Severe dry eye help?

Question

I was told by my doctor that I have dry eyes. I have used over the counter dry eye drops and restasis. I have punctal plugs in both eyes and am still extremely bothered daily by my eyes hurting, blurred vision and tired eye feeling. Does any one have any other suggestions. I am having a hard time working my vision is so blurry it takes more time just to use the computer. My doctor doesn't have any more suggestions. I also use flax seed oil as a supplement daily.

Answer 1

Here is an answer from an earlier question I responded to.

Is there any CURE for dry eye? Unfortunately, no. But there are several options available to MANAGE dry eye and make the symptoms more tolerable.

1) Artificial tears. As you have said, though, the benefits are so short lived that most people with moderate to severe dry eye do not do very well with artificial tears.

2) Tear modification. Your other answerer spoke of Restasis. In dry eye that is related to ocular inflammation, significant improvement many times is seen. BUT, it is not a cure. When you stop using the Restasis your symptoms will return.

3) Tear outflow modification. Your tears exit the eye in one of three ways. Evaporation. Spilling out onto the face. Drainage through the lacrimal system in the lids through the punctal openings in each lid. By placing small plugs in the puncta (tear drainage openings) of each lid more of your own natural tears can be maintained to allow better wetting and lubrication of the eye.

4) Nutritional supplements. Some studies have shown improvement in dry eye symptoms for those who take nutritional supplements containing things like Omega 3 fatty acids, flax seed oils, and fish oils.

5) Bacterial flora modification. Some studies have shown an improvement in symptoms by the use of long term low dosage doxycycline oral antibiotics (this is available in a formulation called Periostat -- dentists tend to use it mostly) in combination with long term antiinflammatory drops such as FML.

Sometimes one of these can be enough to decrease symptoms to an acceptable level. Other times it may take a combination. And unfortunately, sometimes dry eye can be so severe that with all these combined the problems persist.

Answer 2

i had severe dry eyes for many years and they drove me crazy.i seen many drs. and took different meds,eye drops,etc.finally had an allergy test and was prescribed veramyst nasal spray(WOW) it works.i still dont know how a nasal spray cures my eyes?but thank goodness to veramyst. good luck.

Answer 3

Do NOT try refresh pm- it can actually reduce how wettable your eye is! As a dry eye patient, this is NOT something you want.

For eye drops, my first and foremost recommendation is switching to Dwelle, which can be purchased only online http://dryeyeshop.com/ - this has drastically reduced my use of artificial tears. I went from dropping 28-32 times a day on drug store drops to 17 drops on the first day, 14 on the second. For someone who has had chronic dry eye for years without relief.. this was incredible.

If Dwelle isn't an option, do NOT use regular bottled eye drops. You absolutely 100% need to be using single-use vials of drops that are PRESERVATIVE FREE. The preservatives irritate your eyes and make the whole dang problem worst. I used to use Refresh Endura (or Refresh Dry Eye) which is arguably one of the longer lasting drops on the market. Refresh celluvisc is much thicker than most drops while still being 'wattery', so it's also sometimes a nice option. Again, single use vials, NOT bottles.

You need NEED to engage in environment modification. Turn off the AC or heat whenever possible. Buy a humidifier or two, and run them in whatever rooms you spend the most time in. Buy a mini-humidifier (usually 10$) to put on your desk at work.

Most, most, most importantly, start wearing moisture chamber goggles. This is essential in preserving your tears and maintaining a moist, safe, and comfortable environment on your eyes. It makes a world of a difference. The dry eye shop, linked above, has several such glasses options.

If you don't get enough relief from those (even if you do) a pair of high-end anti-fog swimming goggles can make a difference- they maintain VERY high humidity around your eyes. That said, if you buy goggles in addition to moisture chamber glasses or sunglasses, you need to remember that while sunglasses need washing once daily, goggles NEED to be taken off every two hours and cleaned. I cannot stress how important a good pair of glasses is in reducing the risk of harm and pain in dry eye.

Night-time protection is also essential. You need to, at minimum, wear a snug eye mask. If that doesn't prompt results, you need to start taping your lids shut. To do that, buy a sample of both paper and plastic tape. Wear it inside your elbow overnight, and take it off in the morning- whichever is most comfortable, use that one on your eyes. Ultimately, that's the best you can do to maintain the moisture around your eyes, save for buying a pair of tranquileyes goggles, which are nighttime moist goggles, also sold at the dry eye shop.

There are lots of things you can do to help relax your eyes. The most simple? Buy a CLEAN bag of soft undershirts and a brand-new pot capable of holding water and the shirt. Handwash one shirt without using soap, and if you want, cut it smaller (with clean scissors)- use CLEAN bottled water, heat it on the stove in a never used to cook food pot, and then wring and apply to your eyes for about 10 minutes. It does miracles in helping clear the junk around your eyes.

For more tips, and most important, for support on being able to live with the day-to-day struggle, visit http://dryeyezone.com/talk/  - there's some pretty awesome people to be found, not to mention a whole community worth of experience living with dry eye.

Answer 4

fish oil,  try thicker artificial tears like refresh liqugel.  use refresh PM at night.   you should also see your primary doctor there may be an underlying problem like hormones or an auto immune disorder, or sjogrens.