoms. I noticed that my dry eye symptoms correlate a lot with my fatigue and low mood. When my fatigue and mood is better my eyes feel better, if my feel dry I often feel tired and my mood is low. I'm not really sure what comes first, but I find this really interesting. I recently read some studies that connect dry eyes with depression like this one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6314109/

Do you experience something similar?
 

Rufous McKinney

Senior Member
Messages
13,249
Do you experience something similar?

I"m a bit in denial. My eyes- mostly- pour constantly...like for hours on end...but then at times will: dry out entirely.


For me, this is a key debilitating symptom. My eye issues track the whole trajectory- my right eye is worse, and is the "indicator" that i'm getting worse, or crashing, or must not- read much or long. Its painful-my eyes ache much of the time.

I went to eye doctors twice- they- offered me- nothing.
 

Rufous McKinney

Senior Member
Messages
13,249
Would this not be a symptom of sjogren’s?

could very well be.....in my case- I occupy frequently the chair of denial.

so why did the eye doctor: not give a hoot? Thats my experience- nothing happens, so why bother seeking any care. Nothing happens.
 

Judee

Psalm 46:1-3
Messages
4,461
Location
Great Lakes
Do you experience something similar?

I haven't thought about it that much so I didn't vote yet. It's just my eyes are almost always dry and I haven't had a really good 3% day in a very long time. (With ME/CFS I can't use a 1-10 scale. I never have improved 10% so I have to use a scale of 1-100 instead.)

so why did the eye doctor: not give a hoot? Thats my experience- nothing happens, so why bother seeking any care. Nothing happens.

There was a doctor that hinted at autoimmune for me but my insurance only lets me go to him if I have an eye ER otherwise I have to go to Walmart to get my eyes tested and glasses made.

My last PCP, as well as a Rheumatologist, ran some of the tests for Sjogrens like ANA but they came back negative. There is an early test which is more sensitive but no one seems to know how to order that. So I think many of us are in the same boat with that unfortunately.

There is a lab nearby that does it but the current cost is $1445.00. :jaw-drop:
 
Last edited:

sometexan84

Senior Member
Messages
1,229
I've definitely had dry eye issues. But don't recall how it correlated w/ my fatigue.

Also, not much depression here.

I do recall having conjunctivitis, which I believe was viral. And that was around the time my CFS started
 

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,930
dry painful eyes is one of my first symptoms and is still there after 35 years.

The difference for one year now is that I wake up with a front headache and then after some minutes, my eyes start getting full of tears and the headache starts to leave. It lasts about 1 hour...
 

wonderoushope

Senior Member
Messages
247
I’ve been suffering from dry eyes the last 4-6 months. I’m in the biggest crash since I first got sick 7 years ago. Lack of sleep seems to bring it on for me, plus because I’m not sleeping I’m on device more which strains eyes.
 
Messages
9
My dry eyes started about 7 years ago, coupled with dry nose, snoring, dry throat. I looked it up and sjorgens was mentioned I have had all tests for the condition and comes back negative. Did Schirmer's test and I had negative moisture. Tried various eye drops and very little helps also found the more drops I put in the condition seemed to deteriorate. I have started using the ointments. Im not 100% convinced it is sjorgens as been part of the FB pages and most ladies (98% ladies) seem to be suffering from more serious autoimmunes.
 
Messages
78
Location
SF Bay Area
Have you checked for small fiber neuropathy? Like you, I have dry eyes, mouth, nasal and skin and turns out I have SFN. Systane drops help the eye dryness and I use a saline nasal gel for the nose by a brand called Ayr.