My Dry Eyes

[NanaCC]

8 days out until next O infusion, my eyes are super dry so much so they feel gritty at times. Is this MS? Anyone else have this? If so eye drops? I called eye dr they can’t see me until December. Would you call MS doc? Thanks friends

[twooldcrows]

yes eye drops ....i have them and i use them when this happens...pollen really gets bad and that is when i have the problems....i use Refresh myself ...or just ask the eye doctor what kind he recommends ...good luck i know it is irritating ...feels like gravel...

[Neworleanslady in reply to twooldcrows]

I use Restasis for this. An eye doctor prescribed it initially when I was wondering what was going on with my eyes before I was diagnosed with MS. Now my gynecologist ordered it regularly for me, I use her as my PCP. It works great for me. I don’t know if it’s an MS related thing, but I was at an MS conference and the girl in front of me kept putting eyedrops in her eye so I assume she had the same thing. (The conference was for people with MS)

[Humbrd]

I have severe dry eyes. I use eye drops called Cequa, a prescription. And systane. The eye tear ducts get blocked and you get dry eyes. One thing the eye doctor told me to do is to put warm compresses on the eyes twice a day for 10 minutes each time. My hot water comes out pretty warm from the faucet so I run the water over a washcloth and then hold it on my eyes. I have to warm it back up about five times to equal the 10 minutes. It's a pain but it actually really helps. It loosens the blocked ducts and makes my eyes feel better. The doctor also uses a q-tip down in my eyes where the ducts are and unblocks them. That's pretty uncomfortable but got to do what you got to do.

[NanaCC in reply to Humbrd]

Thank you friends I will try warm compresses first I am a hot tea fanatic my grandmother use to put a warm tea bag on everything maybe I will try that oldie but goodie seeing I drink tea 6 times a day

[Humbrd]

👍 the only thing is the doctor said you should do it for 10 consecutive minutes that way it gives the warmth time to loosen the tears and flow better to moisten.

[JSSimp]

Praying your eyes get better. I had the dry eyes for about 6mths and I remember the discomfort. A lot of eye drops and warm compresses finally ease everything🙏🏾

[Juleigh21]

I’ve been diagnosed with sjogrens. I have done Restasis and Xidra. They are both prescription but my current insurance company wants me to pay $750 a month for them. That will not happen. There’s a product called soothe that works very well for me. It has a lubricant and an oil in it. At first it makes my eyes very blurry but then it clears right up and they feel much better.

[Humbrd in reply to Juleigh21]

Hi Juleigh21. I also was diagnosed with sjogrens last year. The eye drops Cequa is around $1,500 for 90 day. I have $100 copay. I called the pharmaceutical company off of the package and told them I couldn't afford the copay and they told me they have a program to cover it. They sent me a check for the $100 to reimburse me and I'm signed up now so next time I won't have out of pocket. Aubagio's pharmaceutical company also as a program and picks up my $60 copay. It's worth it for anyone who has a co-pay to call the pharmaceutical company for that medication they usually have a program to cover it.

[Brindisi1]

Good advice drops & compress. Let eye dr check your eye pressure too. I note a lot of medications affect that. Wishing you well

[bxrmom]

I have dry eye. My eye dr said it is usually due to age. I'm 43 and he said it starts to happen to a lot of women in their early to mid 40s. I use eye drops as I need them. I use GenTeal tears for mine. I purchase them from Amazon. I know there are a lot of formulas out there otc and available by rx.

[ahrogers]

My eye doctor told me they start with over the counter eye drops first and only do prescription drops if that doesn't work. Since it seems prescription drops are twice a day and I only need the OTC ones twice a day I will stick with them. I got Systane the last time and works better than the generic I had before

[kdali]

For me, it was O. I had chronic eyelid inflammation also, and ended up with a fancy kit that included a heated weighted eye mask, and an oil cleanser with bumpy lid massagers. I also had to use drops, and was told visine was crap. The optho would be the one to go to, but you can try heat, gentle massage, and drops now.

[hairbrain4]

I also have severe dry eyes. My eye Dr won't prescribe the pharmacy meds. He says that they can inhibit your eyes from ever lubricating on their own permanently. I use a gel called Siccasian, you have to buy it on Amazon. It is the best eye treatment for dry eye that I have found. A person on this site told me about it. BEWARE of some of the OTC eye drops as they have preservatives in them that can damage your eyes. Some of the preservatives are made with antifreeze. TheraTears Extra is a good eye drop & Refresh has one that doesn't have preservatives. Systane & Visine are probably the 2 worst for your eyes due to the preservatives in them. I've noticed that drinking at least 2 liters of water a day really helps along with shortened computer screen time.

[BlanketTime1]

i use siccasan and siccaforte drops, available on amazon. someone actually recommended it on here and it's the best i've ever used. i have extremely dry eyes. i think it's something that comes with these neuro illnesses, whether symptomatic, side effect from meds like dry mouth or our bodies going crazy, lol. i hope it helps, though if you haven't been to the ophthalmologist recently, i'd go.

[carolek572 CommunityAmbassador]

How are your eyes, NanaCC ? I have the same problem, and my PCP suggested that I try eye drops. Let your medical team know of your scratchy eyes and get some relief. I am going to get some lubricating eye drops.