Dry eye syndrome

Associate
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Does anyone suffer from this and how do you manage the condition.

After 3 trips to AE over the last 3 months I finally was directed to New Cross Eye Clinic, who confirmed I had chronic dry eye syndrome and the only course of treatment was eye drops 6 times a day with a final one before bedtime. Which is fine but I'm crap at actually getting it in.

The last episode was Thursday night at 10.00pm eyes starting feeling sore by 12.00 I could not open both eyes and the pain was unreal, akin to putting (dry sand in your eyes) the sense of grit in the eyes was horrific. This lasted for 10 hours before I could open them see pic.

Anyone else have similar symptoms?

qOLVttA.jpg
 
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New Cross is my eye infirmary too! I sometimes have to go to Cannock as well as I'm under 2 consultants.

I've been asked to use Systane Ultra as 'artificial tears'. I've been using it for years, so it's not a cure as such. Just something that I have to live with. Supermarkets sell it for around £12 per 10ml bottle, but Amazon can sometimes under-cut it if you buy it in bulk.
 
Caporegime
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A family member uses 'tears naturale' to combat this. Works very well for her.

I guess it just takes time and perseverance to get better at applying the drops.

About £3-4. I believe Boots sell them.
 
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OP
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New Cross is my eye infirmary too! I sometimes have to go to Cannock as well as I'm under 2 consultants.

I've been asked to use Systane Ultra as 'artificial tears'. I've been using it for years, so it's not a cure as such. Just something that I have to live with. Supermarkets sell it for around £12 per 10ml bottle, but Amazon can sometimes under-cut it if you buy it in bulk.

Thanks for your input, the opticians gave me Hyco San Extra to try. It has a one drop pump so easier to administer.

New Cross GelTears 6xday and Xailin at night will see how these fare.
 
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OP
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A family member uses 'tears naturale' to combat this. Works very well for her.

I guess it just takes time and perseverance to get better at applying the drops.

About £3-4. I believe Boots sell them.

Thanks for the info always good to know what's working for other people.
 
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Does anyone suffer from this and how do you manage the condition.

After 3 trips to AE over the last 3 months I finally was directed to New Cross Eye Clinic, who confirmed I had chronic dry eye syndrome and the only course of treatment was eye drops 6 times a day with a final one before bedtime. Which is fine but I'm crap at actually getting it in.

The last episode was Thursday night at 10.00pm eyes starting feeling sore by 12.00 I could not open both eyes and the pain was unreal, akin to putting (dry sand in your eyes) the sense of grit in the eyes was horrific. This lasted for 10 hours before I could open them see pic.

Anyone else have similar symptoms?

qOLVttA.jpg

I was intrigued by this, as I knew that New Cross Hospital, Avonley Road, London SE14 closed down at least thirty years ago, so I Googled it, only to find out that there’s another New Cross Hospital out in the boonies.
Who knew?
 
Soldato
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I don't suffer from it but I would suggest you check humidity levels at home if that's where it is happening most. I get dry eyes if it's low but certainly not chronic.

And just general hydration I guess will be important, more water less coffee etc
 
Soldato
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My mother has dry eye. Best drops she's found are Hylo Forte - downside is they're very expensive (I want to say about £15), but you can get them on prescription if your doc will do it. Unlike most eye drops though, they last about 6 months from opening, and not just a week or two. So you do actually use the whole lot and not end up throwing half of it away.
 
Soldato
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I was intrigued by this, as I knew that New Cross Hospital, Avonley Road, London SE14 closed down at least thirty years ago, so I Googled it, only to find out that there’s another New Cross Hospital out in the boonies.
Who knew?
I did the same thing as I could walk myself to hospital as New Cross is a street away :D

I had a severe eye infection last October. 484 bus to King's College Hospital A&E was my first use of public transport under covid!

OP I hope you work out some good management strategy for this - has glaucoma been ruled out?
 
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Hylo Forte are good, with the added benefit of gently 'shooting' the drop in your eye rather than dropping in. Makes it easier.

Feel sorry for you OP as i get dry eye occasionally and it's awful. Really ruins the day.
 
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I've not found any drops that work overnight for me and I've tried a few. Always wake up in the morning and can't open my eyes.

For extreme circumstances like the one you mentioned in OP, you need to find something as easy as possible to apply. Tears are a combination of salts, fats, lipids and all kinds of stuff, but Saline actually feels pretty damn good in terms of quick relief. You could try keeping a Saline pod on your desk/bedside table. A few drops under your lower eyelid should be all you need to blink it in and get your eyes open. Saline is so cheap you can basically pour it over your face from above and you're bound to get some in there even if you're crap!

This is a quick fix to allow you to open your eyes and get some proper prescribed drops in there, and who knows, might even make the problem worse long term! Listen to your doctor!
 
