Another dry eye problem
Have had the condition on and off since about 2005 - lasts a few weeks then usually goes. This current episode has been particularly irritating, and I finally went to see the Optometrist about it.
Apparently my tears are of low quality, lacking some of the greasy stuff (can't remember the name - something like mubein?). The result is that when I sleep, the eyes dry out and the eyelid sticks to the cornea and when you open your eyes a tiny piece of cornea is ruptured and forms a cyst.
The feeling is as if a piece of grit is in your eye. My low quality tears really flow but there is nothing to wash out. The pain/feeling usually subsides within an hour, but my eye can be sensitive to light nearly all day. I usually get it in my left eye, occasionally the right.
I was prescribed a vaseline type ointment to squirt in my eyes before bed. This blurrs the vision but is OK the next morning. I also use drops as and when I need them to simulate natural tears, and I apply heat to the eyes at least twice a day using a (clean) sock with about a cup of rice inside and microwaved for about a minute. This is to unblock the glands that secrete the greasy stuff.
Still getting the gritty eyes when I wake up though, and this can happen several times a night. Anyone have similar experience with a good result?
Last edited by RAC/OPS; 24th Oct 2012 at 23:00.
Reason: typo and a little extra information