Hi everyone. I was dx'd with Sjogren's about 6 months ago. Went to the eye dr. and he performed the Schirmer's test on me. 3 mm was as much as I could do in 5 minutes. Anyone else have this test done?
My question is this: my eyes feel dry and gritty, burn sometimes, and are increasingly sensitive to light. Should I be diligent about treating the dry eye symptoms, not just for comfort's sake, but to keep my corneas from getting scratched or damaged?
Any information would be helpful! Thanks in advance
I had this test done 2 years ago, with a result of a 1 in the right eye and a 2 in the left eye. I tried the prescription cyclosporine eye drops but could never get used to them. They burn a lot and caused more discomfort than good, at least in my opinion. I use over the counter eye drops--the "Refresh Liquigel Extra Strength Gel Drops" by Allergan. I keep bottles all over the house, in every room, in the car, in my pockets, in my purse, and in the bed. I have them always within reach. At night I put in Refresh PM night ointment before I go to sleep. I wake up once or twice at night and put the gel drops in.
It is definitely a good idea to treat the dry eye symptoms now. I have been on Restasis for almost a year and it has made a tremendous difference. I do not have to use the additional drops most of the time. However, when it is bad I use GenTeal - Moderate to Severe and also TheraTears to help. It is important to get ahead of it so that you don't suffer from Corneal abbrasions.
I was in the ER a few months ago and due to Benadryl and the dryness of the ER I had a severe dry eye reaction. I stupidly had no drops with me and it felt like I had shards of glass in my eyes. When I got home I had to peel my eyes back because they were so dry and the light hurt. I had to keep putting drops in my eyes ever 60 to 90 minutes. After a few days my eyes went back to their normal dry selves.
You might ask your dr. about the Restasis. For me it burns for a few minutes but goes away. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish that burning from the dry eye burning, too. However, it really helped. Just took a few months to kick in. I'm also on Methotrexate which helps with debilitating joint pain, etc.
Schirmer's test...anyone else have this? 
