Sharing the very best merchandise for dry eye, blepharitis, MGD (I’ve tried all of it!)
+ the Great Eye Saga
Hi buddies! How are you? I hope you’re having fun with the morning up to now. The ladies are at a half-day camp and I’m right here doing discovery teaching calls, podcast enhancing, and getting a fast exercise earlier than pickup.
For right now’s submit, I’ve the submit nobody requested for, and the submit I DEFINITELY didn’t ask for:
my Great Eye Saga, discovering out I’ve extreme blepharatis, and delicate MGD (meibomian glad dysfunction)… and all the merchandise, methods, and coverings I’ve tried, together with my routine.
the very best merchandise for dry eye, blepharitis and MGD
OG readers of the weblog (Hiiii and thanks a lot for being so superior and on your fixed assist) know that my eyes are delicate petunias. I’ve written about my woes with earlier infections, eyelash extension nightmares, and discovering out the laborious approach that sure eye make-up will damage my life lol.
The newest eye misadventure has been the longest and most inconvenient expertise but, however in my dedication to take a look at the intense facet, now I do know extra about my eyes, WHY I struggled a lot with sure issues over time, have a routine and care plan, and my eyes are the whitest and happiest they’ve been in years.
So, buckle up, and I’ll inform ya a narrative.
The Great Eye Saga
In April, I received the worst pink eye that I’ve ever seen or skilled. I’d been out gardening the day earlier than, and awoke with neon crimson eyes that have been coated in mucus (I’m sorry, it’s true) and virtually swollen shut. I rushed to pressing care, the place they prescribed me antibiotic drops, and was despatched house. It didn’t get higher inside a couple of days, so I went to a brand new eye physician. (My valuable eye physician had retired.) He stated the an infection was viral and prescribed a steroid drop, which calmed down the irritation. The following week, he stated I may return to my contacts, so I did. Within a couple of weeks, the redness and goo was again.
*It’s value mentioning right here that I washed my pillowcase and any towels I used each single day, threw away all of my costly make-up and skincare (WAH), and washed my fingers so usually all of my knuckles have been cracked and bleeding. I used to be so pissed off that one way or the other, I had pink eye once more.*
I began the antibiotic drops once more (the identical ones, because it had solely been a few month), they did nothing, and I went again to the attention physician’s workplace.
I noticed completely different eye physician since my earlier physician was booked – she was horrible, talked the complete time about nonsense and didn’t reply my questions – and he or she stated I had extraordinarily blocked glands, extreme MGD, no an infection, dangerous allergic reactions, and threw the kitchen sink at me. She needed me to return on the steroid for 2 months, 4x a day, together with an antihistamine drop, synthetic tears, antibiotic drops, a prescription drop for dry eyes, and a complement (that had corn oil and sunflower oil in it).
After that, I ended up seeing three different eye medical doctors + my main care supplier, as a result of I wasn’t assured within the data she gave me.. I felt like I didn’t have any solutions as to why this occurred so abruptly.
In the meantime, I began my very own analysis and skim articles, blogs, watched YouTube movies, and determined to attempt a mixture of the commonest instruments that have been advisable for crimson, infected eyes that weren’t contaminated: heat or chilly compresses, eyelid cleansers, eyelid therapeutic massage, dietary supplements, and synthetic tears.
(This was perhaps half of it. Our toilet counter seemed like the attention part at your native Walgreen’s. Initially I used to be involved about elements and tried to scour the most secure choices, however as nothing improved, my care meter decreased exponentially. I used to be like, “Just give me whatever chemical soup will make this go away.”)
I additionally needed to cease sporting my contacts – my eyes have been approach too crimson and inflamed- which has been extraordinarily tough for me. I’ve worn contacts with out many issues since I used to be 11 years previous and have a tough time functioning in the true world with out them. For the second time, I additionally tossed all of my skincare and make-up (I began shopping for cheaper stuff), and was nonetheless washing my pillowcase and towels each evening.
In between seeing medical doctors and making an attempt all the methods, I additionally wasn’t sleeping by the evening. I’d should get up no less than as soon as to scrub out my eyes for a lot of weeks, and my eyes felt thick and gummy throughout the evening. In the morning, they have been crimson, swollen, and would ultimately look pretty regular for the remainder of the day. This was a fairly low level for me; I used to be so sleep-deprived and pissed off, and since I’ve no foresight by any means, I used to be satisfied that my eyes would by no means return to regular.
