Over the past several months my eyes have been bothering me almost incessantly. I think I have identified the four main reasons why:
- Looking at a computer monitor all day at work. My eyes definitely bother less on weekends and on vacation. Maybe I should go on long-term disability leave...
- Since my eyes typically kill when I wake up in the morning, I don't think I fully close my eyelids during the night. A nighttime eye ointment and a sleep mask have helped a little, but I think I need a heavier mask to put more pressure on my eyelids. My doctor even suggested that I tape my eyelids closed at night with medical tape!
- I think I damaged my eyes when I was living in Japan. For two years, I foolishly slept in my contacts every night. I haven't been able to wear contact lenses for more than a couple of hours per day ever since.
- Living in AZ, air conditioners and fans are, of necessity, constantly blowing in my face. I need to move to Alaska; I'm almost always hot.
On two different optometrists' recommendations I've tried Systane (initially really good, but seemed to lose its effectiveness):
...and Optive (similar results as Systane):
Yesterday I bought Genteal lubricating eye gel and I love it:
It is basically the consistency of jelly (i.e., not a traditional drop) -- but it feels amazing.
It is especially important that I nip this dry eye problem in the bud soon because I plan on getting LASIK in January. When I went for an initial evaluation for LASIK last Friday I noticed posters about dry eye problems in every single room I visited.
Apparently the flap they cut in your eye severs your nerve endings that serve to regulate tear production -- at least for 6 months until the nerve endings can fully heal. This creates dry eye problems for people who never had problems before and exacerbates dry eye problems for those who have had problems previously. Some doctors won't perform LASIK on patients with pre-existing dry eye problems.
I'll probably need punctal plugs (they block the drainage of tears in your tear ducts) and RESTASIS.
6 comments:
Neat. Keep us posted.
Austin, I heard that you were only a "partial blinker" at one point in your life. Do you still have dry eye problems?
Richard,
I am delighted to have an internet conduit to all the interesting things you think about. Welcome, welcome!
I love that you addressed this problem on your blog. My mother -in law was just complaining about her dry eyes and now I can have a great suggestion for her ...thanks Rich.
I didn't realize you were such a prolific blogger - goof thing I occasionally check Nancy's sidebar.
My friend's husband had dry eyes before LASIK and I think she said that the LASIK has exacerbated the problem. He shares your employer so maybe it's something in the water there.
Post script: I've been having better results with Optive recently. Previously I was using 2 or 3 drops per eye per day. Upping that dosage to 8-10 times a day works better for me.
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