Trying Dry Eye Treatments and Talking About My Condition

The first ophthalmologist that I visited gave me a prescription for Restasis. That can take up to 6 months to work, and while I gave it a good 5 months, I eventually was switched to Xiidra.

Other treatments I tried

He also inserted punctal plugs into my tear ducts. They were small silicone devices that were supposed to hold my tears on my eye longer. I did end up with a few infections from them, so they had to be taken out.

My dry eye specialist recommended intense pulsed light therapy, also known as IPL. This has been the biggest help for me in fighting inflammation, which is the root cause of dry eye. I have had 7 treatments to date, as of my writing this.

She also stressed the importance of a healthy diet. Currently, I am gluten, dairy, and sugar-free. I believe this has also helped.

Finding support

For my mental health, I have connected with others on different forums. This has been incredibly helpful when I am feeling more anxious and need someone to listen to me.

One last but certainly not least important thing is finding the right dry eye doctor to help. This condition is chronic, and when treating it, having a doctor that can sympathize and listen to us is incredibly important for healing. If you can find a doctor that you are able to build a rapport with, it will only benefit your outcome.

Talking to people about my dry eye

I have been fortunate enough to have a family that has been supportive, and I am able to talk openly to them about my condition. My husband has been trying to learn more about it and how he can help me.

Trying to explain to others such as my friends has proven to be a little difficult. It is such a complex condition, and trying to explain every treatment and why some things don’t work and some do can be daunting. I am sure it is hard for people to feel what we feel on a daily basis, and the regimen that we as dry eye sufferers have to adhere to can be confusing to explain.

I, however, believe it is very important to talk about your condition for your mental health. You never know who else may be silently struggling with this.

Connecting with other patients

I look back at myself to when I was first starting this journey and wish someone would have told me I wasn’t alone. I sure felt alone, like I was the only person in the world with this. Boy was I wrong!

These forums and groups can be so incredibly helpful, and ultimately that’s where I found out about my dry eye specialist. Had I not sought these forums, I would have had no idea where to even start.

Community is beneficial in so many ways, and I encourage you to reach out or even just type out how you feel. Chances are someone may tell you they indeed feel the same way. It is freeing and validating.