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| Sahara Desert |
Although I did not
think it was possible, my eyes have actually gotten drier. I guess we’ve moved from a regional desert to
the Sahara.
Now, my eye history
is long and complicated. My symptoms are made worse due to a previous corneal
infection and subsequent scarring, which my doctors attribute to Sjogren's. I
also have had uveitits, another serious eye condition which needs to be kept
under control or can lead to vision loss. I also have seriously dry eyes,
related to my Sjogren’s as well.
Last week, my eyes
started to really bother me in a way I have come to associate with serious
flares. I became extremely sensitive to light (again!, but it had been a while)
and developed constant eye pain, to the point that putting in my usual
preservative free drops in my eyes was quite painful. My right eye became so uncomfortable that I
had to use an eye patch just to watch TV. Looking at a computer screen was out
of the question.
Generally, when I
have a flare up, I put extra drops in my eyes. This time that made my eye hurt
more, so I immediately became particularly concerned.
Early Sunday morning
my husband I bundled up and trundled off to the emergency eye clinic, where my
doctor wants me to go if anything out of the ordinary happens to my eyes.
The good news is that
there was nothing requiring emergency care like a flare of my uveitis or an
infection. However, the doctor did
notice that my eyes particularly the right eye was extremely dry to the extent
that the layer that covers the front of the cornea or corneal epithelium had
been effected. This extreme dryness she explained was why I could not put drops
in my eye without pain; dryness this severe can feel like a corneal abrasion. Ouch!
Of course, my
blepharitis and ocular rosacea were also simultaneously in full force, which
also contributes to eye discomfort.
The doctor suggested
using my nighttime eye ointment (my preference is Refresh P.M. Sensitive but
there are a number available) frequently during the day to improve the
lubrication, more warm eye soaks, and re-starting steroid eye drops. It was a
bit of a surprise to me that my eyes could still be so dry given how much time
and how many steps I take each day trying to keep them moist. I guess that is
what happens with Sjogren's.
I thought I would
share my daily growing eye care routine for my dry eyes and blepharitis.
What do you do everyday to help combat your dry eyes?
~ Preservative free
drops about 8 to 9 times a day.
~ Restasis 4 times a
day as prescribed by my doctor
~ Steroid eye drops as
prescribed by my doctor
~ Warm eye soaks 2
times a day.
~ Ocusoft lid cleanser
~ Preservative free nighttime
eye ointment
~ Humidification every
night for dryness
