Meibomitis - dry eyes

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I am a long time contact lens wearer struggling with dry eyes. Saw my eye doctor today, he said my eyelids were irritated and dry because my meibomian glands are not working well and are not producing the oils they should be producing to lubricate eyes and preserve tears. He recommended a test called Lipiview to measure the oil output and quantify the eye dryness. If the test indicates a low value, they offer a treatment called Lipiflow, which warms and stimulates these glands, found at the base of your eyelashes. This is the high tech upgrade from simply applying warm compresses to the eyes several times a day.</p>

<p>Has anyone done this?</p>

<p>The test is $125, but the treatment is $1600 and is not covered by insurance. I searched online, found a description of it, a few reviews, with mixed results. Fairly new treatment. Curious if anyone on here has gone down this road.<br>
if it works well, it will be money well spent, but I am a bit skeptical.</p>

2

<p>I had dry eyes, my dr tested my tear production by using litmus strips in lower lid.
It was part of the visit no extra fee & treatment was moisturizing drops.
Which I used for a while, it seems to have corrected itself.
[Sjögren?s</a> Syndrome: Seeing the Symptoms](<a href=“http://www.ophthalmologymanagement.com/articleviewer.aspx?articleid=105707]Sjögren?s”>http://www.ophthalmologymanagement.com/articleviewer.aspx?articleid=105707)</p>

<p>Can you wear glasses?
I also switched to daily contacts.</p>

3

<p>I am severely near-sighted with significant astigmatism. I see much better in my contacts than in glasses. I am planning to have the Lipiview test done, but would certainly explore other treatment options first. I have never heard of any of this before today, was just wondering if anyone had had this particular test or treatment.</p>

4

<p>I have Sjogren’s. never heard of te procedure you’re talking about. Is he a doctor you know and trust? Sounds like an up-sell to me.</p>

5

<p>Have you tried the warm compresses? I use those a lot and started Restatis a few months ago. Both help a lot. I have ocular rosacea. I’ve never heard of Lipiflow but the best forum I have found for dry eyes is dryeyezone dot com. Lots of knowledgeable folks over there.</p>

6

<p>Dry eyes can also be from your lacrimal glands not doing their job, which is autoimmune (Hashimoto’s, Sjogren’s). If you have any other symptoms such as dry mouth I’d go to your GP and ask for a blood test to rule those out.</p>

<ul>
<li>I skipped posts with everyone else mentioning Sjogren’s. Rarely do people know what it is. Leave it to CC. I’ve never met anyone else that has it! My eye Dr. tested my eyes the same way EK4’s did.</li>
</ul>

7

<p>This might help explain it:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I have heard of Sjogren’s and don’t think I have that - no dry mouth issues.</p>

<p>I am definitely leaning towards trying warm compresses and maybe Restasis first. This is an eye doctor my whole family uses and I trust, but…I’m in no rush to try an expensive procedure that is not yet covered by insurance.</p>

8

<p>Do you have other autoimmune disorders? My Sjogren’s started as dry eyes and then progressed to dry mouth. I started by just living with it, then really needed medication. The doctor prescribed pills 3x/day, but I was resistant and only took one. Now, I NEED my three.</p>

9

<p>I have SS, and the dry eyes started before the dry mouth. I learned about it on CC! I had worn contacts since I was 17, first hard lenses then gas-permeable. I am very nearsighted and they were great. But I started to have problems, corneal abrasions, infections. I gave up on the contacts and now wear glasses most of the time, and daily soft lenses sometimes. I feel that the lenses pull moisure from my eyes, though. Apparently there is a new soft lens out that is supposed to be better, and another new one coming on the market this month.</p>

<p>I have been on Restatis for several years. I’m not convinced that it’s doing anything. I also do the warm compresses, and I think they help. I know that there are three different pathologies that cause dry eyes, the two main ones are the ones outlined in #7. I’ve always wondered whether I actually have both.</p>

