What is your diagnosis (or diagnoses if you have more than one)?
severe dry eye disease
How long have you had it?
15 years
What do you wish more people understood about dry eye (or eye pain if that's your main issue) and how it affects people's lives?
How disabling it is because you just want to close your eyes. So you feel tired and depressed. You spend a lot of money trying to find solutions. You can't enjoy normal things like a picnic, if it's windy. Never ride in a convertible. You spend your valuable time trying to figure out how to keep your autologous eye drops cold when traveling.
What has helped you the most?
It took me about 5 years and 6 eye docs to discover the benefits of using hypochlorous acid to clean my eyes in the morning and at night. Also, the autologous eye drops were a game-changer for me. They may be expensive up front, but I have wasted much more money on over the counter eye drops that I couldn't use. I never found an over the counter eye drop that didn't bother my eyes. I use a heated eye mask a couple times a day. I try to remember to blink when using the computer.
Are there any dry eye resources you'd like to recommend?
Your foundation and store are the best resources I've found!