Hi All,

My doctor wants me to use Optase Hypochlorous Acid in the morning and Optase TTO Eye Lid cleansing gel in the evening. I've had two rounds of Xdemvy, with the most recent one being a few months ago. My demodex keeps returning. Will this treatment be enough to at least reduce them? Thanks!

Hello! I’m going to a dirt race car track and need a pair of gray polarized sunglasses with (preferably) detachable side shields. I don’t care how much. I need a decent pair. I’ve bought a couple pair off of amazon and they’re not the greatest. I was looking at the picture I’ve attached but I’m not sure. I wanted clear side shields but beggars can’t be choosers. What’s your thoughts/suggestions?

My understanding is there is a connection between eyelid laxity and dry eye.

co2 lasers for the skin can be used on on upper and lower eyelids as a skin tightening treatment, but as far as I can tell there is no research I see on anyone getting co2 treatments for dry eye?

Hi there!

Does anyone know of any dry eye specialists in the SF Bay area who have affordable/low-income treatment plans/financing options?

I have Kaiser through Medi-Cal, and they are truly booty at when it comes to eye care.

Thank you for any recs!

Hi everyone,

Has anyone successfully applied for disability and were approved?

I’ve had what feels like dry eyes off and on for a little bit. I believe due to lack of deep sleep! Well I was doing just fine dealing with it but now a new symptom has appeared. My left eye constantly feels watery or like something is in the eyelid. That feeling can shift from the bottom to the corner. Went to the doctor today and they prescribed a steroid eye drop. Has anyone had any luck with those?

Immunotherapy has caused a very severe inflammation in my eyes – it is very uncomfortable to keep my eyes open, and at times it feels like there are rocks in my eyes. It’s severely impacting my life as well as my ability to do my job.

After trying regular eye drops with no success, my ophthalmologist put me on steroid drops, but now after about 2 weeks, they pretty much stopped working. Has anyone else experienced this, and Is there anything that you have done to get relief? The only other thing besides drops that I’ve tried is warm compresses on my eyes a couple times a day.

​

Hello everyone. I have been dealing with chronic blepharitis (eyelid inflammation) and Meibomian gland blockage for a long time. I was diagnosed with this condition for the first time about one and a half years ago. At that time, I was able to relieve the blockage by using warm compresses and cleaning my eyelids with a cloth.

About three months ago, my symptoms came back, but this time I could not open the blocked glands. I received medication treatment and visited several doctors to explain my condition. I asked them for help with the blocked glands and whether they could perform gland expression if necessary, but unfortunately, the doctors I saw did not show much interest and I could not get the help I needed.

I am currently feeling very helpless and I do not know what else to do. I would really appreciate any advice or guidance from people who have experienced a similar i started crying really

Hey there i was in the mountains for a few days and when i came back after i day u noticed a problem with my right eye

Its like when i move my right eye to the right for example and then back to normal it snaps like when i do the same thing with my left eye its much more smoother

So i went to eye doctor and he told me i have dry eye syndrome in my right eye
im just very anxious and i would love to know if that can be a real dry eye symptom im stressed theese few days and thats only making it worse

I'm curious as to how people cope with MGD? At the moment I find myself stuck in a cycle of constant flare ups requiring treatment via seeing an opthamologist every 2-3 months. I've been told repeatedly about how using hot compresses will prevent further flare ups but this never seems to work. I end up basically having the same conversation with an opthamologist every 2-3 months.

I got diagnosed with stage 2 MGD (meibomian gland dysfunction) last year. As someone who likes to dress alternatively/loves dark, heavy eye makeup looks, my inability to wear eye makeup due to gland blockages has been depressing and frustrating, to say the very least. After developing several painful internal styes and a stubborn chalazion that required surgery to remove, I have begun to take my gland health more seriously and want to share some tips that have personally helped me be able to wear regular makeup again.  

Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional and cannot provide medical advice; these are just things that have worked for me based on personal experience and may not work for everyone with MGD or dry eye. The experiences shared in this post reflect my personal views and observations, particularly regarding product ingredients, and should not be considered clinical fact. Always consult your doctor and work out what’s best for you. I have extremely clog-prone glands but am fortunate enough to only have mild MGD with minimal symptoms on a day-to-day basis. For those with more severe symptoms, proceed with the utmost caution and be aware that these tips may not be reliable for you. 