<p>I have heard of that treatment. I second the recommendation for dryeyezone.com. The company that markets the machine claims that it is much more effective than warm compresses. The treatment sounds scary to me!</p>

<p>I also take Evoxac, two a day. The thing that has helped me the most with dry mouth, though, is this:</p>

<p>[drugstore.com</a> - online pharmacy & drugstore, prescriptions filled](<a href=“http://www.drugstore.com/search/search_results.asp?Ns=performanceRank|0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&Go.y=0&Go.x=0&N=0&Ntt=Xylimelts&srchtree=1&aid=336064&aparam=xylimelts&scinit1=xylimelts&creative=23174721915&device=c&network=g&matchtype=e]drugstore.com”>http://www.drugstore.com/search/search_results.asp?Ns=performanceRank|0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&Go.y=0&Go.x=0&N=0&Ntt=Xylimelts&srchtree=1&aid=336064&aparam=xylimelts&scinit1=xylimelts&creative=23174721915&device=c&network=g&matchtype=e)</p>

<p>They help a lot with nighttime dryness, and the xylitol is supposed to be good for your teeth, too.</p>

10

<p>My SS symptoms disappeared as soon as I removed milk from my diet. I am lactose intolerant. I can turn on and off the big red splotch and dryness in my eye (and the gas and tummy irritation) by eating or not eating milky foods. Lactaid is my constant companion now - whey and milk stuffs are in so many unexpected products. Including soy yogurt if you can imagine such a thing.</p>

11

<p>Thank you so much for the recomendation of the dryeyezone website. Looks like a fantastic resource. I am going to try drinking more water, warm compresses and an Omega 3 supplement for the next few weeks and see if that helps.</p>

<p>Besides being expensive, the Lipiflow treatment looks crazy! Basically heating and massaging your upper and lower eyelids with a machine that fits over your eyes.</p>

12

<p>Another thing that helped with my SS symptoms: drinking high-quality tea. Green tea is known to help SS, but it tastes like grass to me. I bought tea from Teavana and started drinking it every day. It made a difference, and things get worse when I don’t drink it. I drink different kinds, but I think the one that makes the difference is Wild Orange Blossom herbal tea.</p>

13

<p>I mentioned this to a friend who works in eye care. She asked if you had tried something called Systane Balance. It’s for dry eyes with meibomian gland involvement. When she had particularly bad dry eyes herself (frequent contact lens wearer), she started with a Systane gel, which she found less irritating, then switched to the Systane Balance. She’d never heard of the procedure you mention (or at least, didn’t know what I was talking about, though that’s probably because of the way I described it.:)). </p>

<p>She said that even if it doesn’t work, it’s only like $12-16, which is lots cheaper than $1600. Hope you’re feeling better soon.</p>

14

<p>Thanks for all of the ideas - I am excited to try some of these options.</p>

15

<p>Thanks for the link to dryeyezone.com! I also have ocular rosacea and am not getting any relief from warm compresses. I look forward to exploring the site.</p>

16

<p>I am currently treating SS holistically because of a number of other Rx’s. I don’t want to take anything else. I have an excellent natural drug store near me that carries high quality vitamins/supplements without all of the additives. The Omega3 you’ll pick up at the grocery/Costco is made of krill (bottom feeders). You need something better. I had made a lot of lifestyle changes in the year prior for health reasons I would have had to anyway. I also use the eyedrops frazzled mentions. I really find them helpful. The other thing we did was put a humidifier in the bedroom and one in the family room where I spend a lot of time. Our home is very dry and adding moisture to the air (esp the bedroom) has seemed to help.</p>

17

<p>What supplements are you taking, blueiguana? I’m using this fish oil:</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> OMAPURE Pharmaceutical Grade Omega-3 Fish Oil (3 Bottles; 120 softgels): Health & Personal Care](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00487G5LO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00487G5LO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)</p>

