chronic dry eye hell!

[melancholymecha]

Ive now been suffering from this for 2 months & it really sucks! I cant use the computer for more that 30 minutes & thats w/ having to stop every five minutes to rest my eyes. I cant be in front of fans or air conditioner vents(I have to move the vents in my car towards the floor.) I cant go to any stores or large buildings/offices, something about the air in those places kills me, I could barely stand being at Walgreens when buying eye drops. I have tried artificial tear drops but they only work temporarily. I have been using hot wet towel compresses over my eyes & they also only give temporary relief. Also alergy eye drops(as I do have dust allregies) tried those for a month but it didnt help(they had in the past years ago but not this time). I have gone twice to an opthalmologist, he said my eyes are healthy but just very dry. On my second visit yesterday he decided to put me on Restasis which takes about 3 months to start working and Ive also heard it doesnt work for everyone anyway.

what really frustrates me is that Ive had to cut most of my computer usage out. The computer is my primary form if entertainment. Even though Im a lurker here & on other online boards I enjoy reading about different topics & people's opinions about them(& occasionally make a post or 2 myself). I could browse the internet for many hours a day & now I can barely stand more that an 30-50 minutes. I also cant do other activities like read or sew crafts. I can watch tv or dvds but its a pain b/c I have to constantly avert my eyes from the screeen. I cant even take a walk outside b/c the air affects my eyes(even with sunglasses.) I am miserable right now. and Im worried this is going to be a chronic thing & it wont go away, as Ive had dry eye problems in the past but theyve neer lasted more that a month.

sorry I just had to rant about this. I know there are alot of computer savy users here & I assume many who use computers extensively at their job, so Im wondering if anyone else has had this as bad as I have & were you able to find a remedy for it. Also anyone tried Restasis before? Some of the stuff Ive read about it worries me (uh, like the cancer thing.)

 

[Gary Mitchell]

I've never had that problem but I hope that the Restasis will help you. Maybe we could try to come up with mean nasty thing to say to you that'll make you cry.

Good luck with it.

 

[Pegaritaville]

I also have chronic dry eyes. I tried Restasis, but it didn't work for me so my eye doctor switched me back to Patenol (which is usually precribed for conjuctivitis or allergies). It works great, but at $80/5ml, it's kind of pricey.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I'm sorry to hear that you're so miserable. I had a similar problem at my old job when I used to get chronic headaches; my eyes would sting and water and I couldn't read or look at a monitor or TV. I solved that by quitting my job.

Maybe you should ask for a referral to another specialist for a second opinion. Three months is a long time to wait for something that might not work. Hopefully, it will just clear up by itself like it has in the past.

 

[melancholymecha]

Maybe we could try to come up with mean nasty thing to say to you that'll make you cry.

lol, thanks, if only that would work. Apparently, as Ive read while trying to research my problem, those tears (emotional ones)are different from the tears that actually lubricate your eyes & would be useless in my case. Otherwise I would have marathoned a bunch of depressing movies for a weekend.

I also have chronic dry eyes. I tried Restasis, but it didn't work for me so my eye doctor switched me back to Patenol (which is usually precribed for conjuctivitis or allergies). It works great, but at $80/5ml, it's kind of pricey.

yeah Ive heard the Restasis can go for $500. I have Medicaid/Medicare so Im fortunate to only pay 6 bucks(ugh, for now, they might decide to suddenly stop carrying it like they did with the Lexapro). Funny the first thing my doc prescribed me was Patanol & it didnt work. So I started the Restasis last night.

I'm sorry to hear that you're so miserable. I had a similar problem at my old job when I used to get chronic headaches; my eyes would sting and water and I couldn't read or look at a monitor or TV. I solved that by quitting my job.

Maybe you should ask for a referral to another specialist for a second opinion. Three months is a long time to wait for something that might not work. Hopefully, it will just clear up by itself like it has in the past.

Ive thought of that, I talked about it with my mom but she told me I should just be patient & also since I get Medicid/Medicare (Im disabled for severe anxiety issues) I dont know if theyd pay for a second doctor. My hope is that it eventually clears up by itself before the 3 month window in which the Restasis starts working. Im also worried about the job issue(that terrible that you had to quit your job.) I recently completed evaluation tests & Im supposed to get word from voc rehab soon about work possiblites for a part time job. Im interested in something involving data entry or computer work since with my social anxiety Im best suited for a job were I dont have to interact much with people but I dont know how Im gonna handle that now if I can barely use my computer at home.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Ive thought of that, I talked about it with my mom but she told me I should just be patient & also since I get Medicid/Medicare (Im disabled for severe anxiety issues) I dont know if theyd pay for a second doctor.

I don't know much about Medicaid/Medicare, but I know insurances pay for second opinions; it might be worth a phone call to see what your options are.

(that terrible that you had to quit your job.)

Thanks, but that's okay-- they deserved it.

