r/Dryeyes

Growing up, I always had the impression that medicine had become so advanced that there was a fix for almost everything except cancer, which everyone made such a big deal about because it seemed like the only disease there wasn’t a cure or truly effective treatment for.

It’s astonishing to think that people are still being sent away and told to use warm compresses and some drops for dry eyes and blepharitis, especially when warm compresses only made things so much worse for me.

If I had known this, I think I would have been far more careful about my eye health. I wouldn’t have spent so much time on screens, and I would have been much more diligent about eyelid hygiene, which is something I was never once told to do growing up (not even by all the optometrists I saw whenever I got new glasses.)

I have so many regrets, and they haunt me. I know my eyes are as bad as they are because I was reckless, earnestly and foolishly believing that I could rely on medicine to provide a quick fix if things ever got bad, and that would be it and I could just get on with my life. It was pure ignorance on my part.

But in a way, I’m not sure whether some of my lack of diligence was also a good thing. If I had been more diligent, I probably would have just done warm compresses every day, as advised by many optometrists after I got a chalazion six years ago (thinking all optometrists must know best and not questioning them). If I had followed that advice for six years, I can only imagine how much worse my dry eyes might have become and even earlier, since I have ocular rosacea, and no optometrist (or the one ophthalmologist I saw ever) told me I had it. My eyes became much worse and unbearable when I started doing warm compresses every day at the beginning of this year.

The sad thing is that even if I had been more diligent and careful, the treatments recommended by optometrists are so primitive that they would not have done me any good and made things even worse, so it’s like I was always bound to end up where I was.

Fifteen months ago, my eyes basically broke overnight.

One week I was normal. The next, I was taking showers just to get relief because that was the only place my eyes felt even remotely okay. I could barely sleep. I could barely think. I went from “maybe my eyes are dry” to “how am I supposed to live like this?”

I found a dry eye specialty clinic and was told I had dry eye/MGD. At first it was graded OU +1 and +2. Then +2. Eventually +3. Every time I went back, the story seemed to be: worse, worse, worse.

So I did what a lot of desperate people do. I threw everything at it.

IPL. RF. BlephEx. Regener-Eyes Lite. Miebo. Heat masks twice a day. Multiple steroid tapers. Xiidra. Cequa. Tear-stimulating drops. Demodex treatment. I stopped my oral antihistamine after tracking symptoms in a dry eye journal. I uploaded medical records into AI tools just trying to find a pattern.

Sometimes I’d improve. Then I’d crash again. Then improve. Then crash. It felt completely random.

The scariest part was that I started believing my glands were dying. I thought I had severe gland dropout and that I was watching my eyes permanently deteriorate. The doctors notes told a story right out of a Stephen King novel.

But then I got a second opinion, that made no sense.

Mayo told me my eyes looked fine. Other doctors said my glands expressed well. People would look at me like, “Yeah, there’s some dryness, but nothing here explains the level of pain you’re describing.”

That was almost worse, honestly.

Because when you are in that much pain and someone says “your eyes look fine,” it does not feel reassuring.

Eventually I saw a doctor who said something that finally made sense:

“I don’t see anything terribly wrong structurally. But clearly something is very wrong.”

That doctor helped me get into UIC, where they did the full workup I thought I had already been getting.

And the results were not what I expected.

My meibomian gland dropout was about 3%. My Schirmer scores were in the high 20s. My NIKBUT was over 15. My lipid layer score was 96 in one eye and 58 in the other. The testing took two hours.

Basically, my eyes were not the disaster I had been told they were.

Then UIC used a specialized microscope to look at the nerves on my eyes. That was the key. They could actually see what was wrong: my corneal nerves showed beading/abnormal changes.

The likely issue was nerve-related ocular pain / misfiring nerves, probably connected to prior LASIK.

The symptoms were real. The pain was real. The suffering was real. But the story I had been chasing — that my glands were severely failing — did not match the better testing.

I’m posting this because I wish someone had told me earlier:

Dry eye symptoms do not always mean your glands are destroyed.

Even if a clinic has fancy equipment, ask whether they are using it correctly. Ask for your actual numbers. Ask what those numbers mean. Ask whether your symptoms match what they are seeing on exam.

And if your pain is severe but multiple doctors say your eyes “look fine,” don’t let that end the conversation. Ask about neuropathic corneal pain, nerve-related ocular pain, or whether a clinic can do nerve imaging/confocal microscopy, or get you a referal to a place than can.

The best part, with time, its fixable.