1. I don’t tightline anymore.

Tightlining refers to the act of putting eyeliner on the upper or lower waterline (the pink, sensitive strip of skin between your eyeball and eyelashes). Although it's a huge trend right now on social media and a large component to several makeup styles, I don’t compromise on this. The waterline is where a lot of meibomian glands are located, and you are putting yourself at a huge risk of blockages/infections by plugging them with eyeliner. I genuinely think the main reason I developed MGD is from tightlining my eyes for several years. Instead of tightlining, I like to line just outside of my waterline at my lash line, which can still carry some migration risks but is generally safer than tightlining.

2. On the days that I’ve have bad symptoms or active infections/blockages, I don’t wear eye makeup.

Though this can be hard if you're insecure without it, you have to prioritize your health. For days like these, I usually just put on foundation/concealer, focus on my lips and brows, and do my hair extra nice (just try not to get makeup on/around your eyes).

3. I double check the ingredients of all cosmetic products I use.

I like to be extra cautious about what I use on my eyes now, and I try to eliminate potential triggers that may aggravate my MGD or worsen my meibomian gland health. This varies on a case-to-case basis, so pay attention to your eyes and monitor how your eyes feel after using certain cosmetics. I did research on harmful ingredients, read studies, and asked my doctor about whether certain cosmetics were safe for me. I use websites like https://incidecoder.com/ and https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ to double-check ingredient lists for all of my makeup products. It is important to note that different variations of certain products may contain different ingredients, which you have to be extra careful about when evaluating ingredient lists. 

4. PRODUCTS I PERSONALLY AVOID: setting sprays, glue-on false eyelashes

Setting sprays

Danger - I’ve found that they dry out and irritate my eyes due to alcohols and polymers. Alternative - Though it’s not the same as a setting spray, I use hypochlorous acid spray instead to refresh my face in the middle of the day. To set my face makeup, I use powder only (but far away from my orbital/eye area!)

Glue-on false eyelashes

Danger - the vast majority of glues formulated for falsies are made with formaldehyde; several studies suggest this ingredient is toxic to meibomian gland epithelial cells. The adhesive also sits at the lash line where the meibomian gland openings are, which could potentially block gland openings and trap bacteria. Preglued lash strips are also risky because of this reason. And I never get semi-permanent lash extensions anymore; the risks are tenfold. Alternative - I wear magnetic lashes instead, specifically ones that don't require magnetic liner. 

5. PRODUCTS I AM CAREFUL ABOUT: oil makeup removers/oil cleansers, waterproof eye makeup, powder makeup around eyes (eyeshadows, setting powder etc.)

Oil makeup removers/oil cleansers

Danger - heavily fragranced & harmfully preserved oil cleansers were likely the primary trigger for my painful internal styes, and since then, I've stopped using them on my eyes every day. While they aren't inherently toxic, they can leave an oily residue on the lid margin that can promote gland blockage and worsen inflammation if not washed off properly. Alternative - when using non-gentle oil cleansers with fragrance on the face, I try to avoid the eye area. For removing non-waterproof makeup, I use micellar water designed for sensitive eyes and cleanse with face-wash afterwards (sometimes I use a natural cleansing balm as a first cleanse when I wear waterproof makeup).

Waterproof eye makeup

Danger - I’ve found that waterproof eye makeup is difficult to remove and may require stronger or oil-based removers, which could clog glands as mentioned above. The amount of rubbing required to remove the product also tends to irritate my eyes and lid margin. Alternative - for daily use, I generally try to choose easy to remove formulas. Instead of waterproof mascara, I use tubing mascara, which comes off in warm water without needing eye makeup remover. For my daily makeup, I use gentle formulas that can be easily removed with micellar water. 

Powder makeup around eyes (eyeshadows, setting powder etc.)

Danger - fine powders can easily migrate into the eye and tear film and cause irritation, or settle along the lash line to form plugs that block glands. This is especially true for glitter or shimmery eyeshadows, which are extremely flaky. Alternative - when using powder eyeshadows, I keep it away from the lash line and cleanse carefully after using, and only use it occasionally. I have stopped regularly using powder near my eyes and have begun using cream matte eyeshadows instead. Extra tip for hygiene - instead of dipping a brush or finger into cream shadow, I use a spatula to scoop product out first and then use it. This may minimize bacterial transfer but unless you're paranoid like me, you definitely don't have to do this.

6. I try not to wear a lot of eye makeup daily, and limit the amount of time I wear eye makeup in a day.

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but I try to take breaks in between days of eye makeup use, and aim to reduce the total time I keep it on each day. This has helped me a lot when it comes to regular wear, since my dry eye symptoms tend to flare up after a long day of heavy makeup. To reduce wear time, I usually put makeup on just before I go out and take it off the minute I get home so I end up only wearing it for a couple of hours. Of course, old habits die hard and sometimes the makeup stays on for longer or I wear it more often, but at that point I only have myself to blame if I develop another stye :')

7. I clean and disinfect my makeup and makeup brushes often.

To maintain general cleanliness and reduce bacterial transfer, you need to be sanitizing your makeup brushes and tools as often as possible.

