hi,
my eyes are very very sore and painfull ,they have been like this for a long time,well before i was dx with sjorgrens ,but they are getting much
much worse,what o you all use for this problem ,do i by otc eye drops or from my gp on precription,if so what is the best thing to use?
many thanks xx
Lizzi,
We don't all get relief from the same things. You definitely need to be using otc eye drops for lubrication. Some of the most popular choices are Refresh Plus, TheraTears, and Systane Ultra (my choice). Your doctor may have a preference. He/she may also prescribe Restasis.
Some people have great success in having tiny plugs put into the tear ducts to retain moisture.
They make little goggles (called onion goggles, I think) that you can wear to keep whatever tears you have from evaporating.
I find that avoiding bright sunlight helps immensely. My eyes also love steam. A hot shower (don't let it hit your eyes) or bath gives relief, and so do warm compresses. A mid-day nap rests them and helps a lot, too.
I hope you find some relief. Painful eyes are the pits.
Cheryl
Another possibility is that you have Blepharitis.
Search that term here in the Forum, and you can read all about it.
I was recently diagnosed with it (on top of the Sjogren's which was diagnosed 8 years ago).
At first I didn't take it seriously, thought it was just part of my usual dry, sore eyes. But then I noticed that my eyelashes are growing out sideways and curly (one of the symptoms of Blepharitis).
So I decided to treat it aggressively following the doctor's suggestions, and others that I have found here.
My eyes do feel MUCH better since I have been soaking and washing my eyelids, and using the type of cream that seems most appropriate to the cause of my Blepharitis (allergic reaction).
Keep us posted on what you use to alleviate your discomfort.
Kisses
Carolina
Hi Lizzie,
Sorry your eyes are giving so much trouble. I would suggest going to see your ophthalmologist if your eyes are painful, there could be something else in play. If they feel dry, gritty, or like they have sand or dust in the eye then they are dry and you need to lubricate them or you might have blepharitis. Either way the eye doc can help you with these issues.
I was using Refresh Tears, then Refresh Liquid gel. Funny thing was, the more I used the drops, the more my eyes felt dry! I told this to my eye doc and she said that can happen. She wrote me a script for FreshKote. (I am not ready to try Restasis yet) They are prescription eye drops for moderate to severe dry eye. Wow what a difference! Not a miracle, but these drops treat all 3 layers of the tear film. They don't burn like Restasis (have read that restasis can burn - I have not tried Restasis)and don't blur your vision when administered.
The other benefit to prescription eye drops (depending on what country you are from) is in the US you can deduct your prescription on your income taxes. OTC Refresh drops run about $11. and are not deductable. The FreshKote was $13. and change with my insurance, and I don't have the best insurance. I also have lower lid plugs, but honestly I didn't notice a difference in moisture since I got them, they do help with some people, so that could be an option.
Hope this was helpful, good luck!
Kristine
Sorry to hear your eyes are so sore! Must be irritating. Is this a result of dry eye?
I use TheraLife Autoimmune Dry Eye for dry eye relief. No eye drops. All natural product- no sides effects so far. I take 2 capsules one hour before getting out of bed so my eyes feel fresh. I also take the capsules right before I go to bed so the night time dry eye is not noticeable and I can sleep through the night.
Give it a try. No eye drops - which never worked for me anyway.
Pegasus
Hi Lizzi:
My tear test was -0- in both eyes when I finally went to an ophthalmologist in 2003. He put me on Restasis and within 3 months I was back in my contacts. I've since had to give up the contacts, which is too bad cuz I'm -11.75 left and -10.5 in the right. Don't wait too long to see a good doc, as extreme dry eye can cause corneal scarring, sometimes reversible, sometimes not. He also inserted punctal plugs in my lower lids, but my good ole' immune system built up scar tissue and they were pushed out. He said it wouldn't do any good reinserting them as it would probably make things worse.
Restasis only burns my eyes for maybe the first 5 minutes or so. The last tear test I had was 5mm right eye and 12mm left. That's weird I know, but the left just pours (bad) tears all day long. I also use Systane Ultra (recommended by 2 docs as the best) during the day. My eyes are still bone dry when I wake up, but tolerable during the day with Systane.
Best of luck finding relief! Wishing you comfort soon.
LeoLady
thanks for all your comments and advice,i am seeing my gp on tuesday so hopefully he will give me something,they are so dry and very sore xx
I am starting topical steroids. I assume it will be temporary then back to the restasis.
Hi Lizzie,
I have been having severe eye dryness and pain issues, also, recently. Yesterday was the first time in my life that they were so painful that it was interfering with my reading. I also had a bad time last week (coinciding with intense stress event, which makes me wonder if the stress brought on the flare). My particularly difficult night last week was when I woke up in the morning, and my eyes were burning even though I had been putting eye drops in all night long (at least 7 times.)
Refresh Plus is the OTC drop which causes the least problem for me. (Thera tears gel is sticky and seems to make my eyes drier. Systane Ultra also can give me that "sticky" as opposed to lubricated feeling.
I love the reminder about taking hot baths and steam.
FreshKote sounds very interesting which someone mentioned. I was reading their site. They mentioned that eye drops only stay in the eyes for a few minutes. Is anyone else using this (and if so) can they share their experiences.
I think I'll try this.
Livvie2