Hi! I was just recently diagnosed with ocular rosacea and my derm prescribed me Ivermectin cream (Solantra). I have also suffered from a lot of dry eye issues (styes, red/irritated eyelid ever since having a stye removed, etc.). Who is using this for ocular rosacea? Directions say "apply all over your face" ... I wish I had more instructions, haha. Do you put it everywhere? Before other moisturizers/skincare regime? Is it okay to put products on top of it? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated! :)

What are the best moisture chamber glasses?

I don’t care about style, aesthetics, I care about efficiency. Don’t tell me ziena eye wear because they were so inefficient. I think if they are googles would be best?

Let me know your opinions!

1：USB-heated eye mask ，43°C (109.4°F) for 20 minutes

2：After heat compress, press/massage the meibomian glands，You can find videos on YouTube showing how to do the massage.

Previously I used a hot towel, but now I've found the heated eye mask works better.

Hi everyone,
I just started Accutane, and to be honest, I’m already feeling really anxious.
After reading through the Dry Eyes subreddit, I’ve seen a lot of people talk about developing Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and having persistent or even permanent dry eyes after taking Accutane. Reading those experiences has made me question whether I should continue treatment.
I know people who have negative experiences are often more likely to post online, so I’m hoping to hear from a broader range of people here.
For those of you who have taken Accutane:
Did you experience dry eyes during treatment?
If you did, did they go away after you finished, or have they persisted?
Did anyone take any precautions (artificial tears, omega-3s, warm compresses, etc.) that seemed to help?
If you completed treatment, do you regret taking Accutane, or was it worth it?
I’m not looking for reassurance that there are zero risks—I know every medication has risks. I just want to get a more balanced perspective because right now I’m feeling overwhelmed by the stories I’ve read.
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I have severe dry eyes after Accutane which are getting worse (and also developed1 dioptrie out of the blue).
Main problem seems to be evaporative. I‘m using vaseline night cream (Xailin Night) three times a day, because it’s the only thing giving any relief. Without it the eyes are red and burning within an hour. Drops don’t help.

I can’t do heat treatment, my whole eyeballs feel like they are on flame if I try.

I‘m on Ikervis (2x/day) for a year. I also was on Doxycycline 50mg for 6 months, I use Soolantra on the eyelids (in case it’s Rosacea) and different doctors have put me on Cortison/Prednisolone/antiobiotic eyedrops repeatedly.

The glands are clogged and the meibom is milky suggesting inflammation. My left eyelid is thick every morning and goes to normal after an hour.

I have stopped the Doxy some months ago. A few days ago I tried to cut back on Ikervis (to once a day), because it doesn’t help, but now my eyeballs are burning (like they do after heat treatment). How come Ikervis never made anything better, but stopping makes things worse?

Is this just inflammation? Is there something else/more I can do against it? Can it be something else?
(I was tested for Sjögrens but my blood does not show any inflammation.)

How was your experience taken oral Ivermectin to get rid of Demodex? did it really help to solve the issue?

What type of side effects did you experience?

One Ophthalmologist prescribed Xdemvy, but another Opthalm. said not to use it. So I'm hesitant to use Xdemvy.

I also tried tea tree cleaning products on my eyes, but they are too irritating for me and made my eyes even drier:( so this is not an option for me.

Gentle Hypochlorous acid to clean eyes is ok and helps with the itchiness, but it does not get rid of the demodex.

From covid my screen time increased due to online classes, then took computer engineering, got eyelid infection 2 times, my left eye is dry but don't irritate that much but my right eye irritate constantly mostly the red part previously it was dry and irritating now it's wet still irritating 2days ago soap went into that eye from that day it's feeling watery, I use preservative free drops 2 times, take salmon omega one pill a day (amway)

What should I do more, will it cure, will I be able to live life freely,

I went to opthamalist, should I go to a good doctor

I’m currently 1.5 months in, started using evolve cyclosporine 0.05% which is generic restasis. And for the first 4 weeks i gradually felt better, lower inflammation, improvement in flareups and whiter eyes overall. (Week 1 schirmer’s 5 and 8mm) I also had frequent reflex tearing on instillation of cyclosporine.

Moving on to week 5 i redid schirmer’s and it fell drastically from 5mm & 8mm to 0 and 2mm. I noticed my eyes becoming stickier but i thought that was mucus layer returning. I also didn’t have reflex tearing anymore on instillation of cyclosporine. My ophthalmologist suspects i may have sjorgens, and i am currently awaiting blood test results.

Now week 6 my eyes are bone dry, and have flareups as bad as week 1. It’s so dry that i experience prickling foreign body sensation when i blink. Today i just had a burning episode that was pretty bad and wouldn’t go away even when i close and rest my eyes. But the odd thing is i can put in cyclosporine and there is no longer any burning. But my eyes are gradually becoming slightly redder. Is this how sjorgens is?