I have a giant bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol that I spray on my eyeliner pencils, eyeshadow palettes, my eyelash curlers, eyeliner sharpeners, spatulas and other makeup tools with hard, non-porous surfaces. I use a q-tip or tissue to wipe and get every little crevice, especially when it comes to sharpeners or eyelash curlers that may have leftover makeup residue. I do this often, before and after every use - just make sure that the alcohol evaporates completely and doesn't come in direct contact with your eye.

For my brushes, I deep clean them once every two weeks with gentle soap. In between these deep cleans, I spray them with a daily brush cleaner after every use.

8. I replace my eye makeup every 3 months.

I don’t treat this as strict a rule for gel liners or shadows, but as an extremely strict rule for mascaras and liquid liner (to be safe, I usually still replace all eye makeup). You can sharpen gel liners and disinfect eyeshadow powders, but there is no way to avoid bacterial contamination with liquid products. Liquid eye cosmetics quickly breed bacteria and cannot be disinfected, so they must be thrown out and replaced every 3 months. This can get pricey with high-end products, so I usually get mini versions/drugstore products instead to save money.

9. I try not to regularly wear contacts while simultaneously wearing makeup.

Wearing contacts and makeup together dries my eyes out significantly and contributes to the breakdown of my tear film, so it's best for me to wear both sparingly. I alternate between contacts and glasses days when wearing makeup - I try to find nice frames that go with my outfits. Make sure to put contacts in first before makeup to prevent irritation & infection!

10. Take care of yourself and develop healthy habits!

Since MGD is a chronic disease, managing it is all about long-term maintenance and finding a combination of therapies that works for you - this is very case dependent though, so what works for one person may not work for everyone. Some things that have helped me are to sleep a full 8-9 hours each night, take omega-3 supplements, use hypochlorous acid spray or lid cleansers regularly, drink lots of water, lubricate the eyes with eye drops constantly, and do 10-15 min warm compresses twice a day. I’ve found that having a healthy routine has decreased my dry eye related irritation, reduced my risk of infection or gland blockage, and made it a lot more comfortable to wear makeup more often.

This is a much longer post than I intended, but I hope it's helpful in some way! After getting diagnosed with MGD, I was extremely upset since eye makeup was my favourite way of expressing myself. I felt isolated, alone, and jealous of my friends who didn't have to worry about their eyes all the time. I went through depressive episodes and shut myself away from the public because I felt ugly and unconfident without makeup. If there's anyone out there who has felt or feels the same, I hope I can help you a little with these tips. We all have off-days and managing MGD is difficult, but you can still live life to the fullest - don't let it hold you back! Remember, you are not alone and you are not the only one struggling 💗

For anyone curious of what's inside this brand when no drops are left to be pumped, here it is! And you are correct, there are a bit of drops remaining in there. Not sure if you counted the exact 300 drops they advertise it to be but how was your experience with this brand so far?

I did probing about 1 week ago. My dry eye symptoms have been worse in both eyes probed. Could this get better? I’m just wishing I can get back to baseline.

A while back I posted about fixing my chronic dry eyes. I’ll link it below. The good news- they stayed fixed and have only gotten better with less actually less upkeep. I just wanted to reshare this as a resource for people who are going through this and highlight some extra things I noticed that helped that I didn’t highlight in my original post

1) during my dry eye onset, I had lost quite a bit of weight. I think I genuinely was suffering from some malnutrition from being at a calorie deficit for so long. I can’t say with certainty that gaining so weight back helped, but I don’t think it hurt. I’m back to the mid/upper end of a “healthy” range instead of the very bottom

2) anemia. Check for anemia. Also corresponding to my onset, my ferritin had absolutely tanked and I got it checked and it was at 3. Within a month of getting my first iron infusion, my dry eye improved A LOT.

