<p>Thank you for the site. I don’t do as many steps as I should…lazy and tired at the end of the day…have been on Restasis for about two years now and have had improvement but not 100%.</p>
<p>I have little plastic plugs in the bottom tear ducts. That keeps the tears on the eyes longer. Works.</p>
<p>I had a huge issue with this a few years ago…used Lotamax and Restasis and it worked short term…</p>
<p>Then it re-occurred: my eye doctor asked me, “are you using Claritin year round for allergies?” “It dries your eyes out, making them more susceptible to infection etc”. I immediately stopped taking Claritin and haven’t had a problem since; I manage my seasonal allergies with a decongestant and nose spray…</p>
<p>I occasionally need an eye drop for slight irritation, but it is nowhere as bad as it was…</p>
<p>I would try the Restasis before I undertook any expensive procedure…unles they think there is an underlying medical condition.</p>
<p>Well, I just spent $64 on Amazon and purchased the Thermalon dry eye compress, Omega 3 capsules, Systane Balance eye drops and Ocusoft Lid Scrub. I am going to try these products for a few weeks and see if it helps. After reading some of the stories on the dryeyezone website, I feel my situation is minor, compared to what some people have to contend with. If my worse case scenario is that I can only wear my contacts for 8 hours a day, or I have to take them out for a while mid-day in order to wear them in the evening, that’s not the end of the world. I am concerned that my eye doctor feels the problem is only going to get worse with age. So, I am very curious to see if any of these remedies - recommended here and on dryeyezone - will help.</p>
<p>Rockvillemom - this is going to sound funny coming from someone on cc… But, while online medical forums can be exceptionally helpful to find out non-invasive, homeopathic, ways to treat and make yourself more comfortable, a little goes a long way. I had to learn to stay off the websites/support forums for SS because people have it in varying stages and there’s no way to say what MY progression might be. I may have the same symptoms I do 15yrs from now, or I might need to move to RX meds and a rheumatologist in a year. Who knows? What I do know is reading it all was causing me a lot of anxiety and I had to step back. Information and education is excellent, When you start to worry back away. I’m not saying you were/are. I’m just identifying with the feeling of others having it worse. </p>
<p>I hope these things work for you and you get relief soon.</p>
<p>I agree with you completely. All I have is a fairly generic case of dry eyes - incredibly common. It wouldn’t be a big deal at all, except for the severity of my vision problems and the difficulty I am experiencing with my contacts. The dryeyezone website had some ideas worth trying, but I don’t see myself joining that community or frequenting that site on a regular basis - my problem does not rise to that level.</p>
<p>It was interesting to get a better idea of the types and causes of dry eye and see that meibomitis is very common. I also saw discussion of the Lipiflow procedure on there - with very mixed reviews. It helped some people - but others felt they had wasted $1500-$1800 on the procedure. And some of those who were helped by it commented that the benefits are not permanent - you would need to do it every year or so.</p>
<p>If I can get a bit of improvement from my $64 experiment, I will be completely satisfied.</p>
<p>Good old CC–help with just about every issue of life. I have dry eye issues and lack of oil production too, along with hypothyoidism, allergies, sinusitis. My optometrist recommended hot, wet compresses twice daily followed by eye wipes or diluted baby shampoo wash and also Systane Balance eye drops several times a day. I found that routine messy and hard to keep up with.</p>
<p>My D graduates from med school this month and did a rotation with an eye doctor. He recommended this:
Make an eye compress with new knee-high stocking and a cup of rice. Heat in microwave and put on eyes twice a day. Follow with OcuSoft lid scrub and then Systane Balance. </p>
<p>This dr. thinks this is an easier treatment to keep up with rather than wet compresses and is just as effective. I got the OcuSoft from Amazon as my drugstores didn’t have it. </p>
<p>Also be sure to get Systane BALANCE drops, as there are several other kinds. The other kinds don’t address the lack of oil problem.</p>
<p>I finally fired my opthamologist after spending lots of time and money trying to fix my dry eyes. I won’t go into detail, but it was ridiculous. </p>
<p>Someone on CC recommended Barleans Flax Seed Oil capsules. They didn’t improve my dry eyes at all, but they make my hair and skin nicer.</p>
<p>bookiemom, I’ve always been able to find the OcuSoft lid scrub at both CVS and Walgreens, right in the store. Maybe it’s regional?</p>
<p>I can find Ocusoft easily here, too. But I often buy things on Amazon, because they tend to be less expensive. I have Systane eyedrops on Subscribe and Save.</p>
<p>I was using genteal Pm ointment at night.
I also changed the type of contacts solution from optifree to biotrue, as well as the kind of contacts.</p>
<p>I was able to discontinue the special things to cleanse my eyes and even the drops eventually.