TBH I used to be horrified to go on our cruise. My eyes had gotten significantly better by that time, and I knew the an infection was gone, however I used to be actually nervous they have been going to flare, particularly with the air journey and time change. Thankfully it was all okay.
Finding a dry eye specialist
Here’s what the medical doctors stated:
Eye doc #2 (the workplace stated she was an ophthalmologist after I booked the appt, however she was an optometrist):
It was in all probability one thing within the surroundings that triggered the response. No an infection. Go again to sporting contacts and use the steroid drop on as wanted. I actually favored her and thought she was educated, however I didn’t like the thought of relying on the steroid as a crutch after we didn’t actually know why my eyes have been so infected and dry all evening, and okay throughout the day.
Eye doc #3 (medical optometrist, my new common eye doc):
it was doubtless remoted virus in my cornea. No contacts till the redness and irritation was gone. Stick with synthetic tears, compresses, and wean off the steroid drops.
He received me off the the steroid drops instantly and has been monitoring my progress this whole time. I’ve seen him thrice so he may ensure that my eyes have been certainly therapeutic and the irritation was happening. I additionally like that he didn’t rush to prescriptions when he wasn’t totally sure what was the reason for it, since functionally, my eye seemed wholesome. He’s additionally proven a number of care in my scenario and has made constant appointments to watch my progress.
Primary care:
Did an examination to verify nothing else was awry. Ran a bunch of labs for me to verify irritation, hormones, A1C, Sjogren’s, thyroid, and so forth., since so many alternative issues can have an effect on eye well being. Thankfully, all the labs got here again with good markers.
Eye doc #4 (dry eye specialist):
By the time I noticed the dry eye specialist, my eyes have been already trying so significantly better. I used to be FINALLY sleeping by the evening, had virtually no redness throughout the day, and just a bit little bit of dryness. I used to be simply searching for solutions, an motion plan to get again to my contacts, and he or she advised me, “I will get you to the finish line.” I needed to cry. She knew RIGHT AWAY what was happening with my eyes, and did a radical examination with tons of pictures to point out me.
The verdict:
extreme blepharitis, which defined why my eyes have been so crimson and gross within the morning. They had improved with the lid cleansers and compresses, however it completely made sense. I even have delicate to average MGD (meibomian gland dysfunction), which signifies that a few of my glands are clogged with oil. I even have delicate to average dry eye from the blepharitis and gland dysfunction.
It explains SO, a lot, particularly when my eyes have been extra inclined to infections over time, why I can’t tolerate eyelash extensions or put on sure eye make-up, and why my eyelids would generally be crimson and swollen within the morning. When we lived in San Diego, I’d get tiny oil balls on my decrease lash line and the attention dr merely advised me my eyes have been oily and to do a greater job washing my eyelids and lashes. I want I might have recognized it was a primary indication of gland dysfunction.
What I’ve discovered about dry eye
So as you guys can think about, I’ve been studying as a lot as doable. Dry eye could be attributable to quite a lot of elements, together with age, gender (it’s extra widespread in ladies), contact use, and hormone fluctuations. Certain autoimmune situations can have an effect on eyes, in addition to thyroid problems, menopause, and diabetes. Dry eye could be both evaporative or inflammatory; which means that your tears might not be appropriately balanced, or they evaporate too shortly. Usually it’s a mixture of those two issues. (The dry eye specialist took a tear pattern to verify if my tears have been inflammatory and her machine additionally checked how shortly they evaporated, in addition to which spots evaporated first!)
Dry eye could be exacerbated by blepharitis, which is irritation of the eyelids. It may cause redness, crusting, and dryness. It’s an overgrowth of micro organism (normally Demodex mites.. I do know) feasting on the biofilm of your eyelids and lashes, they usually can get overrun and make the issue worse. As they crowd the bottom of your lashes and work their approach out, they’ll additionally clog the meibomian glands, resulting in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.
We have these Meibomian glands that run perpendicular to our eyes, inside our higher and decrease eyelids, which secrete oil that coats our eyes and contains our tear movie. If they change into blocked or clogged, this impacts the tear movie, and might trigger dry eyes. Glands may atrophy and die, which is why it’s necessary to get remedy and do heat compresses if these glands are compromised and maintain wholesome oil flowing!
You can see how all of those work collectively!
