Greenie Grannie, I have been in the ophthalmic field for 22 years. Did your doctor test for dry eyes? What symptoms are you having and what testing did he use? The first thing I would try is filling a sock with some rice, microwaving until warm, (NOT HOT) and place it on your closed eyes and relax for 15 minutes/day. This can be wonderful in relieving dry eyes. Also, have you had LASIK or another refractive surgery? That can exacerbate dry eyes.
Peacebug, thanks. I don't know if he tested or not during my eye exam. What exactly is the test? I've been complaining of eyes being tired and strained. They want to tear (or they do start to tear) mostly when I'm in the car or when I wear eye make up. At times I have to blink alot to get moisture.
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There are a few things we do when looking at dry eye. The first is tear break up time (TBUT) which involves putting a drop of yellow dye called fluorescein into each eye, looking at the eyes behind the biomicroscope or slit lamp, using a blue filter. We have the patient blink, then use a stopwatch to time how long it takes for the tear film to go from a smooth layer covering the eye to begin breaking up.
There is a test called a Schirmer's test, during which little strips of paper are placed into the lower corner of the patient's eyes, and the patient is instructed to keep looking straight ahead, closing her eyes if she wants to, and sitting for five minutes. The amount of "soaking" of these strips is a decent indicator of dry eye syndrome, although not definitive. It has to be done properly, for one thing, and not every doctor/technician knows the proper techniques.
Then there are the "high tech" methods where they can sample your tears and analyse them in a special machine...this can tell where the dry eye is coming from (which layer of the tear film).
I take it your doctor recommended you use artificial tears? The most important thing to look for is a product that does not have BAK or benzalkonium chloride as a preservative. This is proven to not only aggravate dry eye, but in a study I saw presented just two weeks ago, patients were actually better off not treating their dry eye at all than using a BAK-containing product. (BTW Visine is one of the worst offenders...stay away.)
A non-preserved artificial tear is best and will come in the form of single-dose units or in the form of a "disappearing" preservative, that once exposed to air it becomes neutral. You are probably better off with a single-dose unit. You can also try the sock thing. People with severe cases of dry eye syndrome have found relief in formulas containing Omega 3 EPA and DHA fatty acids, GLA, Vitamin E and other ingredients, over time, find that this replaces the need for artificial tears. But you might want to start with the non preserved artificial tears, resting your eyes every fifteen minutes when using the computer (yes, every fifteen minutes...just look away and blink some full blinks for a minute), and try the sock thing.
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I have dry eyes and my eye doctor told me to use Thera-tears single dose - no preservatives. it does help....also take Evening Primrose oil, DHA purity... my dry eyes started around menopause and could be related to lack of estrogen during menopause. I am much better now though since doing E2L diet strictly and DHA purity and evening Primrose oil.... but it took a while and they still do get irritated towards the evening or after a long day on the computer...but they are so much better than they used to be...
Elise
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I've been using drops for dry eye since I was 16 (that makes it 34 years!) - and at my last checkup the eye doc was even suggesting the tear duct surgery. But I think I'll just keep using drops. I personally can't recommend one brand over another and I've used just about everything. But I wish you well with whatever drops you choose. I've just gotten used to having my drops everywhere - on my desk, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, in my purse, in the car..............
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Anyway, you could have the plugs put into your tear ducts to see if they help. They are removable...I've had mine in for many years. Also if you've been using drops for all this time, make sure they are non-preserved. You are QUITE correct that the brand doesn't matter...the CVS brand will do.
One thing I didn't mention, though, is for nighttime use, a gel with a disappearing preservative is your best bet, and that's what I use. I also use this when I am in planes for any stretch of time. You can also use a single-dose unit of 1% methylcellulose right before bed. It's too thick for daytime use but nice for overnight.
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My doctor gave me the gel for nighttime use as my eyes occassionally are kind of sealed shut in the morning and it's very unpleasant. Sometimes I even have to put drops in during the night. But the gel also would get into my eyelashes and be a big pain in the butt. Right now I seem to be in a good phase.
Interestingly, I have noticed that although my eyes haven't been "cured" with ETL - they are MUCH worse when I make poor food choices and better, particularly at night, when I'm 100% ETL.
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