Protecting skin from salt damage ... how?

[NotQuiteCockney]

I have an eye problem, that means one of my eyes leaks tears a lot of the time (v pleasant). I've got an opthalmologist appt next week, hopefully it will get better.

But the salt and water is damaging the skin under my eye, particularly in this weather, and it hurts.

I'm putting a range of barrier creams on (best success with a vegan night cream for healing, and neutrogena hand cream for barrier), reapplying regularly, and being gentle with the skin - rinsing with water to make the salt go away etc etc. Is there anything else I can do?

How about a nappy balm ? The Waitrose one is great as a gentle barrier.
My mum had leaky eyes for a couple of years and then had a tear duct rebore which worked wonders.

Kamillosan? Meant for sore nipples but always works wonders on sore skin IME.

Hmmm, will try some of those.

I don't know what the cause is, that tear duct works sometimes, but sometimes not. Might be an infection, as scary yellow stuff comes out. (Lovely)

Aaargh, Soupy, I owe you a nativity costume. It's not been lost, just forgotten! I keep going to the bloody post office these days, too, so don't even have that as an excuse. Will post this week.

Hi
I had an op on my eye last week because I had a growth in the tear duct - not nice, have spent the last 4 years with watery eyes due to the water not draining away!

Only found out it was a growth a year ago when it became bigger and I could see it - yuck!

Anyway, I recommend Vaseline and not rubbing the eye! If you do have a particularly bad watery day, I recommend a nice soft pair of pants to gentle dab the eye

Eww, re seeing it.

I'm hoping I don't have to wait four years - it's only been since the summer and it's been driving me bonkers.

Emma, did the problem come and go? Or always get worse? My GP thought it couldn't be a blockage, as it does seem to ebb and wane.

I would have a really watery eye probably once a fortnight and then it would subside for a while.

It drove me mental though and I used to think people thought I was crying all the time!!

At first I was given loads of stuff for infections but it never totally went.

Then I pulled down my eyelid one day and could see a little piece of skin. I was told it was a burst cyst. But when it carried on growing I went to the Ophthalmologist who said it was a lump which needed removing.

I had this done and it was actually quite large, starting deep inside the tear duct.

Ah, mine seems to have weeks off, and then weeks on, iyswim. But otherwise pretty similar.

Did you have scary yellow gunk? That's what makes me think it's an infection - but it hasn't spread to the other eye, despite me being not v careful with the masses of horrible yellow gunk.

no, I never got that at all. In the morning there would be some 'sleep' but that's all.

When it first started it would be watery for a couple of days and then nothing for weeks. Then it got more often. Surprisingly though, once it was so big you could see it, the watering was better!

Immediately after surgery it was corrected though - now it's as good as new!!

Maybe mine is an infection that was resistant to the drops? I'd rather it was an infection, easier to treat than a blockage, I think.

This is much more than sleep, I get lots of tears, but also big clumps of yellow gunk. Sometimes, in the morning, I can't open my eye, and my vision is always really cloudy then from the gunk. [nauseated]

Glad to hear you're ok, though. Was the op with a local? Or a general?

Yes it certainly does sound like an infection. My eye was stuck in the morning a couple of times but I think that was infection through messing with it [gross].

It was a local anaesthetic as I had to roll my eye back for him to get it. He pulled it out with tweezers and then cauterised it to stop the bleeding.

Oh, that's not that bad, at least. I mean, being awake for it must have been a bit horrific, in a Clockwork Orange sort of way, but at least you didn't have to have a total.

The worst bit was having to have a gown on that completely covered my body apart from a hole for my eye - very claustraphobic!

The needle hurt too but only cos they forgot the drops first!!

And the smell from the cauterisation was like, well, hmm, burning flesh!! (at this point I was imagining my DS's dancing round the living room singing, just to keep me sane!!).

The gown sounds ... odd ... Like a burka? But with a single eye hole?

(am covering my eyes/ears and singing la la la la re: the needle, I'm Not Good with needles.)

yeah like a burka, but green! I kept telling myself I COULD breathe under there!!

Ugh, now the bit with the duct is uncomfortable today. Ugh ugh ugh.

masses of sympathy for you both

I have a watery eye occasionally and it's a nightmare