It’s additionally value mentioning that there’s no remedy for these items, however you could find a routine to HALT their progress, particularly since dry eye and MGD are progressive illnesses. If you think you might have any of those, I might see a medical optometrist or ophthalmologist to guarantee that there’s nothing functionally awry, and a dry eye specialist to get the ball rolling in your remedy plan.
My blepharitis and dry eye routine (for now!)
*NOT medical recommendation, simply sharing my routine!
– Eye well being complement. This is the one I exploit!
– Lots of water, minimal processed meals, sugar, and alcohol (<— the alcohol half has been fairly simple, however after our cruise, I’ve been a little bit of a sugar monster).
– Eyelid wipes and cleanser with tea tree oil: these are a GAMECHANGER and I seen an enormous distinction after I first began utilizing these. I’ve tried so many manufacturers, however my favorites for my distinctive scenario are Ocusoft Allergy (earlier than mattress) and Cliradex (within the morning)
– Hypochlorous Acid: it sounds scary, however it’a naturally-occurring acid. I exploit the Thera Tears model. This one additionally has wonderful evaluations so I’d change to this model.
– Warm compresses: the Rest Cornea Care masks (It’s disposable, which makes it ultimate for journey) and the Bruder masks. 7 minutes within the morning and 10 minutes earlier than mattress.
– Artificial tears: I’ve tried EVERYTHING and it’s value mentioning that completely different drops work higher for several types of dry eye. I like a lipid-based one, like Refresh Mega-3 earlier than mattress and within the morning, in addition to Boiron Optique1 (order from Thrive Market) or Refresh Relieva PF if I want one thing throughout the day. The dry eye specialist advised me that these are band-aids and ultimately you need to get to the purpose the place you solely want them within the am and as soon as at evening; not all day.
– Treatments: The dry eye specialist used a remedy known as Zocuzest to scrub all the biofilm off my lids and lashes. TBH, I HATED it. It was so uncomfortable, however I wanted it. My eyes seemed superior afterwards and he or she’ll verify them once more in a few weeks. I’m additionally getting a MiboFlo remedy, the place she’ll warmth up my eyes utilizing a wand and mild therapeutic massage to get the oil flowing, after which manually specific the clogged glands. It’s a collection of three remedies and he or she says I’ll discover an enormous distinction after these.
She additionally provide LipifFlow however it appears to be like somewhat extra intense, so I figured I’d attempt MiboFLo first. TearCare and IPL are additionally widespread dry eye remedies; see what your physician recommends. 
(RX sunnies since I’m on this for the lengthy haul they usually’ve been somewhat enhance)
Daily routine:
I get up, clear my face and eyes, and add two Refresh Mega-3 eye drops to every eye. After being awake for a short time, I’ll do a Rest compress whereas I meditate and pray on my PEMF GO Mat. Next I do a fast eyelid therapeutic massage, and clear with Cliradex wipes. (Note: I’ll prob swap to the Bruder masks within the am. I LOVE the Rest one however because it’s disposable, I’ll simply use these for journey going ahead.)
During the day: A Boiron Optique1 drop or Refresh Relieva PF drop if I really feel like I want it mid-day.
Before mattress: wash face and do a Bruder masks (with an eyelid sheet to maintain it clear) for 10 minutes. Clean with SteriLid on a cotton pad and let dry. Read for about half-hour, then clear with OcuSoft Allergy and add two drops of Mega-3 earlier than mattress.
It looks like quite a bit after I write it out, however it was a lot extra!! There’s a sheet in my Notes app with the date for the previous 8 weeks, and every part I’ve tried, together with the outcomes (what number of occasions I awoke, how my eyes felt in the midst of the evening, how they felt within the morning, and degree of redness). It’s been an enormous experiment.
The excellent news is that my common eye physician (the one who has been monitoring me this entire time) checked my eyes and stated they give the impression of being the very best they’ve this whole time. He stated I may begin to put on my contacts once more 2-3 occasions every week for six hours and see how they really feel. I wore them for the primary time on Saturday they usually felt nice whereas I used to be sporting them. I additionally felt like a human once more. When I eliminated them, the lenses have been fairly dry, so I’m going to attempt a rewetting drop subsequent time earlier than I take away them.
So there’s my eye story for now! If you’re going by this, you’re not alone!!!!!! There are tons of choices on the market and apparently they’ve some new remedies on the way in which, too. Hang in there <3
xo
Gina
Some of my favourite sources: