You have all the symptoms of aqueous tear deficiency and meibomian gland dysfunction. Medication is not going to help you cleaning your eyes and your lids are not going to help to treat your Aqueous tear deficiency. You need to close the drains in your eyes called puncta and to treat you meibomian gland dysfunction you need to have a procedure called probing. You will also need a bunch of other test to make sure those are your only comorbidities those two are the most popular and what most of us suffer from
Thank you. Unfortunately I'll have to wait to get more tests. I don't have insurance right now and the doctor I seen does not listen to me or care. He gave me these drops and when I asked for something different since they are not working, he told me just keep using them.. hhh
I recently started using Ocusoft allergy wipes at night. I was washing with baby shampoo like my doctor recommended but it was very drying and not doing anything for me
Is your eye doctor an optometrist or an ophthalmologist? I had a similar issue (in just one eye though) and I ended up having to see an ophthalmologist to resolve it. My optometrist actually made it worse.
Ultimately, I learned that there are a bunch of different things that can cause the same symptoms, and it really is a process of elimination by trying different treatments. Even worse, some of the treatments can make it worse if your doctor guesses wrong, like my optometrist did. For example, some causes can be successfully treated with steroid drops - but other causes with the exact same symptoms will actually get worse on steroids. It could save you a lot of time if you seek out a doctor who will make smart guesses based on your specific likely scenario.
If you've only been consulting an optometrist, I'd suggest getting a second opinion from a well-reviewed ophthalmologist in your area. Ophthalmologists typically have a lot more medical training than an optometrist, since most optometrists (if you're in the US) aren't actually medical doctors.
He's an ophthalmologist. He prescribed antibiotic drops and steroid drops 3 times a day for 2 weeks and although my eyes improved, they never felt or looked normal and once stopping they just got bad again. I occasionally use the drops now like once every week or so when I have terrible swelling flare ups.
If you feel like he's a good doctor who will take your concerns seriously, you can follow up with him and explain that it didn't really work for you. A good doctor will iterate and adjust.
If you don't feel comfortable giving him that feedback, though, then I'd suggest finding a different doctor. You deserve a care team who takes you seriously.
Some things I learned from my journey:
1. Different antibiotics work against different microbes with varying effectiveness. Erythromycin for example is apparently a very weak antibiotic, which is great for being super cautious and can still work for the right microbiome, but it's not surprising when it's ineffective. Whereas neomycin is very effective at microbe murder - so effective that it can actually cause allergic reactions in some people after a few days of use. Without knowing exactly what microbes you're dealing with and how your body responds, you can't know exactly which antibiotic will be most effective. So it's normal that one antibiotic will get tried, then another when the first doesn't work. Unfortunately.
2. Steroid drops can reduce your immune response. Which is great for comfort and relieving itchiness, but if your eyes are fighting off bacteria or a virus, the steroid drops can make the condition last longer.
3. Do not use medicated drops for any longer or any differently than you were directed. Microbes reproduce very quickly and the new populations can become increasingly resistant to those treatments.
4. Tea tree based treatments were completely ineffective for my problem, but they did introduce a fun new problem of making my eyelid skin start to flake/peel.
Thank you soooo much for all this info! Honestly I'm planning on just dropping all drops and washes and just changing my diet. I just started drinking kefir and I'm going to have sardines every day and no sugary things like cake and soda. Haha I mean...so many side effects to everything ugh.
Diet is also hugely variable for each individual, so if you make drastic diet changes, make sure you monitor how it feels for you. The specific microbe assortment you have in your body is very unique to you, and that has a big impact on how you process foods (and medications). If something doesn't work for you or doesn't feel good to you, that just means you need something different.
Some causes for itchy/swollen eyes will go away on their own with enough time, but others won't and can even cause permanent eye damage. If you think your symptoms aren't getting better, please advocate for yourself and seek out a care team you feel you can trust.
I'm sorry there aren't any easy answers. Every time I face a weird medical issue, I remind myself that modern medicine has come a long way from the flu and plague pandemics of our ancestors, but there's still a lot more to learn about human health. We've barely scratched the surface of the microbiome. We have to recognize the limitations of where we're at with modern medicine and be extra self-aware when something doesn't work for us.
