Lately I've been doing warm compresses with a heat pad next to my eyelids and I think I have noticed a difference. Eyesoaks seep water into your eyes and cause irritation. Its more difficult to tell if the oil is being expressed because the eyes become so moist. After a minute or two of heating when I open my eyes I can feel whether the oil has been flowing or not because my eyes tend to stick together a bit. Also, I try to run my finger along my lashline and try to feel for the oil - something I couldn't do with eyesoaks.

I understand that a heat pad might not be appropriate because they can get hot, so use it at your own risk. I plan on getting that gel eyelid mask from relax etc that some of you have mentioned.

Hmmm, I'm goint to give it a try. Water seems to irritate my eyes so maybe this would be better. Thanks for the advice!

You'll be happy with the gel mask, I'm sure. I love mine. I bought several in case I accidently burn one. I've done that before in the microwave. It doesn't take long, so be real careful. I heat mine for only 5 or 6 seconds.

I think what happens too with the microwave is if the gel in the mask isn't evenly spread out, the plastic sticks together and burns. esp. in the middle where it touches the nose. Hope that makes sense.

I'm not sure if you can answer this but you seem to know a bit about MGD. From what I understand, MGD/Posterior Blepharitis is something that comes and goes. When it is "under control" as they say, should you be absent of all signs?? Should your eyes go back to normal?

I have good days and bad days but I wonder if this is what they mean by "under control." I'd hate to not be treating this stuff more agressively and have it progress. Maybe this is under control though. Who knows.

Any ideas?? I asked my doctor if your eyes should ever feel normal and he said "of course and thankfully so." I guess I wonder what normal is for us MGD sufferers.

Calibug

First, I want to start out by clarifying my definitions.

MGD is kinda of like when you get a cut to the skin. Although your wound will heal your skin will never be the same, their will always be a scar, some part of your body is gone that will never be replaced. Only this time, it's the eyelid gland that gets damaged. Your eyelid may never function normally again.

Posterior Blepharitis is different. I do not associate posterior blepharitis with damage to the eyelid. Blepharitis is about inflamation. Inflamation from an out side source usually. With Posterior Bleph, if you remove the inflamming component, your eyes will go back to normal and be 100 percent normal.

Now, to your question about whether MGD/Posterior blepharitis comes and goes. I think MGD is always present, Posterior blepharitis would come and go if there is a inflammation component at work which you can not get under control.

Just out of curiousity, lets say you totally knock out the inflammation/blepharitis component and you are left with MGD alone. Now let's say you do nothing to treat MGD at this point. What happens is your eyelids will clog with oil and your eyes will feel as if you had posterior blepharitis! (Don't be fooled and stop the your treatment for posterior blepharitis. I made this mistake)

So now we still have MGD. Our oil glands will clog if nothing done. The question is now: Through compresses, doxycycline, flaxseed oil treatments will we we ever feel normal again? The answer depends on the quantity of oil being released. Compresses and doxycycline increase the quality of oil, but the quantity of oil is set by the amount of damage the glands recieved. If you have the minimum quantity of oil necessary to surface your eye and you get your quality up, chances are you will feel pretty normal unless you are in a very very dry place. (this is where I am at now)

So my advice is: First, stop the inflammation if you can. (easier said then done, I know) Second, maintain the quality of the oil. (Even if its humid out and your eyes do not burn, your eyelids will be drier once the humidity subsides because you haven't been maintaining the quality of oil.)

Anyway, thats my take on it. I hope it answers some questions or you are able to offer a better explanation of whats happening, because they're not very many out there that make a much sense. Goodluck

So, if I understand this correctly, MGD actually means damage done to the meibomian glands? I've only been told I have posterior blepharitis but I saw some papers on me at the doc's office and it had MGD written on it.

So, I guess, if my lids have been damaged, I need to get used to the sensitive eyes...if not, then maybe this stuff will clear up.

Something very strange happened yesterday. I had a severe allergy attack (turned on the heater and kicked up some dust). I was told that I should not use Claritin because it dries out the eyes. It was so bad I said forget it and took one. After half an hour or so, not only did my nose feel better but my eyes totally cleared up. For the rest of the day, my eyes were so normal and white. They didn't burn and I could open them widely.

Wonder if allergies aggravate this stuff. My husband says my eyelids get so red when my allergies kick in.

Thanks for trying to help me understand this stuff.

Calibug

Hi Mont,

How many times a day do you do your warm compresses? my eyelids get so irritated after doing them, and my eyes itch. I had MGD for over two years, does anyone ever get better, after having it so long?
Do you use Restasis? and do you have punctum plugs?
I'll take any advice you can give me.

