I finally found the root issue. ALLERGIC RHINITIS
I finally found a doctor who actually wanted to do his job. With only a sigh, he could see signs of allergic rhinitis and sent me to get an X-ray of my paranasal sinuses. I was super congested, especially in my forehead area. The X-rays also showed that I have a slightly deviated septum and both turbinates are slightly inflamed.
That’s where the allergy, irritation, and dilated blood vessels are coming from — especially in the inner corner of my eyes, near the nose side.
I’m going to start treatment at the end of this month. In the meantime, I started doing warm compresses around my eyes and forehead, and washing my nasal passages with sterile water. I’m already seeing small improvements!!!
Olopatadine didn’t really work for me, so now I’m going to try Bepotastine 1.5% to see if it helps more with the inflammation.
It wasn’t mites, nor was it only dry eye. I’ve had allergic rhinitis my whole life, and for more than 10 years doctors kept telling me it was only allergic conjunctivitis...
So now I understand why sea water and sea wind helped me so much when I lived in Malta.
I’m just sharing this in case it helps someone else. I’ll keep you updated as I continue the treatment and see how things evolve.