Severe Dry eyes, Need serious help/advice

[angela641]

Ok, let me tell my story first and i'll make it short as possible. I'm 27 yrs old, I have Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, High Blood Pressure, and I'm on dialysis. (Those things alone cause dry eyes...) Well, in 1999 I had a kidney transplant and when I woke up from the surgery, my eyes were infected, I think it was conjuctivitis... not sure long time ago. Well, it was a re-accuring infection for almost a year that left scars on both eyes. On the right eye, I have a scar directly on the "line of vision" which makes it VERY hard to see... on the left, it's below the line of vision.. also the opthamologist described my eyes as having "little exploding volcanoes" on my cornea... So, the dr plugged my bottom tear duct's... still no help, I have tried Restatis.... no help. I use preservative-free artifical tears MANY times a day and a dry eye ointment at bedtime, NO HELP. My eyes are so dry and painful I produce "mucus" LOTS of times per day, I'm talking I have to clean it out of my eye over 20 times/day so it doesn't blur my vision. I have to carry a box of kleenex with me because I literally have to blot/wipe my eyes every 30-60 seconds because there full of tears and I can't see because of it. I'm always being asked "Are you ok?, Are you crying?" It's so annoying. :( So far the dr's haven't found anything to help this and I have NEVER seen another person with dry eyes this bad, or wiping there eyes every 30-60 seconds.... It's very hard to take care of my 2 kids because I'm always wiping my eyes or in the mirror wiping stuff out of my eyes!!! I just moved to Iowa in December 2005 from Las Vegas, NV... my eyes are just getting worse... not better... i'm hoping someone on this board can offer some suggestions/advice/experience for me until i can find an Opthamologist here in IA since I have no insurance.... I have to find one in my price-range...

So that's my story... and I hope someone can help. Thanks, Angela. :idea:

[Jacqui]

Your best bet is to see a Dr. You may want to try the University Medical School at Iowa City, they may help Pro Bono or for a small fee.

[angela641]

I've seen over 20 different doctor's... not one has helped me yet. I am however looking into a doctor in Iowa City.... but that won't be for month as they over 2 hrs away and I dont have a car, so.... for now, Im trying to find any advice to help relieve the symptoms or anything... Thanks.

[npdr]

I've seen over 20 different doctor's... not one has helped me yet. I am however looking into a doctor in Iowa City.... but that won't be for month as they over 2 hrs away and I dont have a car, so.... for now, Im trying to find any advice to help relieve the symptoms or anything... Thanks.

Unfortunately, your clinical picture isn't clear from your generalized description of what your ophthalmologist has found. Unfortunately, it appears that you're at a stage where you are already experiencing the secondary complications associated with ocular surface disease and until those complications are controlled, no amount of tear supplements, lubricants or even Restasis will work.

I hesitate to comment further, though, but I do feel a more aggressive approach to your treatment may be needed to stabilize as best as possible your ocular surface disease. At that time, you may then return to Restasis in association with other products.

[chip anderson]

Note: Restasis increases immune deficency. Might make one more prone to infection (ulcers).

[npdr]

Note: Restasis increases immune deficency. Might make one more prone to infection (ulcers).

This is probably only relevant in suspected herpes or HIV/AIDS cases, but not in RA or SLE where there is a constant and generalized inflammatory response systemically. I've done many Restasis cases and have found value in these kind of patients but only after the secondary complications have been ameliorated to some degree.

[angela641]

"Forget lenses. Get the patient to instill one drop of castor oil one to four times daily. The dry eyes will go away.
Chip"

I seen this posted in another post about dry eyes...... Does it work?

[npdr]

"Forget lenses. Get the patient to instill one drop of castor oil one to four times daily. The dry eyes will go away.
Chip"

I seen this posted in another post about dry eyes...... Does it work?

Allergan pharmaceuticals has formulated a castor oil approach called Endura. Although I cannot recommend non-eye approved liquids or pharmaceuticals, you can test out the approach with Endura, an approved drop for the eye. I would recommend 1 drop each eye 4 times a day (more than the package) for 2 weeks, then add Omega 3 or 5 capsules, 2 times a day for an additional 2 weeks. If you don't have hypernatremia, you can make sure your water intake is between 1-2 liters/day.

Do you wear any spectacle lenses? If not, try to get safety glasses with face shields that touch to improve the relative humidity of the ocular surface. Studiesn show that the humidity behind a spectacle lens can improve by up to 10%

[Steve Machol]

I've seen over 20 different doctor's... not one has helped me yet. I am however looking into a doctor in Iowa City.... but that won't be for month as they over 2 hrs away and I dont have a car, so.... for now, Im trying to find any advice to help relieve the symptoms or anything... Thanks.

Sorry but we cannot diagnose or help you with your condition. Only a qualified professional can do this with an on-site visite. As per the OptiBoard Posting Guidelines:

Consumers are allowed to post on the Board, as long as the posts concern general eyecare related topics. However please be aware that any questions that involve diagnosing specific eyecare and eyewear problems are not appropriate for an online discussion forum. These kinds of questions should be discussed with a qualified eyecare professional who has examined you and is familiar with your situation. Posts asking for diagnostic help will be closed or removed.

Good luck.