<p>I had not heard of Systane Balance. I use Systane and Systane Ultra, but I buy them in the individual vials. One vial will last all day (it can be reclosed). The preservatives in the larger bottles bother me.</p>

18

<p>My eye doctor also recently recommended Systane Balance. After a bad eye infection last spring (partially due to dry eyes) I started doing some research. This is what I ended up doing with pretty good results:</p>

<p>1) I bought a dry eye compress to use. You heat it up in the microwave. Works much better than warm towels.</p>

<p>[THERMALON</a> Dry Eye Compress - Moist Heat | ThermalOn.com](<a href=“http://www.thermalon.com/p13226-thermalon-dry-eye-compress-moist-heat.php]THERMALON”>http://www.thermalon.com/p13226-thermalon-dry-eye-compress-moist-heat.php)</p>

<p>I can tell that warm compresses work because I have an oily film in my eyes right afterwards. Means the glands are expressing oil. Ideally, you would do this 1-2 times a day. I do it a few times a week.</p>

<p>2) I started removing my eye makeup with Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (per my eye doctor’s suggestion). It works great. No stinging. I actually resisted this idea for a long time before finally trying it. Will never go back to eye makeup remover again.</p>

<p>3) I clean my eyelid margins a few times a week with a mixture of Baby Shampoo and water applied with a Q-tip. Keeps the glands from clogging up.</p>

<p>4) Got a rx for Restasis - use twice a day. It takes a few months to start working. I have noticed a decrease in dryness, though it’s not completely gone.</p>

<p>5) I use Systane Balance every few hours when I’m at work staring at the computer all day. I kept getting ‘eye strain’ after working for a few days in a row. Totally went away after I started using drops (along with the rest of my ‘program’). I never would have guessed it was due to dry eyes.</p>

<p>Also - I often use GenTeal gel drops at home first thing in am before putting in Restasis if I wake up with dry eyes.</p>

<p>My eye doctor recommended large doses of Vitamin E (as opposed to Omega 3). I declined to do this as I have problems with bruising and Vitamin E (or Omega 3) makes it much worse.</p>

<p>6) I run a humidifier at night when the house is particularly dry. And of course, drink lots of water.</p>

<p>My eye doctor says my eyes look much better. They feel better. Not perfect but greatly improved. I still can only get about 4-5 hours out of my contacts. Next, I’m going to try wearing a pair of lens and then removing after 4 hours and putting in a fresh pair. I’ve read some people have success with that.</p>

19

<p>I have never been diagnosed with anything & have not done extensive testing, but my eyes are exceedingly fussy, get red & bloodshot (sometimes just one or two capillaries) easily and remain painful etc. Wind is a killer. An eye doctor mentioned Systane eyedrops as being the lubricant with which his patients have had the best luck. I use them regularly and any time my eyes are bothered, rarely I add a drop or two of Tobradex to quell an oncoming issue that has not simmered down. I found the Systane drops quite helpful.</p>

20

<p>@ NYMomof2</p>

<p>This is the Omega 3. I don’t pay nearly this much.</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Ocean blue omega-3 2100 mg dietary supplement softgels, natural orange - 120 ea: Health & Personal Care](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/omega-3-dietary-supplement-softgels-natural/dp/B003SYB4J6]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/omega-3-dietary-supplement-softgels-natural/dp/B003SYB4J6)</p>

<p>A probiotic which has helped a lot, but then I also eat a lot better too. I know you can order this, but I wouldn’t trust it as it’s supposed to be refrigerated. I think there’s a time frame it can be out, I just worry about shipping trucks being 100+degrees.</p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.megafood.com/digestive-probiotic/megaflora]MegaFlora[/url”&gt;http://www.megafood.com/digestive-probiotic/megaflora]MegaFlora[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Bioton 5000mcg (my very thick long hair has thinned considerably :frowning: ), and D3 5000IU</p>