Blurred vision and sticky eyes

[Clarisa]

Hi everyone,

It's been a whilie since I've posted anything on the forum. I'd like to know if any has had the same symptoms that I am experiencing. Recently my eyes have been feeling very dry and last week thursday I woke up and my eyes were very sticky and covered in what looked like slime (No lie!).
I was told not to wear my lenses (Sclerals) and given an emergency appointment at Moorfields and I was told that my eyes are not producing enough tears. So as a result I was told to use saline eyedrops with no preservatives.
Since then I haven't had any slime on my eyes in the morning but I keep having blurred vision as if there is a flim of something covering my lens. Has this happened to anyone else?

Let me know
Thanks
Clarisa

[GarethB]

Hi Claris,

Yup this has happened to many of us. It can be due to a lack of tear production and also the tears that are produced lacking in one component.

I do not have quite the same as you, but without drops get a jelly like goo in the corner of my eye that comes out on your finger if you dab it in. Finger and thumb test it is a bit stringy.

For me the best management is to use Systane or similar wetting/lubrication eye drop. This helps maintain the corneal hydartion and for my corneal lens, it alows the eyelids and the lens to move with less friction and help maintain the corneal hydration.

Tears are made up of saline, surfactant and a lubricating component. The surfactant in the tears helps the lubricating component flow freely with the saline which hydrates and carries a certain amount of disolved gasses the cornea likes. Gas transfer from tears or the outside world is better for the human body if it has a moist environment. That is why te lining of our lungs is moist like the nasel passages.

For me saline is not enough, but sclerals is a ifferent matter. Preservative free saline to fill the lens will help the eye.

Where there has been a film on the lens, this has resulted in the need for more vigerous cleaning such as more than once per day or cleaning an rinsing at night followed by another cleaning and rinsing before putting the lenses away at night.

It is a hassle, but for some of us it is part of the KC managementlife cycle.

Hope this helps.

Regards

[Knight]

I have often suffered from dry eyes, but rarely any kind of discharge althou I do regularly use artificial tears, specifically 'Tears Naturale Dextran 70 0.1% w/v & hypromellose 0.3 % w/v' as needed and the frequency that I take time can vary depending on conditions but I'm thinking with the amount I use my eyes tend to stay fairly hydrated and flushed. They work really well for me, feel smooth and cushioning, even in my grafted eye, and that helps a lot for comfort.
The only time I've had anything as mentioned was once when I had an slight eye infection, coincidently started when I changed lenses, I had to use an ointment for about 2 weeks, but it really felt itchy, dry and warm - couldn't wear my lens then but I think we're prone to that and wearing scleral lenses I think might only increase that, well at least in my case, the scleral was cleaned and rinsed as normal but never kept overnight in solutions like RPG lenses - although after the infection I used my little protein tub to steep my scleral in like an RPG just to be safe.

[Andrew MacLean]

Ditto

I have a dual problem that produces this kind of effect: firstly I do not seem to produce enough tears to afford my eyes a normal degree of lubrication (I get round this by using various artificial tears ... hypermelamose, carbomber gel etc

Secondly, my 'natural tears' ie the ones I make myself rather than squeeze from a tube, tend to be more viscose than the norm.

But help is at hand. You can buy artificial tears over the counter. I also find irrigating my eye with sterile saline first thing in the morning is a big help.

If you prefer not just to buy artificial tears, why not ask your specialist to recommend something to you? Don;t let him give you a prescription, they are cheaper bought "over the counter", but at least you'd be sure that the 'tears' you used were okay with whatever else you are using.

Oh, and check with your contact lens specialist, if you wear lenses. I think the tube says something about not using the product with contact lenses. Your optometrist will be able to reassure you about the compatibility of your tears with the lenses you are wearing.

All the best

Andrew

[Susan Mason]

Hello

I too have had this in the past however, since starting to use 'Celluvisc' and putting a drop or two of it in my scleral lens along with my usual saline before inserting the lens things seem to have been better.

My optom had not heard of this one before however, felt it could do no harm and also asked that I put a drop in each eye as well when I removed the lenses.

So far things seem better than they have been and lets just say they have been pretty bad.

Maybe this is something for you to ask about.

best wishes

Susan