Dry Eye (treatment)

[GeoffL]

Firstly, a massive caveat: I am not a medical professional and am merely passing on advice from an optician that helped me -- it might not help you and I can't rule out it might cause harm if misapplied, so seek proper medical advice. However:

Some years ago I was diagnosed with dry eye and prescribed artificial tears (eye drops). I recently had an eye test where the optician asked if I was using any medication, including eye drops. She thought the six to ten times a day I was administering the drops was excessive and suggested an alternative eye drop. Almost in passing, she suggested applying a warm compress to my closed eyes first thing each day and before going to bed. The basis for this is that in some people your tears thicken and can clog the tear ducts. Warmth makes the 'plugs' that clog your tear ducts less viscous and can thus clear your tear ducts and return normal function. Her advice to me was to apply a warm compress for a few minutes each time. I did and a couple of days after starting this no longer needed the eye drops. FWIW, the compresses I use are a clean flannel soaked in hot water from the tap or (when in the van) placed in a bowl and soaked with water from the kettle and allowed to cool to a tolerable temperature.

I'm posting this because it seems to me that GPs and perhaps even many opticians don't know about this or forget. I've including a link for info. I hope this helps someone as much as it helped me...

Warm Eye Compress for Eye Problems

When you have pain or discomfort caused by an eye infection or other problem, a warm compress may help. Learn how to make a warm compress and what symptoms they may relieve.

www.webmd.com

 

[Lancaster-Cal]

My friend, a nurse gave me this advise sometime ago - she had done a stint as an ophthalmic nurse! I can say it definitely helps and is a more pleasurable experience

 

[moonshadow]

I used a warm compress which helped alot but the side effect was huge bags under my eyes! Crazy though it seems my dry eyes produce alot of tears in the cold weather!

 

[Campervanannie]

I have had the same problem I do the warm compress and if my eyes start to itch I use TEAR-LAC lubricating drops and clean my eyes on a morning with tea tree oil eye wipes seems to work for me the compress clears the blockage and the TLand TTO helps keep the eyes clean and moist.

60 x Tea Tree Eyelid Cleansing Wipes Dry Sensitive Eye MGD Demodex Blepharitis | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 60 x Tea Tree Eyelid Cleansing Wipes Dry Sensitive Eye MGD Demodex Blepharitis at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[GeoffL]

I have had the same problem I do the warm compress and if my eyes start to itch I use TEAR-LAC lubricating drops and clean my eyes on a morning with tea tree oil eye wipes seems to work for me the compress clears the blockage and the TLand TTO helps keep the eyes clean and moist.

60 x Tea Tree Eyelid Cleansing Wipes Dry Sensitive Eye MGD Demodex Blepharitis | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 60 x Tea Tree Eyelid Cleansing Wipes Dry Sensitive Eye MGD Demodex Blepharitis at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Another treatment (for blepharitis, this time) a consultant ophthalmologist suggested is to use cooled, boiled water mixed with a drop or two of baby "no tears" shampoo to moisten lint-free makeup removal pads to clean 'gritty' residue etc. from eyelids and lashes. He mentioned you could buy expensive pads supplied specifically for blepharitis etc. but sterile water with a little baby shampoo was as effective and much cheaper (albeit needing a little faff in preparation). Worked wonders for me to get rid of the blepharitis but I still needed eye drops until I started the warm compresses.

 

[Pauljenny]

Thanks for that.
We'll certainly try that.

We were done over by new management at our usual opticians.

For the actual eye tests, they recruited a recently retired Consultant Ophthalmologist from Manchester Eye Hospital, who's team had worked wonders when Jenny had a sudden Acute problem.

He was calm, polite and swiftly relieved us of the costs of new readers and unnecessary general purpose specs, " for all day use "
Then he asked if we had dry eye problems. ? We told him that, from time to time, we used locally bought Bepanthene drops, particularly in the hot summers here in Portugal. Twice a day ,in summer, just at night , otherwise.
" Ah, here's the latest new drops.."
When we checked the bill, ( on returning on the plane, he'd charged us £36, for two 5ml bottles..
It's exactly the same composition as the Bepanthene.
This sells at £9 for 10ml, depending on the exchange rate.
Chisel, Fiddle, Filch...
You can't trust anyone, these days.

 

[Winks]

I find that Bambi works for my dry eyes.

Cheers

H

 

[BunnyB]

My friend has bletheritis, not sure of spelling but she has to warm up her eyelids quite often in the day to release the oil in the lash follicles, after heating she gently wipes her finger over the lids edges to do this, sounds a bit of a performance but she copes well with it, so I guess the release of the oils lubricates the eye, I don't have her problem but I do have dry eyes, the hot flannel twice a day works pretty well for me.

 

[Rec]

Dave uses viscotears ( carbomer gel) for his dry eyes. It stays in the eye longer than drops and is easier to apply. But his dry eyes is due to facial paralysis which means he can't blink. Has had tear duct plugged also due to excessive eye watering on that side mainly when he eats. Couldn't get customer gel in Portugal one year (miscalculated amount to bring) so had to get it posted from Uk. The warm compress works well if his eye is inflammed.

 

[Rec]

"Customer gel"

Blooming autocorrect! Carbomer

 

[maingate]

Blooming autocorrect! Carbomer

I also use Carbomer Gel. It was recommended by an eye specialist at Newcastle RVI eye department. It works very well and if you search carefully onliine it is not expensive (the prices vary wildly).

 

[trevskoda]

One thing which buggers the ducts up and gives eye problems is vicks or other makes of nose-unblocking sprays, dont use them, i stopped after my last nose rebore and have had no eye probs since then.

 

[andromeda]

Another treatment (for blepharitis, this time) a consultant ophthalmologist suggested is to use cooled, boiled water mixed with a drop or two of baby "no tears" shampoo to moisten lint-free makeup removal pads to clean 'gritty' residue etc. from eyelids and lashes. He mentioned you could buy expensive pads supplied specifically for blepharitis etc. but sterile water with a little baby shampoo was as effective and much cheaper (albeit needing a little faff in preparation). Worked wonders for me to get rid of the blepharitis but I still needed eye drops until I started the warm compresses.

I was given the baby shampoo advice but found for blethartis not always effective. One optician said it actually can increase tearing because it strips natural oils. I have precription eye drops but in hayfever season also use anti allergy drops and nasal spray.