I'm despaired, I have severe dry eyes for about 7 years. It has been so difficult lately. I have tried Fish oil, Collagen, Flax Seed oil, Lutein 20mg and everything I can think of. Nothing has worked so far
I use eye drops and bedtime gel, still useless.
I don't know what else can be done!
Any idea?
Mike
I'm 232 lbs and 6 feets I guess, actually we don't use those measurements but I think that is it. I dont know about sjogren's syndrome but yea she said dry eyes.
I drink like 4-5 glasses of water daily, 2 cup of coffee and 2 glasses of mixed fruit juice.
Hi this may astonish a person a bit but for a person of 230 pounds around 14.5 eight ounce cups of water are needed a day in my opinion. When a person is a bit dehydrated the eyes may get a bit dry. I hope it will be better soon. When getting up if 4 cups of water are taken in (a 100 pound female can do that much in the morning and a male might be able to do that also and it may also help the bowels and then a wait for 20 minutes to a half an hour are done then the meal can be taken in. Then more water can be taken about an hour after the meal and if 2 cups are taken in at a time sipping all day the goal should be reached by the end of the evening. Water should not be taken in with meals but in between. Have a nice day!
I have dry eyes due to Sjogrens associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Did you see an ophthalmologist who tested you? They do a Shirmer's test with the tiny pieces of paper and a second test with rose bengal to look at the corneas to see how dry they are....did they do those?
Meds can make your eyes dry and so can this Sjogren's Syndrome which is an auto-immune disorder that can dry up your entire body and cause arthritis. It is treated systemically by a rheumatologist(arthritis doc).
If it's your medcations, it can be helped by changing meds. If it's Sjogrens. then you may need meds for the entire body and that can help.
My doc(neuro-ophthalmologist)has me do several things. First, I start the day by holding my face in the warm shower water and actually washing my eyes with a VERY dilute baby shampoo to open the pores along the edges of the eyelids. Those pores produce an oily substance to help lock in the moisture. If those are clogged, nothing will help.
Once that is done, I start the drops. I like the gel type as they seem to work longer. I use the plain gels first(while at home...you can't see for about 15 minutes) then carry the gel Drops to use through out the day. I literally use them by the hour when I'm bad. I alternate then with the preservative free drops that come in single use vials(like Refresh Plus)...easy to carry in a pocket.
Then at night, I use the ointment to help hold in the moisture during the night.
When I really flare up, it's Restasis time. Expensive drops but so worth it. I don't use them daily due to cost but do use them when I get really bad. It makes a huge difference.
But it really helps to have a good diagnosis and I think you need that more than anything. And it helps to have a doc who can explain what to do when nothing works and give you a script for Restasis if you need it. I've been avoiding the plugs they can put in your tear ducts as I've heard nothing good about them but I can tell you that Restasis really did work and I only use it sporadically so it helps with the money.
Hope this helps. I can give you more tips on Restasis if you have a script for it.
Mike,
I have had dry eyes for years and tried everything too, including tear duct plugs.
A few years ago I found a new doctor and he prescribed Restasis drops.
They help. I also sleep with a humdifier next to my bed.
I wish you luck. I know how painful dry eye can be.
June
