What is your diagnosis (or diagnoses if you have more than one)?
Blepharitis, Meibomium gland dysfunction, and dry eye
How long have you had it?
37 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?
It’s disabling. By end of day my eyes hurt so much and are all red and gooey. Many times I have to cancel going to an event because my eyes look so red , irritated and unhealthy. People don’t understand how eye problems can be isolating. I also wear sunglasses
90 % of the time to hide appearance of my eyes.
What has helped you the most?
I do use an antibiotic ointment with steroids Rx my Opthalmologist has prescribed for past 35 years. Eyelid hygiene is essential twice a day. I use the Oasis lash and lid pads with tea tree oil. I use warm compresses on them also while showering. I also recently added Nordic Ultimate Omega 3 Fish oil
Capsules about 3000 mg per day.
These capsules are high in EPA and lower in DHA. I started taking them through my own research two months ago and have experienced significant improvement in relieving redness and burning.
Are there any dry eye resources you'd like to recommend?
I don’t have any and I’ve been to multiple eye Doctors over the years who say there is no cure.
I am very much looking forward to others responses to this survey.