ANA Discussion Forum
Archive => Archives => Topic started by: Lisa Peele on March 01, 2005, 10:12:59 am
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Most of us that have been through surgery deal with dry eye/s to some degree. Mine is mild. I used the drops they gave me in the hospital twice a day for about the first month and at night I used a gel. After the first month, I only needed drops at the end of the day, and I stopped using the gel altogether. Since then, I've been using Nature's Tears EyeMist (you can get it almost anywhere). It's a spray form of preservative-free tissue-culture grade water. Now I keep bottles of the eye mist in my car, purse, medicine cabinet and by the computer in case my eyes feel dry (I don't use it regularly, just as needed, but I love this stuff...it's so refreshing).
Mild to severe...what has anyone else found that works?
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My eye is still stuck open. I use Lacrilube all day and at night. I only need it about 4x's a day however it causes blurriness. I used to cross-stitch and now I can't because of the vision.
Any other suggestions?
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ask a doctor about getting a gold weight inserted into your eyelid to help keep your eyelid weighted down so you might be able to blink
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There is also a eye spring ( can't remember the word. but it begins with P") It was discussed at the last ANA symposium in LA. I believe a Doctor Levine specializes in it. The spring was featured in the quarterly ANA notes awhile back. Maybe the National ANA Office in Georgia could assist you in locating the article or maybe a reader has one. I also believe that Dr Levine gave a workshop on the complications and dry eye at the symposium. This being the case there should be a tape of it.
Again the main office in Georgia would be able to assist you in obtaining a copy.
Best to All
Raydean
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I also do not have tears in the surgery side. The drops were not helping much as they were going trouht the tears duct too fast. Doctor Levine put 2 plastic plugs in the tears ducts and that has been very helpful. It does not hurt at all and I do not fill them. Drops can stay in my eye and now, the plug are enough most of the time.
Good luck
Evelyne
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I like celluvisic during the day. I am on and off again on the Lacrilube at night. Refresh tears for good days when I'm able to wear my contact on that side.
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I had my surgery in Jan 2002. My facial nerve was damaged and left the right side of my face partially paralyzed. The worst part is the dry eye. I have contemplated getting the spring, there happens to be a doctor here in MI that learned from Dr. Levine the technique and has done many of them successfully. I'm just not sure. Anyway, i just wanted to let you know what helps me the most. My husband made me a patch using the lens from some sunglasses. He drilled two small holes in either side and i attatched some elastic string. He bought some weather seal and trimmed it up and cut it to size and stuck it on patch so that when i wear it it seals in the moisture. It is absolute heaven! I can usually go all day without it, but sometimes late at night or on windy days it gets really irritated, so i just put patch on and it relieves it in no time! Yes, i may look like a pirate, but the relief it offers is well worth it! I hope this helps someone else. If you have any questions as to how to make it feel free to email me.ÂÂ
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Your doc can prescribe something called a moisture patch, which is similar to what you describe. I received one the day they took me out of ICU and moved me to my recovery room. I didn't care what it looked like because it worked GREAT.
Becky
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Your doc can prescribe something called a moisture patch, which is similar to what you describe. I received one the day they took me out of ICU and moved me to my recovery room. I didn't care what it looked like because it worked GREAT.
Becky
What does it look like and where can I get it? I use cellophane at night, taped on. I helps but my eye still hurts in the am when I wake up. I use the Lubrifresh P.M. ointment at night too. I use Refresh Liquigel during the day, which is great (suggested by another AN person that contacted me through this forum).
If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them!! Thanks in advance.
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I am five weeks post-op, and my eye is still very bloodshot. Is that normal?
I can blink, but not close it tight. In most cases does the eye eventually close tight on it's own, or will some type of surgery be more likely?
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Hi. I think you should see an Ophthalmologist as soon as possible.
Becky
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I hate this dry eye. I could deal with my face all droopy but please give me back my eye. I use celluvisic all the time during the day. I keep a patch over it too when I drive or outside in the wind. The part I hate is the lack of depth perception, and poke myself with the darn eye dropper. It hurts so much. I try and put the drops in on the sides of by eye, but man, if I hit it, ohhhhh. I hate the idea that most of the world is blurry now too. But it is what it is. What else can I do.........
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I hate this dry eye. I could deal with my face all droopy but please give me back my eye. I use celluvisic all the time during the day. I keep a patch over it too when I drive or outside in the wind. The part I hate is the lack of depth perception, and poke myself with the darn eye dropper. It hurts so much. I try and put the drops in on the sides of by eye, but man, if I hit it, ohhhhh. I hate the idea that most of the world is blurry now too. But it is what it is. What else can I do.........
I put drops in the inside corner of the closed eye ( and then open it). This warms the drops up as well. It also works with ointments.
I have had a blurry eye for 20 months and now have to put in drops in every hour for the dry eye. It is so tiring to have something wrong with your eye.
Hope this helps you a little.
Bluestar
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I only put the lube in my eye when I'm looking in the mirror.
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Along with being dry, my eye doesn't blink properly. Has anybody out there recoverred from that? If so, what was the time frame? I'm getting the impression that this is a permanent side effect? My left eye looks like it had a bad Botox experience. 8)
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I had totaly paralysis on the left side and was not able to blink. It took about 2 months for it to go back to normal. I was put on High dose steroids to reduce the swelling and they really helped.
(note I had full use of my face after surgery and started losing function the day after surgery)
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I called my surgeon asking what I should do, and if I should have the gold weights put in even though its only been a few weeks since my surgery. His office made an apt to an optomitrist, and She was very pleased to be able to give me a weight that sticks to the outside of my eyelid which allows me to blink. I still have to add drops some times, as I dont make tears but it has certainly helped so I dont have my eye taped closed ALL the time.
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Hi all! I am about 5 weeks post-op from my middle fossa AN removal. I have been having extremely dry eye on my AN side and finally today went to the eye doctor for it. He recommended putting plugs in the outlet ducts (not sure what they're called for real) so that the fluid going in my eye stays in my eye.
Let me tell you..I had this done about a half hour ago and already I can tell a difference! I haven't had to put eye drops in or rub my eye or anything yet..and I can FEEL that it has lubricant in it. Now my right eye is jealous and I might have the doctor put the plugs in that eye next week at my follow up!
He said this is very important because all the itchyness and scratchyness i was having was beginning to damage my cornea.
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For those who are just starting, this advise about "Dry Eye". When I had my first surgery in 1990, I was not given (or maybe I just didn't hear) any warning about the consequences of Dry Eye. As a result of the craniotomy, I lost significant sensation in the left side of my face, including the eye. After a relatvely brief period, my vision became hazy in the eye.ÂÂ
At first, after lubricating the eye with very heavy, thick ointment -- which made vision virtually impossible, the doctors tried a small gold weight in the eyelid. Next came the tarrasorphy ( stitching the upper and lower lid together). Then an eximer laser treatment to try to clear-up the vision. When that didn't work, it was back to the tarrsorphy. Then to ointment and drops.ÂÂ
Things got a little better after a papibral sping was inserted in the eye lid, to assist it in opening and closing. By then, it was time to try to improve the clarity, which was very poor. That's when I had the corneal transplant, followed by cataract surgery. Today they say I have 20/60 vision, but it is still like looking through the bottom of a soda bottle.ÂÂ
So listen up, when they warn you about "Dry Eye". ÂÂ