Have you paused your dry eye treatment?
My dry eye seems to mostly be caused by a systemic autoimmune disease called Sjogren's. I take a biologic medication for my autoimmune diseases called Cimzia, but I can't take it if I'm sick, on antibiotics, or having surgery. Well, I was sick during my injection week and now I'm preparing for a surgery - minor stuff to fix inside my nose - so I'm having to pause my biologic treatment until after I'm well on the road to recovery.
Two years ago, I had a corneal melt when I paused my immunosuppressant. So I get nervous about holding treatment. I'm definitely experiencing more dryness. I also had to stop taking the fish oil supplement that I take partially for dry eye, because fish oil can increase the risk of bleeding with surgery.
Thankfully I do not have to stop taking my restasis or the regular lubricating eye drops I use, but it's still tough! I'm especially dreading waking up after surgery because the OR is so cold and dry, plus the pain meds will dry me out more.
Have you had to pause dry eye treatment? I can imagine this could happen if your dry eye is connected to a larger disease, if you had a lapse in coverage, or maybe if your medication was out of stock for a while. It's certainly not a fun thing to do!
I have definitely thought about pausing my dry eye treatments, but I am so fearful of my dry eye going back to how I was in the beginning.
Do you think your eyes feel better by taking a break from drops and treatment? well, I didn't take a break from the drops. Thankfully I could still use them. I only took a break from my systemic treatment (an immunosuppressant) because I was required to before having surgery. My eyes are affected by my autoimmune disease so pausing this treatment did make my eyes feel a bit worse. I ended up having to take a bigger break than I planned on - 5 weeks instead of 3 weeks, because I got sick and I also can't take my treatment while ill. -Ava, CDE team
My cousin had a similar experience, but she didn't pause it. She was struggling too much with dry eyes. It has affected her day-to-day life and work. So her doctor recommended performing Lasik surgery. But I think it cannot be done if you have severe dry eyes. You have to take medications and make your dry eye state normal to perform LASIK. Please have an appointment with a doctor who knows this better. My cousin has almost recovered from dry eyes after LASIK. Her Lasik was done from here: https://www.skouraseyeandcosmetic.com/lasik-laser-eye-surgery-toronto/ I Hope this helps you. Thank you.
, thank you for sharing your cousin's experience with us. I hear what a difference going though Lasik surgery has made for her dry eye symptoms. Chronic dry eye can definitely affect daily activities and quality of life. It is always good advice to talk to a doctor about treatment options and what might be helpful for any given individual! How are you feeling today? I appreciate your kind words of support to the community. Wishing you a gentle day. ~Allyson (ChronicDryEye.net team)
