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Eye issues for 14 years - results of blocked tear ducts?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Walkin
Walkin

Hi all, so this is my first time posting on forums like this, but i decided to try and get some help online as all the places i have been to have just made up various issues, or so it seems.

I'm a 22 year old male, i was recently told i have Ulcerative Colitis (2 years ago nearly), and i've been struggling with my eyes for many years... When i was a child i apprently had blocked tear ducts and i believe that is still the case as i can't cry/let tears out.

Ever since i was a child i've had eye issues, the earliest i remember having these issues was when i was in primary school, so we're looking at around 14 years, as i'm now 22 years old. When i was in primary school i was very active, i would always be out majority of the day, playing football or such, nowadays i'm more chilled and i'm pretty much always using a computer as it's my main hobby and my chosen job route.

I feel like my eyes have been getting worse and worse as the years go on, and recently i've been getting servere headaches/pain, they seem to be getting worse and triggered instantly, no sign of them coming on. As far as i can tell it apeears to be related to my eyes.

The issues my eyes are having/causing are;

- My eyes have always been `droopy` i think is the name, i would sometimes even be accused of sleeping in class when i was a child due to it 

- Swelling / irritation, especially in the corners of the eye, constantly feel like there is something there and eye wash does nothing.

When my eye swells/ is bad enough, it can even swell up so much so i can't see out of it, it takes 2-3 days for it to get better.

- Vision is attrocious some days, much better other days...

- Extremely dry, when i wake up my eyes often sting, and if my eyes are going to be bad, i can often tell from waking up, how dry they are.

- Eye mucus 

- tearing/`crusty` skin around eye

- Headaches as mentioned

Thing i have noticed about my eyes:

- As an Ulcerative Colitis patient i have been given Prednisone a few times, during the times of being on the course i have felt like my eyes have been much much better with rarely any issues what soever, my Doctor thought maybe my colitis was causing my eye issues.

- I have brought an eye `blanket` type of thing, i heat it up in the microwave and rest it on my eyes for 5-10 minutes, it really helps, but within 20 minutes my eyes are back to being bad, if the irritation of the eye starts, i can't stop it.

As for meds, i have been given/tried tons of eye drops, my most recent meds are taking "Celluvise 0.5%" eye drops (replica tears?), on top of this i also take Steroid drops.

I have been trying to deal with my eyes for the 14 years or so i've had the issues with them, but i haven't found any help as of yet, when i was a child i was told i had hayfever, I honestly don't think i do.

I have been to Moorfields eye hospital many times and seen many people there, they would always do the same, ask what the issue is, say they're going to help, put in orange drips and look into my eye, then make up some weird name disease that i've never heard of and leave it at that. I have also been to Queens Hospital eye department, and they told me i do have issues with my eye and it's possible to have an operation to fix my droppy eyelids although this wasn't the cause for my eye issues apprently, but again, nothing has happened from that either.

I have told both Moorfields and Queens about having blocked tear ducts when i was a child and ulcerative colitis, both of them assured me thay my issues are not caused by either blocked tear ducts or the colitis.

I've pretty much given up getting my eyes sorted honestly, even though it has affected my life in a huge way and it will continue too, as when my eyes get extremely bad, i can't do anything but try and sleep it off, and at it's worst, it can take a few days...

It was only recently that i decided to try and take it futher after everything, because i was talking with a mate and googled "blocked tear ducts" randomly, even though i was told this isn't the cause of my issues, everything i read, the symptons, i have EVERY single one of them.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/blocked-tear-duct/symptoms-causes/dxc-20183598

I have arranged an appointment with my local doctor but it'll take 2 weeks to get in there as usual, i made this thread because i'm bored of being `blagged` everytime i go to the `experts` for help. I heard moorfields are the best eye hospital around, and since i've been there atleast 5 times with nothing changing what soever, i've lost hope.

Sorry for long post, probably poorly written too...

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • cheri29129
    cheri29129 Walkin

    Posted

    i have dried eyes BUT and its a big BUT, i have constent runny eyes.  Did you ask you doctor about plugs or reconstruction of the the tearducts.  They have not helped me because they are still running but i do know people that have had that.  The reconstructed my tearduct then put tubes with little weights into my nose to hold them open for about 6 months this opens the tearducts.  Steriods does damage even tho you need them!!  it caused me to have cataracts which i had corrected, but like i said i had to have them.  i am prone to infection.  what about restasis?
  • john10046
    john10046 Walkin

    Posted

    Hi Walkin,

                  I think I would be getting a referral to a rheumatolist and checking to see if you have the HLA-B27 gene,and see if there are any underlying imflammatory problems to do with your eyes and your bowel ???

    Good Luck

  • Light
    Light Walkin

    Posted

    Hi Walkin... Sounds like you've been having a horrid time...

    I can only address the dry eyes and the crusty eyes. But if neither Moorfields nor Queens have been able to help, I fear my input won't add to much.

    But let's try...

    Crusty eyes: Could be blepharitis. Your hot pad would need to be followed up with a cotton-bud & baby soap cleansing. Easy peasy. But specific details important, so look it up!

    Dry eye. I have seriously dry eyes and rotate between Cellu-visc, HyloTears, Optive and VitA-Pos (at night). If you wake up with eyes extremely dry, you need a good ointment type drop such as VitA-Pos each night before sleep.

    I am allergic to preservatives in eye drops, as are many people, and so have had to run through about 20 different kinds before finding those that work for me.

    This could be true for you too.

    My Moorfields doctor told me two vital things I hadn't known before: first was to rotate between different drops throughout the day; and second, use the drops whenever I felt the need, or even before they got too painfully dry, rather than sticking to a schedule of "six drops per day" as I had been doing. There is no need to limit yourself because they do no harm (except for steroids) .

    Avoid steroid drops for longer than 5 days. You will have been told that, but it's very important to stick to it even though they may seem to work best. That's because steroids will quickly damage your eyes if you use too much of it.

    The only danger of overdoing the drops in one so young is that they may create a dependency, which means you'll be on them for your whole life. So whatever you can do for an out and out cure, you should try.

    A course of Restasis is one of the frontine things most opthos try for a cur for dry eyes. I used it for six months and it didn't do anything for me. But I am very much older than you and it may work on a younger person. Also Restasis when it works, works well, so worth a try.

    But now you've discovered online something the eye doctors missed, I suggest you make another appointment, and go back with a friend. A third person can be enormously helpful in many ways, mainly to keep notes and make sure you ask the questions you plan to ask. Their input can create space in the consultation that gives you, the vulnerable patient, time to collect your thoughts. You should also take the time to debrief each other after the appointment so nothing the doc has said gets missed.

    Go back to your doc with your evidence in your hand, shake the paper in their face and insist they address it!

    I wish you good luck in it all!

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