I recently completed evaluation tests & Im supposed to get word from voc rehab soon about work possiblites for a part time job. Im interested in something involving data entry or computer work since with my social anxiety Im best suited for a job were I dont have to interact much with people but I dont know how Im gonna handle that now if I can barely use my computer at home.

I wonder if you might be having anxiety about this, which is contributing to the dry eye.

 

[ThankQ]

Meh, just quit smokin' the pot.

 

[melancholymecha]

I wonder if you might be having anxiety about this, which is contributing to the dry eye.

I dont know I havent heard that anxiety can cause dry eye. I do think it might be related to recent problems Ive been having with my thyroid.

I think I am going to make an appointment with a 2nd doc but not right away, maybe in about a month. My parents said that Id be wasting my time & that Im worrying too much about this(just have faith in God & it will go away my dad says) and that I should stop researching all this info on dry eye syndrome b/c its just making me more anxious. Whatever.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Well, anxiety can exacerbate any symptoms or conditions that you are naturally prone to, so that could be a component. I think a second opinion is definitely a good idea if you're covered for it. You shouldn't have to endure being so unhappy it's avoidable.

 

[melancholymecha]

I have ordered some "onion" googles from a dry eye web store. I hope these work b/c doing the groceries yesterday was torturous!

 

[RJDiogenes]

That sounds like a cool idea. I hope they work for you.

 

[melancholymecha]

thanks, I hope so too. They should arrive on wednesday. I hope they dont make me look too ridiculous when I put them on.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Just get a leather flying cap and a scarf and you'll look like a WWI flying ace.

 

[Admiral_Young]

That really sucks, I'm dealing with my first ever stye right now and have had to cut down my internet and television watching time! I'm actually worried about it going chronic and spreading to my right eye...

 

[melancholymecha]

Just get a leather flying cap and a scarf and you'll look like a WWI flying ace.

uh no kidding! these things are hideous! But they really do work, I was able to throw out the garbage without the wind bothering my eyes today. These will be great for when i have to walk to the bus stop, but Im not so sure about wearing them inside a store, theyre soooo ugly!

That really sucks, I'm dealing with my first ever stye right now and have had to cut down my internet and television watching time! I'm actually worried about it going chronic and spreading to my right eye...

I had a style before, when I was a teen. Heck i wish I had a stye & not dry eye, at least a stye will go away eventually, dry eye can be everlasting.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Just get a leather flying cap and a scarf and you'll look like a WWI flying ace.

uh no kidding! these things are hideous! But they really do work, I was able to throw out the garbage without the wind bothering my eyes today. These will be great for when i have to walk to the bus stop, but Im not so sure about wearing them inside a store, theyre soooo ugly!

I didn't think they looked so bad. And WWI flying aces are cool. But the most important thing is that they work, so you can use the computer, read and watch TV again.

 

[melancholymecha]

yeah, well I think Im also going to splurge on the more expensive Wiley-X/7Eye frames that many others suffering from DES use. I dont think they look that great either(I just dont like how huge shades look on me since Im petite)but at least they'll look trendier then these steampunk looking things.

btw did your DES eventually go away? Do you still have to sheild your eyes from stuff that bothered them? Im worried that my eyes are never going to be like they use to be again. I was planning to see Avatar in 3d(with the new added footage) again but now I cant. It sucks.

 

[RJDiogenes]

yeah, well I think Im also going to splurge on the more expensive Wiley-X/7Eye frames that many others suffering from DES use. I dont think they look that great either(I just dont like how huge shades look on me since Im petite)but at least they'll look trendier then these steampunk looking things.

But Steampunk is cool. You could get also get one of those retro keyboards, like the one Artie uses in Warehouse 13.

btw did your DES eventually go away? Do you still have to sheild your eyes from stuff that bothered them? Im worried that my eyes are never going to be like they use to be again. I was planning to see Avatar in 3d(with the new added footage) again but now I cant. It sucks.

I didn't actually have dry eye, I just had hypersensitivity and irritation due to the chronic headaches (possibly migraines). It all went away after I left my job. It was happening about twice a week at the time, but in the last two and a half years it's only happened once.

 

[melancholymecha]

oh my bad, I assumed you had it b/c you mentioned the onion goggles didnt look too bad(I assumed you had used them before.)

yes steampunk looks cool, but not while youre shopping at Target.

Im glad you eventually got better. That gives me a little hope, even if it might not be the same thing.

 

[RJDiogenes]

oh my bad, I assumed you had it b/c you mentioned the onion goggles didnt look too bad(I assumed you had used them before.)

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I looked them up when you mentioned them.

yes steampunk looks cool, but not while youre shopping at Target.

It's one way to stand out in the crowd.

Im glad you eventually got better. That gives me a little hope, even if it might not be the same thing.

Well, my problem was stress and that might be part of yours, too-- just using the goggles for a while might make you feel better enough to alleviate the symptoms without them.