Thanks Jen

Calibug, thier is hope for MGD. I have had it for 9 years so far and I have been able to significantly reduce the symptoms. Granted, I had sebhoeric blepharitis which is different then what your experiencing. But once I got stopped the flare ups from the seb bleph I was able to treat the MGD.

It sounds to me like something is causing your flareups that can be stopped. I dont believe red eyelids are a cause of MGD, so you probably have MGD and blepharitis together. Do you think thier is a way to stop your eyes from getting red when you have allergies? I believe theyre are allergy drops for the eyes, I assume youve tried them, right? I think you need to get to the bottom of those flare ups, if you can.

Jen Maine,

You said your eyes itch? I have MGD and my eyes don't itch. When I had posterior blepharitis my eyes itched bad. (by the way, dont itch your eyes, its not good for them) I've been doing warm compresses with a heat pad about every 4 hours during the day. I have MGD and I think I've gotten it under control after having it for 9 years. I have yet to try restasis, my doctor did not think it would help. I tried temporary punctum plugs and they were worthless.

I think what you need to do is find out what is causing the itching first.

Hi Mont,

My eyes don"t itch all the time, just after I do the warm compresses, my eyes mostly burn or just feel irritated and red.
Do you do lid massages after the warm compresses?

Thanks Jen

Yes, I do a brief lid massage. I would not rub the lids to much, they cant take it. By the way, did your doctor give you a schirmers test? The test measures the amount of tears your lacrimal gland is secreting. It's pretty important.

Also, did the coctor ever say what the cause of your dry eye was? MGD is very hard to treat if you do not know the cause.

Hi Mont,

I did have a schirmers test done, when I first got this, my left eye was 2mm and my right eye was 3mm, but then I had plugs put in and it increased, but no improvement in symptoms, I still have a plug in my left eye, somedays that eye feels better than the other and somedays it the other.
I also had a tear breakup test, and it is every 2 to 3 seconds, so the doctor said it was an oil problem.
They dont know what caused it, but it came on overnight, and my eyes and lids itched, so badly I could'nt sleep, but now my symptoms are mostly burning, red, and dry eyes, and they are the worst in the morning, in the evening they dont feel to badly. The summer months are not bad, but as soon as the heat came on this fall, they are acting up again.


Thanks Jen

Jen-
You sound a lot like me. My eye problems came on over night. I've had them 6+ months now. Schirmer test was low, but not extaordinary low. After many opinions, I've come to realize that I have an oil problem too. My eyes are driest at night, but just recently have improved during the day. They are red and the lids have been slightly swollen, sometimes itching, sometimes throbbing briefly. MGD is very confusing. I also have blepharitis symptoms to complicate it even more. Some mornings I wake with crustiness. However, the lids scrubs seem to help that. For the most part, I am feeling better on Doxy. I can't remember, have you tried that? Good luck. I know how trying burning red eyes can be. I haven't had to use Refresh Plus in a long while (during the day) so that is an improvement. Still need to lube up well at night though.

Amy

Montgumski & Others,

I tried the dry compresses today and they seemed less irritating. I'll have to do it for awhile to see if there is a significant difference. Something a nurse told me once was to make sure to completely dry my eyelids after cleaning them. She really empasized that and I am wondering if the water encourages bacteria growth thus causing the meibomian glands to get inflammed.

Glad to hear you have made progress with your MGD, Montgumski. Wow...nine years. I wonder if you ever get used to this stuff...

Jen,

Your schirmers test sounds low. Have you tried Restasis? It is supposed to help for that. I would take it and do the warm compresses.

Calibug,

My guess is the water is getting onto the surface of the eye where the lower and bottom lids come together and irritating the dry spots on the cornea. After all, when the doctor stains the eye to test for dry eyes, the center is always the dryest. The nerves are very sensitive here and I believe inflammatory agents are released when you proturb that area. I could be wrong, but it makes sense. I know when I am in the shower and I get water in my eye its feels dryer and aches more the usual.

I never itch my eyes any more and I try not to get anything in them, except maybe drops, but I do not care for them. The other day I put Soothe eye drops in, and my eyes felt worse and were red, I do not know if was the preservative in the drops or what. I feel that most eyedrop companies do not know what they are doing.

