Dry Eyes

[LJB98]

Hello! I’m looking for any information that anyone has about dry eyes and how it may relate to anxiety.

I know I have dry eyes after a trip to the opticians which seemed to start after I began taking sertraline (not sure if there is a link or just coincidence!).

The symptoms of dry eyes such as blurry vision really set off my depersonalisation symptom of anxiety and I hate hate hate that sensation of depersonalisation and it can send me into a spiral.

I currently use the hycosan extra eye drops and the do help short-term however, you can only use these up to three times a day as your eyes can become blocked from the fluid but I feel like I need to use them every half an hour! I also use a heated eye mask when needed.

I don’t really know what else can be done for dry eyes so any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[Agora1]

Hi LJB98. I can sympathize with you in dealing with Dry Eyes. As for myself, it's due

to medication (both dry eyes and mouth). Anxiety itself, can cause us to mouth breathe

causing additional problems such as gum and tooth disease. The Saliva is meant to

constantly be flowing in order to keep bacteria from forming in the mouth. With dryness,

tooth decay is more prevalent and loss of teeth can be the result.

You are doing the right thing for your eyes by using the drops as directed as well

as using a moist heated eye mask. As for the mouth, using a non-alcoholic mouth rinse

such as Biotene can keep the mouth fresh and moist. Adding a humidifier in your room

can be beneficial during sleep hours. Prevention is the way to go. xx

[Mumbutterfly in reply to Agora1]

Posted a reply to thread but others may not see it. Eye doctor recommended taking krill oil and it worked. Took it for years until it got too expensive. Dryness came back. Started taking vitamin E for something else and noticed it has begun to help with the dryness.

[Agora1 in reply to Mumbutterfly]

Mumbutterfly, thank you so much for the suggestions that worked for you.

Dry eyes can be a year round issue for some whether caused by medications

and/or heating as well as air conditioning. xx

[Dolphin14]

Interesting I never thought about a correlation between the meds and dry eyes but it makes sense.

I have dry eyes. My Dr told me to use natural tears and he said you can't use too much. Maybe that in between your other drops?

I use the ointment at night and I have one of those warm eye masks. I can't believe how well that works. I also bought a cold eye mask.

I know how annoying and uncomfortable this can be

🐬

[Mumbutterfly in reply to Dolphin14]

Posted a reply to thread but others may not see it. Eye doctor recommended taking krill oil and it worked. Took it for years until it got too expensive. Dryness came back. Started taking vitamin E for something else and noticed it has begun to help with the dryness.

[Dolphin14 in reply to Mumbutterfly]

Great I will give it a try. Thank you

[Arymretep]

I use eye gel daily and also find a heated eye pad from my optician very helpful, it heats up in the microwave

[Mumbutterfly in reply to Arymretep]

Posted a reply to thread but others may not see it. Eye doctor recommended taking krill oil and it worked. Took it for years until it got too expensive. Dryness came back. Started taking vitamin E for something else and noticed it has begun to help with the dryness.

[niccolette11]

I have terrible dry eyes. Only thing that helped was eye Dr. putting tiny plugs in eye ducts which keeps tears in eyes or for very severe corterizing the eye ducts ( in office). Also, prescription Restasis extremely helpful. I used Sertraline and don't feel it had anything to do with dry eye. My Dr. said 50% of his patients have dry eye.

[Mumbutterfly in reply to niccolette11]

Posted a reply to thread but others may not see it. Eye doctor recommended taking krill oil and it worked. Took it for years until it got too expensive. Dryness came back. Started taking vitamin E for something else and noticed it has begun to help with the dryness.

[Kinlay]

Antidepressants absolutely can cause or exacerbate dry eye. I use multiple OTC eye drops (most of these you can use as many times as you want to) daily to deal with that and it's more manageable than the overwhelming anxiety without the meds. I tried the prescription drops, but honestly the OTC stuff is better for me because I can use it whenever I need to.

[Mumbutterfly in reply to Kinlay]

Posted a reply to thread but others may not see it. Eye doctor recommended taking krill oil and it worked. Took it for years until it got too expensive. Dryness came back. Started taking vitamin E for something else and noticed it has begun to help with the dryness.

[LJB98]

Thank you for the advice! Can I just ask what you mean by OTC eye drops?

[Arymretep in reply to LJB98]

Over the counter

[designguy]

I use the preservative free eye drops in the little vial containers and can use as much of them through out the day as I want without any problems. A lot of eye drops have preservatives in them which can irritate your eye and cause dryness. I also live in a high-desert environment which is pretty dry which can exacerbate the dryness. I also have glaucoma and take eyedrops for it which contribute to my dry eyes. I was on sertraline for a number of years and didn't notice that it contributed to my dry eyes or at least made them worse but it's possible that it is for you, it is one of the listed side affects of taking it.

Also, I think those of us who are prone to anxiety don't like uncertainty and can take an issue and blow it up out of proportion and fixate on it so it's helpful to be rational with yourself as much as you can.

[Mumbutterfly in reply to designguy]

Posted a reply to thread but others may not see it. Eye doctor recommended taking krill oil and it worked. Took it for years until it got too expensive. Dryness came back. Started taking vitamin E for something else and noticed it has begun to help with the dryness.

[designguy in reply to Mumbutterfly]

thanks, yes I take Krill oil and also Marine DHA oil capsules, it is supposedly what the fish actually eat and is more effective. I use to also take vitamin E but quit when starting with the fish oil but maybe i'll resume.

[Mumbutterfly]

Eye doctor told me to take krill oil ( orally). The dryness improved dramatically. I took it for years until it got too expensive. Went for a while without taking anything and problem came back. I’m taking vitamin E now and it’s beginning to help.

[lawn62 in reply to Mumbutterfly]

Good morning. What form of Vitamin E do you take (i.e., liquid, capsules)? Also, what brand do you take?

[Mumbutterfly in reply to lawn62]

I take the oil in soft gel form. I get it at Walmart and it’s the spring valley brand.

[lawn62 in reply to Mumbutterfly]

Thank you.