Dry Eye Syndrome: comprehensive info @ NHS Choices WOW

[Barnclown]

hello all 👋👋👋👋

i was messing around looking at NHS Choices when i found this & thought of you!

E.G.:

Lupus is listed among the medical conditions that increase the risk of dry eye syndrome.

The section on treatments is much more thorough than I remember it being before.

See what you think:

nhs.uk/Conditions/Dry-eye-s...

🍀🍀 coco

[KarenC]

Thank you coco, what an informative article. I have tried both drops and gel, I only use the gel at night because they make my eyes very blurry for quite a while.

Take care xxxx

[Barnclown in reply to KarenC]

👍...what Nightime gel are you using? I was prescribed lacrilube which gave very persistent blurry gummy results. Then a tip top eye consultant prescribed Artelac Nightime gel which is hardly blurry & gummy at all, I love it! 🍀😘

[KarenC in reply to Barnclown]

Lacrilube, that's it, going to try viscostears liquid gel, my chemist recommended it. Xxx

[GloomyEeyore in reply to KarenC]

My GP changed my prescription from Lacrilube to Viscotears. They work pretty well. Still wake up with dry eyes but they are not stuck shut like they were with the messy, sticky Lacrilube.

[Barnclown in reply to GloomyEeyore]

Lacrilube really is not the be all & end all 😆

[Hidden]

Thanks for this link BC. My new practice have just changed my lacrilube to something else instead - probably cheaper! I have Hyloforte drops which I used to use hourly but now rarely use as the lacrilube at night is enough.

My eyes are dry enough for me to notice if I don't use it but no longer dry enough to panic if I can't access drops hourly or even daily. The drug that caused severe eye dryness/ Sicca for me was Amitriptyline - which I took for three years for nerve pain - until I realised it was causing heart palpitations. RA and Sicca are another inevitable pairing but I suspect mine is actually part of my small fibre neuropathy. X

[Barnclown in reply to Hidden]

👍😘🍀

[Hidden]

Very interesting Coco. 👍

[GloomyEeyore]

Thank you for posting this Barnclown. Dr eyes is something I have suffered from for years and years. I have had many different drops and gels but now have Optive drops to use when needed and Viscotears for using at night. I had a Schirmer test done at my first rheumatology appointment in September 2014. The result was 'bone dry'. The nurse who performed it said she had never seen that before. Very little moisture yes but never none at all. It was the ophthalmologist who saw me after this that said my eye drops had to be Optive not Hypromelose that I was getting. That test has never been mentioned again and, I keep forgetting to bring it up.

[Barnclown in reply to GloomyEeyore]

Oh my gosh: what an experience, GE...dry eyes are such a misery...& to have them THAT severely...eeeeek...my version has been bad enough...but is responding well to my NHS eye clinic treatment plan (once I dumped the dreaded lacrilube). But even so, with age, my version of this is gradually worsening...which so far has just meant switching to stronger prescription hylotear forte drops for my early morning dose. One thing I like about this NHS choices link, is that it helps me see the way forward for my dry eyes on the NHS....after a lifetime of feeling patronised & ignored, I like being prepared to stand firm aware of reasonable enhancements to my treatments...😉🍀😘

[Natura]

I got diagnosed with dry eyes 6 months ago. Dr was going to give me meds. I said no thank you. He came back to counter and said try Thera tears. Which is basically fish oil and flaxseed oil. Working for me so far. I stopped taking because it was working so well. Couldnt open my eyes the other night. Started taking again.

[Barnclown in reply to Natura]

Hooray: glad this is really helping 👍👍👍👍😘🍀

[heatherevans28]

Gloomy, I had the same result, nothing at all on the paper and the nurse (who was teaching another nurse how to do the test) stated that it hasn't happened to her. Such lovely snowflakes we are hahah! Least that was an easy diagnosis of sjordens.

I also take amitryptaline which my consultant cannot increase the dosage of due to the severity my eyes.

Can you tell me what the different between optive and hypromelose is?

My consultant gave me drops but said I would probably give up with them as they don't work very well and she's right. The eyelashes take half the moisture away.

I use lacrilube or vita pos (depending on stock), but haven't had any of the clumps or sticking of eyes that people are mentioning. Seems to work but it definitely doesn't last all day.

Wondering if maybe I should see someone about changing it or check that my eyes are okay.

Any info would be appreciated.

Heather x