Dry Eye - problem with treatment

Eye care
1

Hi,

I am being treated now for dry eye. The problem has gone on for some years. A few years ago I went to a well known optician chain and the optician claimed I needed varifocals. I persevered for over a year but it felt like the wrong prescription plus I was taking off the glasses to read - I could read perfectly without them. I also felt the prescription for short sightedness in the right eye was wrong. The optician denied this and tried minutely different prescriptions. The long and the short of it, I tried them but nothing worked after going back several times and I felt my time and money was being wasted by the constant flippant denials. Of course I was concentrating on the prescription. In the end I asked for just lenses for short sightedness and lost the money I had paid for varifocals. Roll forward a couple of years and I woke up with a painful eye, sensitivity to light etc. I went to another optician who after examination gave me preservative free drops Thealoz Duo and wrote to my GP who arranged for a hospital appointment. Luckily I do not have scarring as the optician thought but I do have dry eyes, severe in one eye. I found Hycosan the best although I've been prescribed Hylo Tear. I couldn't get on with the latter. It felt too thick and sticky and made my eye sore, so I've swapped back to Hycosan. However perhaps because I've got quite narrow eyes close to my nose, I'm having trouble finding a happy medium of keeping the eyes lubricated (I some times have used gel as well but I'm trying to do without) and not feeling as if I have a slight cold or it going in my throat. I do wash my eyes whenever I can and also use a heated eye mask which is very soothing. But the whole thing is very tiring. I do of course, to say the least, that the carelessness of a major optician's chain has cost me two or so years and allowed a deterioration which could have been caught earlier. But my concern is getting my eyes on track and taking the physical strain off myself (I am still waiting for a new prescription as I've had to use the drops for several months first to see if it affects the prescription in the right eye). I'd appreciate any help and/or other people's similar experiences and how they dealt with it?

2

dry eyes may be solitary affecting eyes and may be associated with systemic disorders  and associated with dry mouth and other mucus membranes. Also some people has autoimune disorders  as rheumatoid artheritis and so. these conditions should be treated as well.

frequent use of preservative- free lubricant may be effective , but sometimes we put punctum plugs to keep tears in the eyes for longer periods.

also hydration is important in dry eyes.

dont forget to blink while working on PC or watching TV or Driving .

avoid dry mode AC too.

hope you be fine soon.

 

3

Hi HanO,

Thanks for your reply & info! You gave a helpful list HanO tho' I think you left out the prescription of steroid sex hormones in the form of drugs for menstrual disorders, acne etc or for contraceptive purposes.

Maybe it got lost in my justified disgust over a number of very flippant and careless optician's in a major optician's chain not only not picking up the condition but dismissing my disquiet over the glasses they gave me & then not refunding me when I went back from varifocals to single lens --- but

The main problem I have now is a permanent slight cold and sometime a dropping into the throat of the stuff I put in the eyes. Can you or anyone can share experiences or help on this?

4

Hello,

taste of eye drops felt in the throat is a good sign that you have a patent nasolacrimal canal. you can reduce it to minimal level if you press on nasal part of lower eyelids for 1-2 minutes after installing eye drops .to avoid drianage of drops through puncti to nasolacrimal canal that makes you feel the drops to throat.

 

5

Thanks HanO. That's definitely very useful to know! Will it help with the blocked nose as well?

6

No Janese, it w't work .