Soldato
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I will tread carefully as we are not supposed to give medical advice on here.
However I have suffered dry eyes for a number of years and have settled into the following routine:
Normal Optrex for dry eyes in the morning following ablutions. Repeat as required though I have the view that too much reliance on drops could make the tear glands lazy.
In the evening before bed I put one or two drops of Hylo Forte in each eye. I was prescribed Xialin ointment at one point but this actually made things worse.
I was also recommended to use a heat pad on my closed eyelids from time to time as this helps soften any waxed up tears and dirt but I found this rather uncomfortable and worried about side effects or damage to the eye itself.
Personally I remain sceptical about the diagnosis. If the problem is dry eye, then why does it still hurt after putting the drops in? There is a history of eye trouble in the family and I also have a condition where if I close focus for too long, I get a blind spot. The NHS seem clueless at diagnosing what that is and have effectively left me in the lurch over it. Likewise when I had a nasty flash in the right eye a few weeks ago followed by various black and circular floaters. I managed to get seen at the Eye Clinic after a three hour wait, to be told it wad “probably” Posterior Vitreous Detachment” (PVD). However I was immediately discharged for that problem despite several people with experience in eye matters telling me PVD should be closely monitored afterwards to check for possible retinal tearing. A complaint/request to the Eye Clinic regarding this has so far been ignored.
Apologies for the digression, but unless your eye is hanging out don’t expect much from the NHS in the way of help for optical problems.
 
Soldato
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I'm currently an eye doctor. I see this loads! (The below suggested treatments are available over the counter, not prescription only medication)

Hylo Forte during the day and crucial to use an ointment (Hylo Night) at night.
Lid hygeine is essential. If you've ever had a chalazion or stye, you should be be warm compressing & massaging daily. Hot but bearable compress, no side effects or damage to the eye itself. Blepharitis & meibomianitis are the main causes of dry eye syndrome.

Most people who say they warm compress & massage without fail are either lying to me/themselves or their technique is rubbish. It's a simple self-treatment but honestly works after a few weeks.

The reason drops can sometime hurt is because dry eyes causes inflammation and defects in the corneal epithelium. "Superficial Punctate Erosions".

edit - be careful if you wear contact lenses with dry eyes (and in general). Dailies > Monthlies, if you use monthlies then regularly change your solution & contact lens pot, and avoid sleeping in them. Never shower in them.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
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Swindon UK
I'm currently an eye doctor. I see this loads! (The below suggested treatments are available over the counter, not prescription only medication)

Hylo Forte during the day and crucial to use an ointment (Hylo Night) at night.
Lid hygeine is essential. If you've ever had a chalazion or stye, you should be be warm compressing & massaging daily. Hot but bearable compress, no side effects or damage to the eye itself. Blepharitis & meibomianitis are the main causes of dry eye syndrome.
.
No offence meant! Just that my experience with the Swindon Eye Clinic has not been that great. Part of the problem seems to be that it’s run more like a walk in or GP than a traditional hospital unit, so you never see the same doctor twice let alone get assigned a consultant.

I had to chuckle re the Hylo Forte, as every time I’ve bought this in Boots, the assistant has always suggested I get it on prescription. As the difference equates to about £2 a month depending on usage, I smile and say don’t worry. Now I just tend to buy it off Amazon along with the vitamins and cat hygiene gel. I may check out the Hylo Night.

One other thing that might be a factor, is as we age we tend to dry out. Despite hydrating well during the day (not beer!) I invariably wake up in the night with my tongue and palate stuck together like sandpaper. So I expect that also reflects on the production of tears.
 
Soldato
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Likewise when I had a nasty flash in the right eye a few weeks ago followed by various black and circular floaters. I managed to get seen at the Eye Clinic after a three hour wait, to be told it wad “probably” Posterior Vitreous Detachment” (PVD). However I was immediately discharged for that problem despite several people with experience in eye matters telling me PVD should be closely monitored afterwards to check for possible retinal tearing. A complaint/request to the Eye Clinic regarding this has so far been ignored.
Apologies for the digression, but unless your eye is hanging out don’t expect much from the NHS in the way of help for optical problems.

Sorry I missed this bit
PVD's are fairly common and don't need to be closely monitored.
You are at a higher risk of a retinal detachment for a week or two after PVD then lower risk after that.
It should have been explained to you what to look out for - a dark curtain coming across your field of vision, more flashes, more dark floaters in quick succession etc. This suggests a bit of detachment. It's fairly simple to repair. We don't closely monitor any PVD patient.

And of course, i strongly disagree with the last bit ;) , I spend a lot of time in eye casualty and see patients for anything eye related, and if I can't/don't fix it there and then, they get a referral for the next step in the next two weeks. Eye hospitals aren't run like regular hospitals, you don't necessarily get a named consultant unless a long term condition.
Sorry to hear your local experience hasn't been great though.
 
Associate
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I had a series of recurrent corneal erosions around 2 years ago before I was diagnosed as having dry eyes.

I went through a phase of using hyloforte which worked well but is expensive. For about 18 months now I have just used Xailin Night ointment before bed (opthalmologist told me to try it). You can get it over the counter and I have not had any further symptoms or erosions since.

My local eye unit were great!
 
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