moisture goggles

[cinmac]

Hi to all,

I am in the midst of a very bad flare and my eye moisture is about zip, even with all 4 ducts plugged, taking minocycline, salagen, fish oil, and prednizone.  I am contemplating moisture googles, although because of vanity more than anything I have been resistant to the idea.

How ugly are they?  Are they comfortable to wear? Do they help enough to warrant the expense?  Does anyone know if they come in transitional lenses or do u have to get a pair for indoors and out? I feel like Snoopy as the Red Baron when I think of them.

Also my mouth is staring to go dry as well.  I have only had one real bad bout of mouth dryness but it just about drove me over the brink.  I had sores in my mouth and my tonque actually cracked open!  Again, any thoughts other than artificial saliva, salagen and hard candy.  Last time I couldn't even suck on hard candy cuz I had no moisture and it just made the sores worse.  Right now I'm just using ice chips.

I hate this disease, I truly do.

[Epson]

I think you can get then built into beer goggles, how cool is that!

[cinmac]

Well at this point the beer part sounds good.

[Dolly Dimples]

 Cinmac, sorry to hear your having a bad time with the dryness, I can't comment on the goggles as I have wondered about this same thing myself..
 
    I dont have plugs either, I gather they are quite a hefty price here in the UK, that's if one can find someone who does it!
     
             Dry mouth , I do know about,   wow if only I could only suggest something different!!    You said not to recommend mints etc'      so sorry but of all the remedies I have tried,  nothing beats Oral Balance Mouth Gel , but even that at times  just doesn't do anything !        pure lemon juice was  the closest  second. pure yoghort and pine apple juice is good for cleaning the mouth, good mouth hygiene is of course paramount.      Yep! your right...    we all hate this thing      ...If you do happen to find the miracle, let us know!
                   
                                                               Hope you find relief soon, Dolly
     
   
   

[cinmac]

Thank you.  I haven't heard of that mouth gel and hope it is available in the states. I will check the pharmacy in the morning.

Plugs are readily available here (if you have insurance) but if you don't have insurance they would be pretty costly cuz they fall out and have to be replaced quite frequently.  I have had my top 2 tear ducts cauterized off-which hurt like heck-but the plugs just wouldn't stay in.  The bottom ones have been in a couple of years now, which is a record for me, and I truly think I would be blind without them.

Do they have lacri-sert inserts where u are?  They are little cellulose capsules smaller than a grain of rice that you put inside your bottom eyelid.  You put them in once or twice a day.  Here they are available by doctor's prescription. They are kind of a pain because they migrate at times but before I had plugs they saved my life!

I keep hoping that when I wake up the dryness will be gone.  I have had it come and go before almost instantaneously.  I wish I could figure ot what triggers it, but then, don't we all.

[ohiolady]

I wear Panoptyx moisture goggles.  I bought mine at a Harley Davidson shop.  They have been a life saver for me.  I love to walk and be outdoors but would not be able to if my eyes weren't protected.  Mine are two years old and I paid about $190.00 for them.  I have the Solano style.  And, yes, they are ugly and I hate it when people stare at me.  But, they protect your eyes.  When my eyes are really bad, I'll wear them around the house.  Mine are not transitional.  Hope this helps.

My mouth is really dry and my tongue has been cracked for a couple of years.  I use Evoxac and it has given me quality of life.  Without it, my mouth is unbearably dry.  I suck on sugar free Ricola cough drops the mountain herb flavor.  They are not sickening sweet and they soothe my mouth and help with moisture.

Anna

[eyeamdry]

I'm with Ohiolady on this.  I have Panoptx which cost $500 because of progressive bifocals.  There are discussions on the pros and cons of moisture chamber glasses/goddles/kinds at Dryeyezone.com

[cinmac]

Thanks so much for the info.  I have never seen anyone with the goggles but then again I have only met a couple of people with sicca complex and all of them have secondary with Lupus and seem to have milder symptoms, although I think their disease is more dangerous.  There are days when I think this is going to kill me, but the docs say if it were going to, it would have by now.  Supposedly research shows that if your Sjogren's is going to progress to lethal it will do so in the first few years.  I hear so much contradictory info that I must say it is confusing.  If my eyes ever get moist enough I am going to try to find more research about it online.

[eyeamdry]

I'm wearing my goggles on the Dryeyezone website.  I'm talking about the pic on my avatar.  It's only a thumbnail, but you might get the idea. 

The "goggles" are not what you might be thinking, but if you can picture a pair of motorcycle sunglasses with a snug fit, you'll get the idea.   Many of us have dry eyes because of Lasik surgery and that is what brought that website about.  I have the problem first with Lasik causing dry eye and then being dx 7 years later with Sjogrens.  I've been searching through dry eye things going on 10 years now.
Have yet to find the miracle.
P.S. My "goggles" are prescription with Transition lenses plus progressive bifocals.  They stay snugly on as opposed to wearing something "over" your regular glasses.Lucy

[trector1955]

Hello
     I can tell you about the sunglasses I wear when I am outside. They help with the sun, wind ect. They are the sunglasses that fit over your own glasses they keep out wind cuz they are wrap around but they are pretty. You can get differnet ones at the eye place at Walmart They cost about $29.00 or you can get the other ones that have been on TV for $9.99 I brought mine on line than I brought two more pairs at Walmart. They are great. I was at the hospital with my Daughter when she had a car accident one of the Dr's. had these really neet glasses on they wrapped around his head and they had the lenses put inside. he said he got them in the Army. Good Luck I have really bad dry eyes. I am going to do an eye study with a dry eye specialist at John Hopkins in Baltimore Md. they said the other day it would be a few more weeks for the new meds. to come they said the new meds were better than restatis. I can't wait they said I need to come back up and see the Doctor before the study. But this hospital is two hours away and I have to have some one drive me. I can hardly drive any more because of my eyes. I can not see very well because of the dryness.
Theresa

[cinmac]

Thanks so much.  Maybe I'll go the wraparounds before spending the big bucks on the goggles.  I would need the transitional lenses too or have to get 2 pairs cuz I am blind as a bat and have to wear my glasses all the time.  I am hoping this will pass.  The doctor upped my prednizoe to 60 mgs yesterday, but it doesn't seem to relieve dry eye as well as it does nerve symptoms.

My eyes are the worst they've ever been right now.  I was a 5 with plugs and I bet it's pretty close to zero right now.  I will be very interested in your dry eye study.  I sincerely hope it helps you. Please,please post any results. 

Thanks again to all.