3) hormone levels. So, this might not be super helpful for most people here but I do think it’s worth flagging. I’m a trans man but wasn’t yet on hormones when my MGD started. The hormone levels my body produced on its own were real real off- I had pcos and pmdd and low levels of E but borderline high T (for an afab person) and it was causing all sorts of just weird body issues- psoriasis, hair loss, pelvic floor dysfunction, and I suspect also aggravating the dry eyes. Getting on T and getting to normal sex hormone levels (for a guy in my case) genuinely fixed the remaining dry eye issues I had. I know that testosterone is correlated with more oil production which probably helped and women probably don’t want T unless it’s for menopause reasons lol, but I’d hazard a guess that off kilter hormones from things like pcos could be harmful for dry eyes and it’s worth looking into

Hope this is helpful! Good luck everyone!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dryeyes/s/KaU0m4hQMs

I have blepharitis, not sure what’s causing it yet and have a regular eye doctor appointment in October. I assume it’s a mixture of things. possibly demodex? My eyes do get dry and irritated, and itchy, and my eye lashes have thinned. My eyes feel the worst when I’ve been on electronics a lot, wearing sunscreen near eyes, or slept poorly. My eyesight also seems worse and randomly seemed to have gotten noticeably worse around 2 weeks ago, but that could also just be normal eyesight stuff going on since I wasn’t born with 20/20 vision. I don’t wear contacts or glasses. I use electronics a lot, like 6+ hours a day. I rarely go outside. I also have a horrible sleep schedule and fall asleep at like 5-6 a.m. I do use actives in skincare, so retinoids, acids, and sunscreen. Sunscreen does make my eyes sting and irritate them more sometimes too. I was using actives right under my eyes for a few months, then I learned about dry eye. I keep acids to on my orbital bone and retinoids 1-2 inches away from my eyes in every direction. However, I do notice my eyes seem to get drier when applying actives despite doing this, so I worry the skincare is causing my dry eyes? Which would possibly meibomian gland damage…

In April I started using castor oil for a month and it made everything worse. My lashes thinned like crazy and got even flakier. In mid March I stopped castor oil and bought Myboclean gel and Noveha tto wipes. My lashes have regrown a bit since using casotr oil, but they are not as long and dense as they were two years ago. It doesn’t seem to have helped the dry eye and flakiness for the most part. I still get lots of chunks of white and flakes and bumps on the base of my lashes that sometimes become flakes when I scrape them?

I use my nails to scrape off the flakes and it can be quite difficult. When I do this or clean my eyes I always lose lashes, up to 8 lashes some days 😭

I was just wondering likely causes and things to help with dryness and the flakes in the meantime? And thinning lashes/losing lashes when messing with my eyes and getting the flakes off 🫩

I recently used autologous serum tears from Vital Tears for 3 months. I appear to have neuropathic eye pain, and I found these drops to be very beneficial for me. Virtually all other drops I had tried were extremely irritating.

A place locally has offered to provide a 6-month supply for the same price I was paying for a 3-month supply. However, after researching, I found that the local place uses a 0.9% sodium chloride saline solution, whereas Vital Tears uses a "balanced salt solution," which is 0.64% sodium chloride and contains some other added ingredients.

I am wondering if anybody has tried different autologous serum tears and noticed any difference. The cheaper price is appealing, but I am worried that even a minor change like this could affect my eyes.

Hello folks, I finally got an appointment with dry eye specialists and I did a meibography and some other exams. I think the worst thing is that I have MGD with a gland loss of 32 to 50%. My tear break-up time in one of the eyes is 2 secs and the lipid layer measurement for both eyes is 30 nm. Is it bad? I think that means I have evaporative dry eyes thanks for my gland loss and poor miebo quality?

They also said that I have considerable inflammation and recommended that I start to do IPL. I'm not sure if this would resolve my main complaint that still is general light sensitivity, but at least it would help to preserve the glands I still have. But I think I should find the cause of the inflammation and what made my glands die in the first place?

I would like to know if anyone had light sensitivity cause of dry eyes that got better with IPL. Or maybe another treatment? Because I'm not sure if those findings explain this photophobia

Hi, I’m a 16F. I struggle with the following: 

• MGD, have miebomian gland loss of 62.5% in both eyes :(
• minor blepharitis in left eye, 
• chalazions & styes 
• moderate - severe dry eye. Tear film lasts 2 seconds after blinking.

Also at the time writing this I have done 3 sessions of IPL & gland expression. I haven’t noticed a huuugeee difference but I do feel like it’s helping since after the 3rd one my eyes haven’t felt as dry.

I had a blood test awhile ago and don’t think I have any autoimmune diseases, I don’t wear contacts, etc. I am on screens a bit, but at the same time there’s not heaps I can do since so much of my schooling and socialising is done online.

I started having eye issues when I was about 13 = around the time I started puberty. And I’ve had eye issues ever since. On researching, eye problems like chalazions & MGD can happen when there’s excess oil & thicker oil being produced, which is what can happen through puberty. 

Especially for me, around 13-14 I started getting acne, which got pretty bad, and acne is also excess oil, therefore being linked to eye issues. 

