Dry Eye Syndrome? It might be your eye cream
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

free skin care · Fri Nov 18, 2011 4:23 pm

I'm talking about the lack of tears in the eyes causing gritty and painful eyes that is generally only treated with the regular application of eyedrops. Summer before last I suffered with this horribly. It was so bad I couldn't even open my eyes upon waking without dousing them with waster first, even after I applied a lanolin based eye film at night.

I discovered quite by accident it was my eye cream causing this. Even though it didn't contain any known irritants. I ran out of this eye cream and just decided to discontinue use instead of replacing since it was summer and my skin wasn't dry. Within a week my dry eye syndrome was also gone. Shock

Even natural oils can get into the eye and cause massive irritation, blocking the tear ducts. To this day even if I use only the tiniest amount if pure oil or cream anywhere near my eye area within 6hrs of sleep, I wake up with dry eyes.I can only use water based products on or around the eye area at night.

free skin care · Mon Nov 21, 2011 8:41 am

I personally think it's caused by hormonal shifts; ie perimenopause. The body makes less progesterone in ratio to estrogen which causes something called "estrogen dominance". This is what causes the dry eye symptom.

Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:26 pm

As someone who does suffer from dry eye, your opto can insert ductal plugs which help immensely.

free skin care · Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:37 pm

gretchen wrote:

I personally think it's caused by hormonal shifts; ie perimenopause. The body makes less progesterone in ratio to estrogen which causes something called "estrogen dominance". This is what causes the dry eye symptom.

I never had dry eyes until my periods stopped at 55 and boom my eyes seemed to have gotten dry over night. I tried plugs, restasis, hot compresses...anything that would help. I did go on bioidentical hormones and I no longer have any systems of dry eyes. My plugs are out and I no longer use restasis.

free skin care · Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:24 pm

I havent started perimemopause yet, and Ive had no dry eye problems since. Its possible there can be more than one causal factor.

free skin care · Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:47 pm

gretchen wrote:

I personally think it's caused by hormonal shifts; ie perimenopause. The body makes less progesterone in ratio to estrogen which causes something called "estrogen dominance". This is what causes the dry eye symptom.

"Dry eye syndrome (also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca) occurs when there is a problem with the tear film that normally keeps the eye moist and lubricated. It can occur as a result of various conditions ... Dry eyes affects about 7 in 100 people in their 50s, and about 15 in 100 people in their 70s. Women are affected more often than men. The causes include:

Ageing. You tend to make less tears as you get older. In particular, some women notice dry eyes developing after the menopause.
Medication. Some drugs sometimes have a side-effect of causing dry eyes, or make dry eyes worse. These include: diuretics ('water tablets'); some antidepressants; antihistamines; some treatments for anxiety and other psychological problems; the contraceptive pill; beta-blockers such as propranolol, atenolol, etc; some eye drops used to treat other eye conditions. This is not an exhaustive list. Tell you doctor if you suspect that a drug is causing your dry eyes.
Illness. Some people develop dry eyes as a symptom of a more general disease. For example, dry eyes may occur with rheumatoid arthritis, SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus), and Sjogren's syndrome. In these situations you would normally have other symptoms in other parts of the body. For example, joint pains.
Increased evaporation of tears. This may be due to:
Low humidity. For example, from central heating or air conditioning.
Low blink rate, often combined with opening your eyes wider than normal. For example, spending a long time looking at a computer, TV or microscope.
Windy conditions when you are outside.
Inability to completely cover the eyes when closing the eyelids. For example, due to eye problems that some people have related to thyroid disease. Also, some people sleep with their eyes partly open.
Damage to the outer part of the eyes, eyelids, etc, from disease, injury or surgery.
Blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids) is often associated with dry eyes.
Unknown. Some younger people have no apparent cause.They simply produce less than the normal amount of tears."

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Dry-Eyes.htm

free skin care · Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:51 am

I have dry eyes. I had the silicone plugs before my lasik surgery. As I had -9 vision, its the best money ever spent.

You might try a humidifier at night. Also drink a lot of water and a EFA supplement.

It is important to use preservative free eye drops. The regular eye drops have a perservative that is toxic if used more than four times a day.

Fri Jan 13, 2012 1:47 pm

I was recently told that I have mild dry eye, which means I need to start using eye drops and blinking more often while at the computer. Thank you for your posts, they have been very informative.
I did notice that my dry eye gets worse when I'm in front of a computer for too long and during winter time because it can get really dry where I live.
Before I even got diagnosed I was writing blog posts as part of my work on dry eye for a community site called AllAboutDryEye and while researching the disease I found out the following tips helped me a lot:

Hope this helps! Smile

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.