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Weekly MOVIE Reviews

My Severe-Dry-Eye Treatment
© 2011 www.pixelparadox.com

To begin, let me say that I have found an an inexpensive nighttime dry-eye treatment (or regime) that works for me. It may NOT work for you, and you should consult your eye doctor about any treatment you apply. However I feel it is worthwhile telling you about my experience.

I have no association with, or commercial interest in, any of the products that I mention in this article.

My Dry Eye History and Symptoms:

When I moved to Australia many years ago I discovered I has a severe eye allergy to some new pollen here during the winter. I looked a long time for a remedy. Albalon A Allergy eye drops were the best treatment, but far from being a remedy. Over time my allergy grew less and less severe. However, I believe it was the beginning of my dry eye problem.

I developed severe dry eyes about 6 years ago after having a stye surgically removed from my left eyelid. In subsequent years, I've had 5 surgical procedures to remove styes in the same eye. These procedures are both painful and exhausting. The injection of the anesthetic is like being stung in the eyelid by a very angry hornet.

I was also diagnosed with chronic blepharitis, and insufficient tear quality - my tears dry up quickly (a typical symptom of dry eye syndrome).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blepharitis

I paid close attention to hygiene, and followed the treatment recommended by my eye doctor for blepharitis: warm wet compresses, and the daily use of Novartis Lid-Care Solution and Pads (normally used to remove cosmetic applications from around the eyes). This did not help much, nor reduce my problem with styes.

The Schirmer's I Test performed at that time indicated that I was producing NO tears in either eye during the 5 minute testing time.

http://www.agingeye.net/dryeyes/dryeeyeseyeexam.php

During the day, I could manage OK with frequent application of Allercan Refresh Plus eye drops. However, I could not get through the night without waking up at least twice and applying drops. In addition to dry eye, my eyelids do not close completely while I sleep. I tried taping them shut but this did not work. Obviously, such a disruption to sleep is not healthy. I tried the following products; initially, without success:

goggles:

tranquil eyes goggles
http://www.eyeeco.co.uk/products.html
a ski mask (just experimenting)

eye drops:

Systane Ultra
Novartis Genteal Gel
Allercan Refresh Liquigel
Allercan Celluvisc
Allercan Refresh Plus
Naphcon-A
Murine Tears Plus
Novartis ViscoTears
Tears Again (spray for eyelids)
And a fair number of others claiming long-lasting lubrication, or over-night relief

ointments:

Allercan LacriLube
Alcon PolyVisc

The goggles would not stay in place, and were not very comfortable. The eye drops would not last through the night. The ointments were better, but still dried out during the night and were quite difficult to clear away in the morning.

I was even considering punctal plugs (to keep tears from draining away) and\or surgery to transplant some of my saliva glands into my eyelids. However, both of those options can have side effects.

Success at Last:

I thought that if the ointments would not dry out so much during the night, I might be able to sleep through the night without waking up to put in Refresh Plus eye drops. So, I experimented with pre-lubricating my eyes before applying the ointment, so that the ointment would mix with the lubricant, yet not be washed away by the lubricant. Here is the treatment that I found to work well for the past year, and that I currently use every night (and morning):

1) Apply one drop of Allercan Refresh Liquigel in each eye

2) Lean forward (face down) and close your eyelids tightly, forcing excess liquid to drip out of your eyes (usually one drop will fall from each eye).

3) Apply Allercan LacriLube ointment inside the lower eyelid of each eye, all the way across the lid. Alcon Polyvisc will work well too, but it contains wool fat. I prefer the white paraffin that is used in Allercan LacriLube.

The ointment instructions will tell you not to touch the eyelid with tip of the LacriLube tube, but this is actually almost impossible. So, you must keep the whole process as sanitary as you can. After using the ointment, squeeze a very small amount out onto a fresh-from-the-box kleenex tissue. This will clear the nozzle of any ointment that may have touched your eye. Then use a dry area of the tissue to thoroughly wipe the end of the tube. Replace the cap.

If you have an infected eye you should not cross-contaminate your good eye by using the above method. You should be following a doctor's advice.

4) In the morning you will need to clear the ointment from your eyes. I begin by applying several drops of AMO Lens Plus OcuPure Saline in my eyes and blinking rapidly.

http://home.intekom.com/pharm/allergan/lensplus.html

This product is NOT marketed as an eye drop. It is a sterile rinsing solution for contact lenses. However, it is "formulated to be gentle in your eyes". It's OcuPure preservative decomposes to natural tears components after it is exposed to light. I find it to be the most refreshing thing I've ever put in my eyes. And it is much less expensive than using eye drops for the same cleaning purpose. WARNING: DO NOT MISTAKE "LENS CLEANER" FOR THIS "SALINE LENS RINSE" - LENS CLEANER WILL HARM YOUR EYES.

5) Clean your eyelids as follows: First, wash your hands with soap and warm water. Then wash your face with soap and warm water. Dry your face (but not your eyes) with a towel. Use fresh-out-of-the-box kleenex to dry your eyes. Open a sachet of Little Eyes Gentle Cleaning Wipes.

http://www.littleeyes.com.au/care.php

• Clean away any ocular secretions, crusted matter, and ointment that is present on your eyelids and eyelashes using Little Eyes Gentle Cleansing Wipes.
• Always wipe outwards from the inner corner of the eye (next to the nose) towards the outer corner.
  
• Use a clean surface for each wipe, so any drainage is cleaned away and not rubbed back across the eye.
  
• Take care to clean in between the lashes and sides of the eyelid. Do not wipe along the inner eyelid.
  
• Open a separate Little Eyes sterilized wipe for cleaning each eye, and use a clean wipe for each application .

6) As a final step in the morning, I apply one drop of Visine Allergy eye drops to each eye. On strong allergy days, I apply one drop of Allercan Albalon A Allergy eye drops to each eye, instead of the Visine Allergy eye drops. I never apply more that one drop per day to each eye. Both of these eye drops contain a preservative, so check with your eye doctor about long-term use.

After a year of this treatment, my eyes have never looked better. I use fewer lubricating drops during the day, and my vision is better too. But best of all, I can sleep through the entire night without waking up several times to apply eye drops. I wish you equal success with your own severe dry eye problem.

THE END