No tears when I cry

[phx]

I just realized a couple of days ago that no tears come out of my left eye(tumor side) when I cry. I hope this is not a permanent thing. Ever since I've been diagnosed with this tumor, I've felt at times that I'm losing "feeling like a human". I've got balance and vison problems, plus I suffer from side effects of meds. It's like I try to take care of one thing and another comes up. My vision isn't normal anymore. I feel like if I cover up my left side, I can see "normal", otherwise I feel like my balance is off. I know this sounds funny and sometimes people even look at me weird, but it's like the vision isn't the same in both. I've gotten my eyes checked and my vision is 20/20, but I feel like I can function better with eyes glasses (even though they're not prescription). I am very sensitive to light. I need to wear sunglasses every time I'm outside, or it's like my eyes will close on me. I've had my eyes checked by an optomologist and an optemetrist. They say I'm okay, so I don't know. Anyone out there going through or had a similar thing happen to them. Sometimes I feel like the people on here understand me more than my doctors. Thanks everyone.

[KBL]

I understand.  I watched a movie recently (Toy story 3!) and was crying like crazy out of one eye.  I am told that the vison in that eye has not change perscription, even though my vision is blurry, which they say is from the dryness.  I got some safety goggles-sunglasses which have foam around the outside, because wind, even a breeze bothers me and I don't want my eye to dry out even more.  If I am doing anything in the yard I am unsteady.  Do you use eye drops?   The post yesterday titled tears was me.  I too am curious if tears return.

[phx]

I understand.  I watched a movie recently (Toy story 3!) and was crying like crazy out of one eye.  I am told that the vison in that eye has not change perscription, even though my vision is blurry, which they say is from the dryness.  I got some safety goggles-sunglasses which have foam around the outside, because wind, even a breeze bothers me and I don't want my eye to dry out even more.  If I am doing anything in the yard I am unsteady.  Do you use eye drops?   The post yesterday titled tears was me.  I too am curious if tears return.

This might sound funny, but how would I be able to tell if my eyes are dry? The vision in my left is off, other than that no other problems. Maybe I should try eye drops too. I know what you mean about the wind and having a breeze go by and I am unsteady outside too. What kind of eye drops do you use? I'm going to see my doctors on Tuesday. I'll make sure to ask them. Maybe they might be able to tell me if it's temporary or permanent. I had my surgery last year and had a shunt put in a month ago. I keep thinking it's from the shunt because I didn't notice this change after my surgery. I'm hoping it's just my head getting used to the shunt.

[KBL]

My eye Doc said my eyes are dry.  I uses Systane eye drops during the day, at least hourly and Refresh Eye gel at night.  It is a ointment which stays with you pretty well, but will make things blurry.  You want to keep the eye moist so you do not cause permenant damage. Please let me know what your Doctors say.

[mk]

There are two reasons why ANers may experience dry eyes. One is due to damage to the facial nerve, which controls lacrimation (i.e. tear production). If the facial nerve is damaged, tear production may be reduced and/or stopped. The second reason is because of damage to the trigeminal nerve. This causes reduced corneal sensation, which in turn does not send the correct signals for adequate tear production. So even though tear production is possible, the eye is not lubricated properly. I have had both problems, the second before surgery, and I think that after surgery actually my eye on the AN side does not produce tears.
No matter what the reason is, it is important to make sure the eye is kept moist. My optometrist explained that in case of reduced sensation, the eye might become too dry before you feel it. So it is important to lubricate regularly. The same of course goes when tear production is impossible altogether. There are many types of eye drops/ointments that you can use, and you have to figure out what works best for you. Usually optometrists have many samples, and they are happy to provide you with them so that you can try them out. You may also want to consider the preservative free type, like the Celluvisc vials. More expensive, but good for sensitive eyes, especially when you need to use the drops regularly.
This is an annoying problem, but at least can be dealt with using the proper care regime.

Marianna

[Nickittynic]

mk pretty much covered it all. I just wanted to add that photophobia (sensitivity to light) and vision issues can be a sign of dry eye.
If it is dry eye, experiment to see what drops work best for you. You can ask your docs for samples of different eye drops as a way to inexpensively try out different brands. I've been advised to only use the preservative-free kinds in the 'single use' vials. I've found refresh celluvisc is the best for me.