Eyelid swelling

Thanks for your reply Mandy, it's been swelling from the afternoon onwards for half a year now, and the docs all claim there's no sign of infection. Last eye doc admitted he was completely "stumped" as to what it could be. If you think the Sjorgen's Society might help I'd be happy to contact them.

You can try taking an allergy tablet. I take Claritin when mine are playing up and that seems to work. But I would still call the Sjorgrens Society I find them to be quite helpful.

Mandy x

I've tried a few antihistamines and none of them seemed to help, including desloratadine (same as Claritin).

Thanks for the suggestion to contact the Society. I wonder if they're familiar with this problem.

Hi Jean, thanks for your reply.

I haven't tried specifically Lacrilube but other eye drops such as Systane, Hylocomod and the like. The ointments actually seem to make the condition worse for some reason...

In any case, my eyes are always fine in the morning, the problem begins later on in the day.

No concretions as far as I know.

I've stopped all meds in past few months because of this problem except the occasional sleeping pill. 

Shira

You are welcome. If the ointments of drops make this worse then I would advise discontinue them.Steroids can occasionally help but may cause glaucoma and cataract.

I have sent you a PM with some evidence based treatments . Jean

 

So far topical steroids haven't been helping.

I wonder if maybe oral steroids would be more helpful in this case... 

Thank you so much for the PM Jean but for some reason I haven't received it.

Hi Shira

I just googled the management and treatment of dry eyes in in Sjogrens syndrome. I tried to cut and paste it.

Kind regards

Jean

Thanks Pam, docs claim I don't currently have MGD, though I did have it a few years ago. Strange. Still, I have tried the MGD treatment of warming and massaging and with my current condition it makes the flare-up worse since anything that now touches my eyelid makes it swell all the more. 

Do you take calcium?

The glands could be blocked with chalk deposits, this happened to me then I got concretions which were removed but some were embedded underneath on the inner surface of my upper eyelid, agonising.

The deposits and concretions have now cleared up. Touch wood.

Try not to wear eye make up as tis will dry the eyes fuurther adding to the problem.

Jean

Good advice I was told not to wear any make up age 16 as I had PCOS! The cysts with that we're gashtly not ordinary acne cystic type and it only went age 61 as I had a hysterectomy but they left my ovaries In!

Thanks Jean, got the PM!

How can I go about getting checked for those chalk deposits? Can any eye doc check for them or is a special procedure required?

I just had a procedure to remove salt build-ups in my salivary glands (also agonizing!) so that would make sense.

Sounds terrible Pam, make up does seem to make my symptoms even worse but it's so depressing to go without !

Forgot to add I don't take calcium.

Hi Shira

Yes any eye dr should be able to make the diagnosis of dry eyes.

It is not as trivial as it may sound because as you know it is a painful condition.

My ophthalmoplogist diagnosed it on the basis of a straightforwad  eye examination.

He just put local anaesthetic drops into each eye so he coud examine tem under the slit lamp. This is the lamp with the chin and forehead rest .

The upper eyelid should be inverted to check for any fb's or foreign bodies that may have become trapped underneath the upper eyelid thus acting as an irritant against the eye.

If there are deposits of chalk from the blocked conjunctival sacs the dr usually removes them there and then. This nomally gives immediate relief.

My left eye was reddened but it was due to a concretion irritating it .

The dr usually checks the pressure of the eyes as well to exclude glaucoma.

Also examines the retina or the back of the eye.

Checks for any cataracts and any other conditions.