Dry eyes

[Fififizz]

Please hit me with your suggestions of things that work for you. Mine are also sensitive so can only do preservative free drops. I’m trying a lot like upping oily fish, omega 3 in diet, take sea buckthorn caps (not sure if they do anything) heated eye mask, drops, but they’re still a complete pain. Admittedly seem worse in winter though. Thanks

Wearing glasses when outdoors, they protect against the wind and pollution.

Also, and this isn’t easy, check you’re not allergic to your moisturiser, shampoo etc

Sounds like you’re already doing this but I do a warm eye mask for 10 minutes before I go to sleep every day. Stimulates moisture glands apparently. If it’s not too cold, opening a window (eg at work, where heating is too hot for me) - if I’ve been in an enclosed space with hot heater then mine are worse.

I put a thin layer of Vaseline around my eyes at night, not sure why it helps but it does. Eye drops, specifically hypromellose.

Seabuckthorn is supposed to work well but it's expensive.

On a thread here once testosterone was mentioned as being the only thing that did it.

Thanks, I take sea buckthorn but unsure if it’s helpful but daren’t stop either. I
put Xyalin or similar (from chemist) in my eyes, it’s like vaseline. Does testosterone make them worse or better? I read some stuff suggesting oestrogen HRT may make dry eye worse but it didn’t seem conclusive. Maybe for dry eye you need the testosterone as well as progesterone to balance the oestrogen 🤷‍♀️

Yes, but I’ll try the mask at night instead. Thx for the tip.

I have the green systane drops from boots and they are preservative free. the vial has a few drops and I used it over the course of a day. Keep the drops in the fridge as a cold drop in the eye is a good anti inflammatory.

Make sure you keep your lids clean.

I just remember a thread here describing that testosterone did help. I'm also struggling with dry eyes, but often have. My testosterone level is v low and I may be able to be prescribed.

Regular hypromellose (boots own) is what I come back to.

I sometimes sleep with eyes slightly open and I think the Vaseline somehow helps stop this happening (no idea how)

Yes, I have those too and do the washing with baby shampoo. But thx for posting.

Thx. I’ve just read the bad stuff about testosterone re hair gain/ loss but maybe I need it too. My testosterone is low too. Have you had your thyroid checked. Sleeping with eyes open sounds a bit like Graves which my grandma had. Worth having it checked out unless you already have. x

I'm on thyroxine but yes, just had yet another test today!

Any car or air travel?
The car demister makes my eyes very uncomfortable and after a flight I felt like my lid was stuck to my eye, horrible.
I'm on hrt, using moisturising eye drops and very sparing with the central heating but in the past few months my eyes have been drier than ever.
The local air quality where I live has been poor which can also irritate eyes.

(Sorry, I realise that was suggestion-free!)

Both set me off. In the house I’m finding the heating too much generally, I turn it down as low as poss and have a windows ajar and have a water steam thing going. Blower and heater in car sets me off and yup just done long haul. OMG outbound awful as couldn’t turn air blower off. My eyes were raw. Inbound I used drops, drank tonnes and bought an eye mask. Eyes fared a bit better. It’s a nuisance.

I’m glad you’re on it with thyroid care. So
many symptoms overlap with meno it can be difficult to tell.

Hycosan red one (the others are pointless).

Everyone here should google Sjorgens syndrome.

I have this 👆and lupus (often overlaps) and other autoimmune issues and I have eye drops prescribed - PF drops 0.4% preservative free. Amazing stuff.

I actually started HRT mainly because of the sjorgens issues - vaginal dryness and eye dryness - and I have found it really helps. (I also have internal oestrogen- Ovestin).

www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/sjoegrens-syndrome/

If you can get them prescribed the PF drops I mentioned above have double the same active ingredient as these.

Is that the thicker one? I find the thicker formulas better than just tears. I suppose it depends on your specific requirements.

Hycosan is good but the thickest drops are the systane preservative free from boots. More viscous and gel like than hycosan.

Is there a test for autoimmune problems? I have a feeling there isn’t. My issues could be autoimmune, menopause, thyroid or genetic. I had a private more detailed thyroid done and results were low but not sufficient for NHS. It’s a minefield finding the cause of difficulties and I read somewhere that over 50 a huge amount of ppl suffer with a degree of dry eye and that article seemed to link it with age but diet, screen use all sorts probably play a part. Screen use doesn’t help my eyes either.

I have this. Started at menopause 5 years ago. Held it at bay with hycosan drops at first but now only hycosan night ointment does the trick, is much thicker. Blurs vision momentarily, I use it as and when I feel them 'pulling' and getting itchy. In the Spring/Summer I also use opticrom drops for allergies too.

A good rheumatologist will be able to do a full blood screening for everything, although some things do fall under endocrinology so you may need both - but sjorgens and lupus do have very specific blood tests that you may not have had yet. However, saying that a decent rheumatologist will take your symptoms into account and diagnose based on those and an overall picture of your health. Many people with sjorgens are diagnosed after negative blood tests but based on symptoms. Some people are diagnosed via lip biopsy but this isn’t completely necessary- I’ve never had this.

Thanks, I haven’t been tested for anything. I had thyroid on NHS but it was within range, I paid for private test and that was low but still nothing flagged. I get Raynuards now and feel cold and dry eyes, rosacea but they seem to think that’s all meno. I’m not sure if I need more. I feel ok ish on HRT it’s just additional niggles as I age. Dunno if there’s an additional cause as well as the meno. GP’s don’t seem that interested tbh 🤷‍♀️

Yes, the glasses are a good tip. I need to find some wraparound ones.
Yes, good point about allergies too. My eyes are sensitive to fragrance and oil.