I am on 2 types of combination eye drop to stabilise my eye pressure . Currently it’s between 16-19 so definitly needing the amount of drops I am prescribed I guess.
now I have chronic dry eye though to be due to the drops and by the afternoon the white of the eyes it red, veins showing and very sore.
they say the only thing is dry eye drops and short course of steroid drops when it gets bad . The steroids do the trick but are bad for me over time.
Feel like I am perpetually putting drops in my eyes at the moment (11 times a day currently x3 glaucoma, x4 steroid,x4 dry eye) the soreness has gone a I feel normal again butit’s going to come back and it gets me so sore and tired and down that I find it hard to work and just get so low .
Anyone else had this difficulty ?
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Sufitzy
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Sorry to hear about your very sore eyes. Before surgery I also had red, sore eyes,now they are still dry but I instill regular lubricant drops even before I feel the need for them.
You do not mention if all your drops are preservative free. Many do have a preservative free version but not all. Benzalkonium chloride is a common preservative which always irritated my eyes.
I find a humid atmosphere at home beneficial, also often feel better outside.
Do you have a microwavable eye pad ? available from opticians and Amazon. I use mine in the evening for about 10 minutes then wipe both eyes with cool boiled water.
Most days I also try to clean my eyelashes well with the boiled water. There are special cleansing wipes which many people find helpful.
Some opticians have dry eye clinics, but this is not on the NHS and I am not sure how widespread in the UK. ( There is one in Taunton ,Somerset)
Glaucoma UK have downloadable dry eye treatment leaflets and I think they have probably got a dry eye webinar on the Glaucoma UK you tube site.
Hope you eventually find some relief ( Thealoz Duo preservative free individual lubricant drops are very helpful to me.
hi muddledme, interesting to read your comments. Do you know if the eye heat pad is ok to use after a trabulectomy operation? I’m worried about damaging the bleb or pressing anything onto the eye.
I have had two shunts implanted with blebs , so although I still use the heated pad I just lay it across the closed eyelids for about 10 minutes then carefully wipe along the eyelash lines with some cool boiled water and a soft cotton pad. I did wait several weeks post op before recommencing.
Sorry I cannot remember if I ever asked a medic about this, but when I next attend a clinic I will ask ! Anything different I will post.
Yes, I have sore eyes, left one worse. 25 years of using different eye drops and lately operations and procedures, all followed by long term use of steroids and many other eyedrops have apparently caused this. It is miserable to live with for sure.
I have used HyloFort on prescription for quite a while but I get extreme soreness and redness in the inner corners of my eyes, intensly itchy and feeling of grit in eyes .
Last year I was prescribed Ikervis by my consultant (after ointments had failed.} After I had been on this for a couple of months my condition improved and by the 4th month was much better. Then I was taken off Ikervis (it is an immune suppressant and can't be on it indefinitely).
However over the last few weeks the condition has returned and I am back on Ikervis, I haven't seen much improvement yet, but have only been on it for 3 weeks now). I am thinking that this time I will come off the Ikervis more gradually and see if that makes a difference.
As Muddledme said, bathing your eyes (I use warm boiled water with a pinch of salt, one pot for each eye with cotton wool eye pads) provides some relief. I also use Blephaclean sterile wipes as my moebian glands are not functioning properly. Also as Muddledme said, a heated eye pad used in the evening is good, I put a clean tissue between the eyepad and my eyes. Then I lightly massage my eyelids close to the eyelashes to try to release the blocked glands. I was told to do this at the eye clinic. Blocked moebian (oil) glands contribute to dry eyes I was told.
Whatever you do, resist rubbing your eyes,it just makes it worse.
Sorry if I am telling you stuff you already know, but it may help somebody else as well.
same issue here. I have had sore gritty eyes on and off since I’ve been on this journey. Since my failed trab eight weeks ago I’m now on three types of glaucoma drops AND the steroids six times a day. It’s only taken a couple of days for the pain to come back. In the past I’ve found a conversation with my optician more useful than my consultant. They have more time to spend with you and are more focused on all round eye health than just the glaucoma. I also use a warm eye compress and bath my eyes with warm water twice a day with particular emphasis on my eyelash area. Apparently we have hundreds of tiny oil glands that lubricate the eye in that area. They get blocked by all the drop residue. It takes a couple of weeks of using the warm compress but it was revolutionary for me. One note though, try to find a good independent optician. I used to be with boots and they were completely unsympathetic to my issues (wouldn’t take my pressures when I had bad symptoms etc) and I recently discovered someone else who is with specsavers who had the same problem. Good luck x
thank you for the response . Though I have used the warm heat pack you are the first person to explain why it is beneficial. Makes so much sense now you say it .
My glaucoma consultant recommended Theoloz Duo as well as Celluvisc, which I find easier to use. Celluvisc is individual phials that come in two strengths, 0.5% and 1%, which is more viscous than 0.5% and ideal to use last thing before bed. If you're careful, you can re-stopper the phial and get two or more uses from it. I do find it's helpful! I agree about warm compresses. Every morning I pour boiled water into a small bowl to which I've added a tiny drop of baby shampoo, wait a few minutes, soak a cotton pad (fresh one for each eye) in the water and gently press against my lashes for a mo or two.
I presently used three meds for glaucoma in one eye, and am just reaching the end of steroid drops on my other eye after Preserflo surgery. 3 months ago. I use preservative free lubricant drops usually once during the day, and often wake up at 3-4am and use them again. I find that by cleaning the eye drop residue from my eyelashes, I cut down on the dryness and irritation. I cut up old terry cloth washcloths into smaller squares, zigzagged the edges with my sewing machine and use them to clean my eyelashes. Each morning and night after using my drops, I wet one with warm water, squeeze it out and use one side to clean my eyelashes on one eye, then turn it over to clean the other eye. I never re-use them, and use a fresh one each time. I throw them in the washing machine when I am close to running out.
Sorry to hear about your sore eyes, I can really sympathise, I have very similar. It really can get you down, by the evening my eyes can feel so tired and sore I struggle to read or do anything productive. I don’t really have any advice sorry, except to bring it up at your next appointment and stress how debilitating you find it. There may be other drops you can try, you might be reacting badly to the ones you’re using. It’s interesting to read the other comments. All the best, hope it improves for you.
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