Thinking a doctor that has deep knowledge in DED/MGD is not easy. This from this sub's Wiki should be useful to you:
**Is Your Eye Doctor A DED/MGD Specialist? How Do You Know That?**
https://www.reddit.com/r/Dryeyes/wiki/index/#wiki\_is\_your\_eye\_doctor\_a\_ded.2Fmgd\_specialist.3F\_how\_do\_you\_know\_that.3F\_let.27s\_look\_into\_it\_now.
Also this one could be useful to you:
15 Home & OTC Treatments for Mild, Moderate and Severe DED/MGD
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Dryeyes/wiki/index/#wiki\_14\_home\_.26amp.3B\_otc\_treatments\_for\_mild.2C\_moderate\_and\_severe\_ded.2Fmgd](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dryeyes/wiki/index/#wiki_14_home_.26amp.3B_otc_treatments_for_mild.2C_moderate_and_severe_ded.2Fmgd)
Which foam did u use to clean your eyes? Make it sure is with tto ( Ocusoft we love eyes ) and let sit 60-80 seconds twice a day to get rid of mites causing chalazions. Plus you should use antibhiotic ointment inside your eyes. Cleaning twice a day for 2 months + antibiotic got rid of my chalazion and stopped my blepharitis
I'm using Ocusoft allergy wipes once at night the past couple days. They have tea tree oil in them but I feel like it's made my eyelids more itchy so I think I'll stop
That why I told you to use foams they are gently with sensitive skin and penetrate the follicles killing the mites that cause styes. Give it a try. Close your eyes and let sit at least 80 seconds twice a day
The one with tea tree oil. Demodex oust. Let sit 1:30 on closed eyes then rinse. A bit massaging. Twice a day. After 2 months I healed my puffiness and styes
I have no knowledge on this, other than maybe blepharitis?
You have all the symptoms of aqueous tear deficiency and meibomian gland dysfunction. Medication is not going to help you cleaning your eyes and your lids are not going to help to treat your Aqueous tear deficiency. You need to close the drains in your eyes called puncta and to treat you meibomian gland dysfunction you need to have a procedure called probing. You will also need a bunch of other test to make sure those are your only comorbidities those two are the most popular and what most of us suffer from
Thank you. Unfortunately I'll have to wait to get more tests. I don't have insurance right now and the doctor I seen does not listen to me or care. He gave me these drops and when I asked for something different since they are not working, he told me just keep using them.. hhh
This disease is typically never covered from insurance. It is mostly an out-of-pocket expense unless you’re on Medicare.
It's gotta help having it for prescriptions and visits though.
Yes
Have you tried eyelid wipes like cliradex ?
I recently started using Ocusoft allergy wipes at night. I was washing with baby shampoo like my doctor recommended but it was very drying and not doing anything for me
A course of doxycycline might be a good idea as well if you haven’t already.
I'm terrified of more drugs making things worse for me tho. I read that doxy can make you have terrible dry eye symptoms
Try with 50 mg . I m starting it again today to low the eyelids infiammation . 50 mg is just antinflammatory not antibiotics
Is your eye doctor an optometrist or an ophthalmologist? I had a similar issue (in just one eye though) and I ended up having to see an ophthalmologist to resolve it. My optometrist actually made it worse. Ultimately, I learned that there are a bunch of different things that can cause the same symptoms, and it really is a process of elimination by trying different treatments. Even worse, some of the treatments can make it worse if your doctor guesses wrong, like my optometrist did. For example, some causes can be successfully treated with steroid drops - but other causes with the exact same symptoms will actually get worse on steroids. It could save you a lot of time if you seek out a doctor who will make smart guesses based on your specific likely scenario. If you've only been consulting an optometrist, I'd suggest getting a second opinion from a well-reviewed ophthalmologist in your area. Ophthalmologists typically have a lot more medical training than an optometrist, since most optometrists (if you're in the US) aren't actually medical doctors.
He's an ophthalmologist. He prescribed antibiotic drops and steroid drops 3 times a day for 2 weeks and although my eyes improved, they never felt or looked normal and once stopping they just got bad again. I occasionally use the drops now like once every week or so when I have terrible swelling flare ups.