For people who have sjorgens, is this normal? But isn’t generic restasis the treatment for sjorgens, so how is it getting worse?

Do any of you have similar experiences?

What should i do, stop generic restasis?

Hi, I'm hoping someone can give me a bit more information. I recently read somewhere that Vaseline applied to eyelids can help inflammation. So last night I applied some to the lid and they were less red today. However, im slightly worried that this will make mgd worse. Can anyone help with this?

Many thanks​

Just wanted to share that after 4 IPLs, 8 months of Vevye, warm compresses, cold compresses, steroids, etc not helping me I finally gave in and did serum tears and they are truly helping me. I am no longer feeling like I am blinking over glass shards, or burning in my lids from dryness or feeling like I took my eyes for deep dive in chlorine.

I'm only a week and a half into using them, but they've made a difference. I still have some burning situationally though.

I wonder if this means my main issue truly is tear production if the serum is helping this much?

Anyway, just wanted to share.

Hi all. 48F w pale/freckled skin. Before dry eye diagnosis 3 years ago I wore face sunscreen almost daily. Usually a combo w moisturizer. Now I only use it on days when I will be outside for more than 10 min bc all the ones Ive tried have bothered my eyes. What are you all using that doesnt bother eyes? Recently ive been using the vanicream bc its good for sensitive skin (which i have) but I still get burning in my eyes. I see some old posts on here from 4 yrs ago about this topic but didn't see anything recent. Thanks for the help!​

I’ve had dry eyes a LONG time. They got exponentially worse just over a year ago. I sought help last October and have been trucking along doing all the things. Doxycycline, restasis, eyelid hygiene, serum tears, compresses, Meibo, omegas…on and on. I had my first IPL (no expression) two weeks ago - which made things WORSE but I know to stick it out.

I have MGD/ocular rosacea. For a moment, things seemed like they could be improving but alas, they have not. I started Ritalin about 3-4 months ago. Now I’m wondering if that’s exacerbated my condition? It’s clearly not caused it but I wonder if it’s preventing me from any success? I was out of town for something and forgot it - my eyes felt better that weekend despite being in the wind. I tried to pinpoint what I did differently. It hit me this morning like a ton of bricks. I take my meds after getting to work each morning around 9-930. My symptoms always flare soon after that….

I’m going to hold off on them this weekend and see what happens. Which really sucks but I choose eyes over attention span and focus bc my eyes hurting negates any focus gained from the meds.

Am I onto something? Anyone else go through this???

Started noticing this. I slept like 5 hours last night because i went in to the office early. I feel the sandy gritty feeling much more now than i do on a normal day. Anyone else have this happen?

I had a chalazion from clogged oil gland. The chalazion is mostly gone but my inner lower eyelid is very red and puffy. Was using warm compresses but I’m wondering if I should switch to cold? Could the warm compresses be making the inflammation worse?

I don't know if I'm looking for advice or just people who genuinely get it.

My dry eyes have reached a point where they affect almost every part of my life. I have practically zero tolerance for wind or air blowing on my face. Sitting under a fan hurts, going outside on a breezy day is exhausting, and even working on a screen has become a challenge despite trying every adjustment I can think of.

I've stopped going out as much because restaurants, cafés, clubs, smoke, AC, dust, and even the smallest things most people don't notice can leave my eyes burning for hours. Sometimes it feels like I have to plan my entire life around avoiding triggers.

The hardest part isn't even the physical pain it's how lonely it feels. My friends are living normal lives, making spontaneous plans, travelling, partying, and working without thinking twice about their eyes. They try to understand, but unless you've lived with severe dry eye, it's really hard to explain why something as simple as sitting in front of a fan or walking outside can ruin your day.

I'm not looking for sympathy. I just want to find people who genuinely understand this because I miss feeling like I fit in somewhere.

If you're dealing with severe dry eye too especially if you're in Delhi i'd really love to connect. Maybe we can share what has helped, vent a little, or just remind each other that we're not the only ones trying to build a normal life around this condition.

Would love to hear from anyone who relates.

hi I didn’t like the systane PF hydrating. it felt so heavy. can anyone recommend some other PR dry eye drops? my eyes get styles and now those lash mites. opthamologist prescribed so much I don’t know what to start with

Hi! I have my first IPL treatment scheduled for Monday morning. I’ve been talking to someone new for a few weeks, yesterday he finally asked me on a date for Monday night. Of course I said yes, I just remembered about my IPL Monday morning. Will my eyes be terribly red on Monday evening (date is about 11 hours post treatment). If they are, that’s okay I’m still going to do both. Just want to not be surprised. lol