The only drops I really care for are Systane. They are the only drops I know of that adhere to the exposed corneal epithelium and support the aquaeous layer. Of course the downside to drops and MGD is the drops are gone from evaporation about as quickly as you can apply them. I was reading this medical journal on MGD and it said the evaporation rate is 20x faster then normal. Maybe the main reason to apply the drops is to provide nutrients to the surface cells because I have yet had drops keep my eyes as moist as I would like. That's all I have to say for now.

Take care guys/gals
Montgumski

I love Systane eyedrops! They are by far the best for me. You can get them in non-preservative vials now. Many eyedrops seem to irritate my eyes further...even some non-preservative ones. I do use Refresh Endura from time to time...sometimes they cause a burning feeling which just adds more discomfort. It does seem to help with the oil layer though. I just can't use them if my eyes are pretty irritated. Makes them worse.

Too bad about the Soothe eyedrops...I think some of us were hoping these might work. It may very well be the preservative in them. Maybe they will come out soon with a non-preservative form. Let's hope so!

Calibug

Hi,
How do you know you have MGD? How you doctors test it? I have seen 10 docs so far, they just told me I have Blepharitis. But I feel like I have MGD because all the symptoms you said are similar to me. Can we notice MGD by ourselve? I have schrimer test 10 and 12 mm.

Hi Tris,

MGD usually manifests itself if you've had blepharitis for very long. Roughly six months or a year of untreated blepharitis. (Except for maybe Accutane related MGD, that form of MGD comes on faster) I had sebhoeric blepharitis for a quite a while and only until very recently have I been able to completely get it under control. My scalp, facial and eyelid skin are about perfect, there is no way I have blepharitis, yet my eyes still burn without the warm compresses. If I don't do the warm compresses, when I look in the mirror, my eyelids look slightly more swollen then they would if I had done the warm compresses and it is harder to express the oils. Sometimes its hard to tell the difference, but just be patient and observant and you' ll see what I'm talking about.

A doctor can't really test for MGD, he can run a tear break up test but that is a test used for blepharitis. My eye doctor just looked at my glands and told me I had MGD. If I had blepharitis as well, I do not know if he could tell the difference between the two unless my eyelids were red. If I remember correctly I believe your schirmers scores are within normal range.

Take Care
Montgumski

Hi Mont-

Thank you for helping me to understand this MGD and blepharitis combination a bit better. It is so confusing. Have you found help with Doxycycline at all? I think it is marginally helping me but I wondered what your experience has been and how long you have been taking it. I've been on 2 months.
I will have to try the preservative free Systane. Many of you like that one. Thank you for your take on the Soothe drops as well.

Amy

They way I see it, these messageboards are here so we won't make the same mistakes. I wasted so much time trying different things and that took up a lot of my time and tested my patience to no end. Plus, it is therapeutic to me personally when I can talk about it to someone who knows what I am talking about.

The doxcycline doesn't seem to provide a huge improvement. But I do think if I stop taking it for a few days I do notice a differcence - the oils seem thicker. I've been taking it sporadically for about a month and half. Stay away from "Soothe" hehe.

Take Care,
Montgumski

Hi Mont,
Thanks for replying me. I had blepharitis for a long time, but it never bother me at all. It just itchy only and often loss of eyelashes. Due to the lasik last four months, I started having irritated eyes all the time. My eyes are not burned, but it is very very stick and something in the eye feelings. It is unbearable. How can you put up with this problem for 9 years? It has been four months of pain. I am thinking of commiting suicide many times.

tris

tris

I know this is a very hard thing to take - I have been very bothered these past few months and cannot stop thinking about the pain I have been enduring, but please do not think of such drastic measures.
This forum is here to help everyone get through this disease, cope with it, and try to find the best management possible to get us all on the road to recovery. Try to stay positive that things will get better.

hang in there
we will all help each other out

Jeff

Tris


I been dealing with this for over two years, I know it sucks, but things will get better, sometimes it just takes awhile before you start feeling improvement, when I first got this my eyes were so terrible I could not sleep, now I notice improvements
Getting stressed out only makes things worst believe me, in the begining I felt the same way you do now, but once I started accepting it and really trying to help my self things improved a little, besides they will be coming out with some new treatments in 2005, so dont give up hope
Besides there are many people on the boards that have gotten better, so if you ever need to vent your frustration we will be here to listen.
Stay strong

Jen

I don't think I could have ever made it this far without the help of my family. Especially when days were almost unbearable. With thier help, I've been able to simplify my life and reduce the stress brought on by the disease.

When your body is getting hit hard with everything this disease entails, I don't think you can do much else accept continue to do the treatments and hope that one day things will get better. Not only is it very testing physically, but emotionally, psychologically, and philosophically. We are all warriors for coming this far.