I also dont wear my contacts everyday anymore.</p>
<p>I have two meds which dry my eyes which I have to take–anticholinergic and antihistamine. Have given up contact lenses, which I wore since age 18. Tried restasis and Systane drops. Neither helped. Also have been taking fish oil, which seems to be helping some – now I don’t wake from painfully dry eyes, but still can’t wear contacts. </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone dealing with this issue. I never had any expensive treatment to address this issue, tho was sad to switch from contacts to glasses.</p>
<p>I can’t believe there is a thread about this! I was just getting ready to start one of my own.</p>
<p>More than 10 years ago, I started having watery eyes. Tears would just stream out of my eyes and people thought I was crying. My opthamologist recommended that I have my tear ducts enlarged. I know, most women would have their breasts enlarged, but I opted for tear ducts. LOL</p>
<p>That took care of it for about 5 months, then it started again. This time he said he didn’t know what it was, but maybe it was allergies. I started allergy drops. But after a few years of the drops not working, I just stopped using them.</p>
<p>I pretty much gave up, although I had learned a few tricks to keep the water from streaming down my face, like carefully washing my eyelids with watered down baby shampoo.</p>
<p>Then my opthamolagist retired, and I had an appointment with his replacement. For years I have stopped mentioning the tearing, because nothing was working, but he asked me if I ever have itchy or burning eyes. When I said yes, he asked which. Both. So he gave me a sample of Systane Ultra Eyedrops as well as a sample of a drop for allergies. As soon as I tried the Systane Ultra, I felt such relief! In retrospect, I think the reason I felt relief from washing my eyes with baby shampoo was because it was introducing moisture to my dry eyes.</p>
<p>But then spring arrived, along with pollen. Now I am using the allergy drops. So I’m in the process of figuring out when I need the allergy drops, and when I need the Systane Ultra.</p>
<p>About 6 weeks ago, my husband gave me an article to read that recommended Omega-3 for dry eyes. Since Omega-3 is good for a whole lot of ailments, I started taking it regularly. I just mentioned to him the other day that I think my eyes are not nearly as dry as they used to be since I started taking it.</p>
<p>Forgot to mention- for more than 10 years I have stopped wearing eye makeup because it seemed to aggravate the problem. Since using Systane Ultra, I can wear eye makeup again! My eyes are my best feature, so this is a big one for me.</p>
<p>Thanks for chiming in - this seems to be such a common problem. I started taking the Omega 3 capsules two days ago. I hate swallowing large capsules - but I am managing. The rest of the things I ordered from Amazon should be here within a few days - eager to see if they help.</p>
<p>I am less and less inclined to do the Lipiview test or the Lipiflow treatment my eye doctor recommended - I have read everything I could find online - and see such mixed results. The fact that he has purchased this machine and is pushing this treatment is also making me question whether or not I want to remain with this eye doctor or perhaps look around! I am in the process of getting new contacts through him now - depending on how that goes - I may look for someone else in the future.</p>
<p>Quick update. I have a new evening routine (after removing my contacts) of washing my face as usual, and then cleaning my eyelids and eye area with the Ocusoft Lid Scrub - which are actually pre-moistened wipes. Then, I use the Systane Balance drops and finally the heated Thermalon Dry Eye Compress. I have also been taking Omega 3 capsules.</p>
<p>Results - my eyes already feel better! My favorite product is the Thermalon compress. You heat it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and it provides moist heat to the eyes. My eyes feel so much better after doing this. I also like the drops. The lid scrub - eh - nothing that remarkable - but part of my new routine for now.</p>
<p>I am very excited to see how my contact lens wearing improves with this new routine. I am very hopeful. Thank you to everyone who suggested these products to try.</p>
<p>Thanks for the update. So glad you’re finding positive results already! I hope it continues to get even better. You’ve convinced me to try the compresses. They sound soothing.</p>
<p>Another Sjogren’s person, here! Not surprised that there others on CC.</p>
<p>I gave up on contacts many years ago–sadly. Dry eyes were so dry that the center of the contacts would stick to my eyes and tear–as in a hole in the center.
Dry mouth started later than dry eyes.</p>
<p>I have tried restasis, punctal plugs, omega 3 oil, flax oil, Boiron homeopathic eye drops. Restasis and punctal plugs (in tear ducts) did not work for me. A combination of fish oil and flax oil is pretty good, with Boiron drops for particularly dry days.
Also, I agree that eliminating dairy is most helpful.
When my eyes are dry, all of my other soft tissue starts to hurt and fatigue sets in. So I really avoid most dairy. However, whey cheeses, such as parmesan and romano seem not to bother me.</p>
<p>Just curious…how are your estrogen levels? I had a complete hysterectomy last November, and tried to go without hormone replacement therapy. After a couple of months my eyes were painfully dry,my skin was dry, itchy, and crawly-feeling, and my nails were brittle and peeling. Hot flashes drove me to begin using an estrogen patch, which eliminated all hot flashes within 24 hours, and my eyes, skin, and nails recovered almost immediately as well!</p>
<p>I went from using dry eye drops all day to using none.</p>
<p>I am planning a physical soon and will ask to have estrogen level checked. I don’t think that is a big part of my problem as I am not in menopause yet and have always had some issues with dry eyes, although it has been getting worse as I age. I did see mention of that on the dryeyezone website.</p>