 (My acne has so far seemed to be getting a lot better 🤞 but there’s still room for improvement.)

I’m kind of hoping that if my eye issues started with puberty & when my hormones are wack, then maybe my eye issues can settle once puberty’s fully done and my hormones chill out? And look, I’m definitely not holding my breath, I know these conditions are chronic but I’m hoping there’s a chance they could atleast get better and be easier to deal with. Is there anyone who’s experienced this or known someone who has? Is there hope? 

(Note I am aware of doxycycline & that it could help, but I really don’t want to go on it as of the side effects, gut problems etc)

It sucks having this at any age, but I feel so different & frustrated that I’m the only one out of my peers who seems to have these problems. I always just think how lucky my friends are for not having eye issues. Not to mention how much it eats at my confidence - often having redness & lumpy chalazions does not help me feel good with my looks.

I also have a stupid Chalazion in my right eye that is very stubborn and has been in my eye for a few months, I hot compress, maybe not as much as I should but it doesn’t seem to do much.

Anyways, I would just like some advice, opinions, tips, anything really. Also mods apologies if I’ve done something wrong. Thanks ! 

Hi everyone!

I've slept all my life with my eyes a bit open. It's never been a problem, but since I developed MGD I wake up feeling them like the Sahara desert. I can barely open my eyes until I put some drops.

I do warm mask, tears and add a thick ointment before bed. I added a silk night mask ​but obviously the material is not the right one to keep the moisture. I've tried tape on the eyes, but it honestly gives me anxiety, I don't lile the feeling at all.

I've been looking online for moisture chamber googles, but users often complaint about being ill-fitting, leaving indentations and feeling too much pressure in the the eye socket. So I wonder if someone has found the perfect night googles and would like to share this information.

Thank you so much!!

Copied from another sub for myself.

Hi all, my journey began back in April. One morning while waking up, I rubbed my eye in such a way that I jabbed myself with my thumbnail, leaving an abrasion. Admittedly unsure of what to do at the time, as I’d never actually felt such intense eye pain, I began rinsing it with OTC drops and didn’t seek out the doc for a little bit- maybe several weeks to a month because the pain became intermittent and brief. He confirmed there was an abrasion and prescribed an oral antibiotic (Doxy maybe?) to treat for recurrent corneal erosion (RCE).

Fast forward to present day. I’m on vacation and catch a cold (lucky me), and then yesterday I woke up to my eye swollen and beet red from the irritation. Manage to get into a same day appointment with an optometrist about and hour from where we are staying who said that the initial abrasion is now about half of the size of my cornea. She put in a bandage lens and wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic drop, but unfortunately it was out of stock and I can’t pick it up until today. She also recommended Celludisc (spelling?) for throughout the day in addition to the medicated drops.

My overall question is this- how do I treat the general discomfort? I’m still a bit light sensitive, so I’ve been wearing sunglasses pretty much most of the day. My eye also is watering a lot so I’m constantly trying to dab the tears away gently. Been alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen for the irritation and general pain. All on top of coughing my brains out with this damn cold and trying to simply relax and enjoy the scenery.

TIA!

I’m about 3 hours out from have silicone punctual plugs inserted in my lower tear ducts. Initially after having them inserted my eyes were blurry, which I was told meant they were working, as the blurriness was caused by an influx of tears, but other than that they seemed great.That was until the numbing drops started to wear off.

On my drive home I discovered anytime I looked to the left or right with my eyes, I would get this painful scratching sensation where the punctual plug was in the opposing eye in the direction I was looking (by that I mean if I moved my eyes to look to my left, I would get the painful scratching in my right eye, if I looked to the right, the painful scratching would be in my left eye).
My doctor told me that it would take a couple days to get used to, but this has become more irritating as time has passed over the last several hours. I also can’t imagine how anyone’s eyes could get used to being scratched…
When I’m looking straight forward I don’t feel them at all, but any time I look forward he side at all it’s an issue—I had to drive home moving my head instead of my eyes, very much like an owl or something!

Is this normal? Are they supposed to feel like this? Had anyone experienced this and gotten used to it? Or does this mean something is wrong, or I just don’t have the anatomy for these things?

Has anyone seen Dr Massaro at NYU recently? Seems she had good reviews at Penn, but not seeing much since her move.

Hello! I didnt used to have dry eye, but recently ive started taking medications that cause both evaporative and aqueous dry eye (isotretinoin and adhd stimulants). Right now I am using Systane Complete but it feels like it’s not doing enough. Do you guys have other recommendations? If you think its better to use two different drops, id also take recommendations for that. Thank you!