UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Having been suffering from dry eyes for a couple of months now, and seemingly exhausted the eye clinic's range of drops and online stores, I went to the hospital today and it appears my eyes are naturally very dry and under normal circumstances it would be recommended that I do not wear contact lenses. Unfortunately with not having that option, I now feel at a bit of a loss as to what to do next. I am currently piggy backing as my eyes are a bit too sensitive to cope with the RGP's on their own as well, which I was told possibly adds to the problem. I am hoping once the temperature starts to increase a bit and the lesser need on central heating everywhere I go that things may improve slightly, but then I imagine I will end up with the same problems next winter and so on. I'm going to be trying using baby shampoo and cotton buds to clean my eyelashes in an attempt to clear my tear ducts, but I have to admit that I am rather sceptical as to whether or not this will make any difference. I can't really spend the rest of my life adding drops to my eyes every five minutes, nor can I work using spectacles, even though my KC "not that bad" from what I have been told.

Is there anything else I can do as I am getting pretty frustrated, and I do not really like asking for extensions to my university deadlines due to not being able to wear my contact lenses.

Like you, I have permanent dry eye.

In addition to using preservative free clinitas soothe and frequently wiping my eyelids, I also use a hot eyemask at night. I think you can get them from the same online sources as artificial tears. You pop the mask into the microwave and then lie down with it over your eyes for five minutes. This seems to soften one's tear ducts and makes them more productive.

Just be careful to follow the instructions on the box.

Before I got the mask, I used to make a face flannel warm with water and do the same thing with this folded and laid across my eyes.

Andrew

Ah! Might try this for Char then (if she's up for it) I could maybe do a beauty session for her and make this part of it! Another good idea from this forum. Thanks for that!

Hi. It sounds like you have tried many of the eye drops that are available, so I can understand your frustration. Have you tried simple lifestyle adaptations, such as using humidiers, avoiding air-con, regular blinking exercises? You can also try some dietary adaptations - eating a diet rich in dark oily fish, nuts, and leafy green vegetables is good for the tear film.

how much caffeine & alchol do you drink? are you genereally dehydrated?

since converting to decaff, and drinking a lot more water/fruit teas i am more hrdyrated and dont suffer quite so much as i did with dry eye. it hasnt eliminated the problem totally but has reduced it some

I read somewhere that Flaxseed oil can help with dry eyes. Don't know whether it helps or not but I've been trying a teaspoon of it with breakfast. Doesn't taste very nice but I wash it down with some tea. I've also tried using eyelid wipes that you can buy in chemists - they are individually wrapped and may help keep tear ducts clear also!

Thank you for the replies.

Andrew - I will look into the facemask, might have to stick with the warm facecloth though for a few months.

saoirse - I try to avoid air con where possible, unfortunately a fair few of the buildings at university have it which makes things a bit tricky at times. I naturally tend to blink quite a lot with the RGPs in. I actually noticed my eyes drying more last night after removing my lenses because I was blinking less. I'll try to give dietry changes a go, but its not easy on a student budget

Lizb - I generally only drink one or two cups of tea a day, the rest of my fluid comes from water/squash which I drink a fair bit of, I think I easily take on at least 2l of water a day. Only tend to drink alcohol once or twice a week, and generally I've taken my lenses out as I'm a bit worried about damaging my eyes trying to remove my lenses after a couple of drinks.

Stephen Low - My mum has provided me with a couple of those wipes, will be giving them a go sometime soon. Will also look into the oil, but again price may affect whether or not I can afford it (haven't checked prices yet)

Hello,

Loads of good suggestions here about treating the cause of dry eyes and artificial tears, but just a thought about lens types and dry eyes- you might want to consider trying a lens which can protect the corneas, such as a mini-scleral lens. These can be from 14-18mm ish and vault the cornea, trapping a layer of tears between the lens and the eye. They can give pretty decent vision too.

Sophie