Dry Eye and What to Do About It

I've written just a little about another condition of mine: Dry eye.

I had dry eye before my lasik surgery, which was 8 years ago. But after the surgery, I really had it bad.

My lasik eye doctor didn't tell me how to treat the condition, which, in hindsight, is very unfortunate and I would even venture to say, unprofessional. But I have learned a lot since then.

A few years of suffering with intense pain, coupled with talking with friends and coworkers, and eventually getting referred by my doctor to a specialist helped tremendously.

My regular optometrist was no help at all. In fact, I stopped seeing her because of this condition and her inability to even offer possibilities for solutions. However, five minutes with an eye specialist, an opthalmologist, helped me put this problem behind me. And my new optometrist understands the condition and is helping me manage it.

That five minutes was spent in a conversation about what I was doing, and what he recommended I do and not do. This occurred just when the liquigel Systane was having difficulties, having discovered fungus in one of their batches. As a consequence, I couldn't find any more of the Systane liquigel; their regular lubricants didn't help me at all. He suggested the following:

1. Stop taking antihistamines and the like, which further dry out the eyes.
2. Use the liquigels that were then coming out on the market. Refresh liquigel is the best, in my opinion. As I was discovering, the regular lubricants don't even put a dent in lubricating my eyes.
3. Start using Restasis, a prescription medication which comes in the form of drops in one-time use plastic vials.

This last one was the real clincher for me. My partner had tried Restasis, but couldn't continue with it because it causes a burning sensation. As it turns out, the burning is due to the dry eye; once you start taking the Restasis and have continued for months, that burning sensation decreases considerably. (At this point in my usage, it's all but gone away.)

The trick here for Restasis, according to my specialist, is to use it daily. Twice a day. And you won't feel any improvement for at least three months. Restasis acts as an anti-inflammatory, and only works for a percentage of patients; not everyone will enjoy its benefits -- and, of course, the problem is that you have to use it for months to find out if you'll have any benefit. Thankfully, it worked for me.

Since Restasis is expensive, he showed me a little trick: each vial will give two doses if you use it sparingly. I have done so and made my supplies last twice as long.

Two things I've also added to my routine: (1) I have also started taking vitamin supplements containing Omega-3: TheraTears. I take 3 orally on a daily basis. (2) My regular optometrist recommended I put a gel in my eyes at night so that when I awake, it won't feel like my cornea is being ripped off. He recommended Refresh PM gel, and that's what I use every night, a drop under each eyelid.

Thankfully, Refresh liquigel and PM gel as well as TheraTears supplements are now available in most drugstores, Costco, and drugstore.com and are easily available. And my regular GP doctor continues my Restasis prescription.
With this problem solved -- albeit with daily ministrations -- I can go on to deal with more serious problems like diabetes and my general health.