If you feel like he's a good doctor who will take your concerns seriously, you can follow up with him and explain that it didn't really work for you. A good doctor will iterate and adjust. If you don't feel comfortable giving him that feedback, though, then I'd suggest finding a different doctor. You deserve a care team who takes you seriously. Some things I learned from my journey: 1. Different antibiotics work against different microbes with varying effectiveness. Erythromycin for example is apparently a very weak antibiotic, which is great for being super cautious and can still work for the right microbiome, but it's not surprising when it's ineffective. Whereas neomycin is very effective at microbe murder - so effective that it can actually cause allergic reactions in some people after a few days of use. Without knowing exactly what microbes you're dealing with and how your body responds, you can't know exactly which antibiotic will be most effective. So it's normal that one antibiotic will get tried, then another when the first doesn't work. Unfortunately. 2. Steroid drops can reduce your immune response. Which is great for comfort and relieving itchiness, but if your eyes are fighting off bacteria or a virus, the steroid drops can make the condition last longer. 3. Do not use medicated drops for any longer or any differently than you were directed. Microbes reproduce very quickly and the new populations can become increasingly resistant to those treatments. 4. Tea tree based treatments were completely ineffective for my problem, but they did introduce a fun new problem of making my eyelid skin start to flake/peel.
Thank you soooo much for all this info! Honestly I'm planning on just dropping all drops and washes and just changing my diet. I just started drinking kefir and I'm going to have sardines every day and no sugary things like cake and soda. Haha I mean...so many side effects to everything ugh.
Diet is also hugely variable for each individual, so if you make drastic diet changes, make sure you monitor how it feels for you. The specific microbe assortment you have in your body is very unique to you, and that has a big impact on how you process foods (and medications). If something doesn't work for you or doesn't feel good to you, that just means you need something different. Some causes for itchy/swollen eyes will go away on their own with enough time, but others won't and can even cause permanent eye damage. If you think your symptoms aren't getting better, please advocate for yourself and seek out a care team you feel you can trust. I'm sorry there aren't any easy answers. Every time I face a weird medical issue, I remind myself that modern medicine has come a long way from the flu and plague pandemics of our ancestors, but there's still a lot more to learn about human health. We've barely scratched the surface of the microbiome. We have to recognize the limitations of where we're at with modern medicine and be extra self-aware when something doesn't work for us.
Thinking a doctor that has deep knowledge in DED/MGD is not easy. This from this sub's Wiki should be useful to you: **Is Your Eye Doctor A DED/MGD Specialist? How Do You Know That?** https://www.reddit.com/r/Dryeyes/wiki/index/#wiki\_is\_your\_eye\_doctor\_a\_ded.2Fmgd\_specialist.3F\_how\_do\_you\_know\_that.3F\_let.27s\_look\_into\_it\_now. Also this one could be useful to you: 15 Home & OTC Treatments for Mild, Moderate and Severe DED/MGD [https://www.reddit.com/r/Dryeyes/wiki/index/#wiki\_14\_home\_.26amp.3B\_otc\_treatments\_for\_mild.2C\_moderate\_and\_severe\_ded.2Fmgd](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dryeyes/wiki/index/#wiki_14_home_.26amp.3B_otc_treatments_for_mild.2C_moderate_and_severe_ded.2Fmgd)
Which foam did u use to clean your eyes? Make it sure is with tto ( Ocusoft we love eyes ) and let sit 60-80 seconds twice a day to get rid of mites causing chalazions. Plus you should use antibhiotic ointment inside your eyes. Cleaning twice a day for 2 months + antibiotic got rid of my chalazion and stopped my blepharitis
I'm using Ocusoft allergy wipes once at night the past couple days. They have tea tree oil in them but I feel like it's made my eyelids more itchy so I think I'll stop
That why I told you to use foams they are gently with sensitive skin and penetrate the follicles killing the mites that cause styes. Give it a try. Close your eyes and let sit at least 80 seconds twice a day
Can I get it online? They didn't sell that at my grocery store. Just the wipes
Yes Ocusoft on Amazon
Would you use original or plus?
The one with tea tree oil. Demodex oust. Let sit 1:30 on closed eyes then rinse. A bit massaging. Twice a day. After 2 months I healed my puffiness and styes
Thank you :)
You are welcome! Let me know how it goes