I'm sorry you couldn't see my posts on the chat system. Sorry about the technical difficulties we are having :( Please allow me to copy my previous post here for your review:


Dr. Rick : Hi. I'm online and happy to answer your question today.

Dr. Rick : What type of eye drops do you have?

Dr. Rick : Also, do you wear contact lenses? Are your eyes painful?

Dr. Rick : Hi. Welcome to chat. Are you able to see my questions?

Dr. Rick : We have been experiencing problems with the chat system for the last few days. Our engineers are working on it. However, I'll switch over to the Q&A system. This system works a lot like 'text messaging' but an email is sent to each of us anytime something is posted to this thread. We can continue to work on your question there..... :)

Dr. Rick : Are you there?

Here is information on a treatment you can try at home right now. Do NOT pay attention to the talk about dry eyes, allergies and blepharitis.....I think lid scrubs may make your condition better too!

Here it is:


When it comes to allergies it is almost impossible to pin down the offending agent(s) and, therefore, treatment needs to focus on controlling the symptoms. Dry eyes are very common and can be improved by a stepwise series of therapies. First, the use of natural tears 4-6+ times/day to augment your natural tear production, if this doesn’t work then you can try temporary punctal occlusion of the lower puncta, then, if needed, temporary occlusion of all 4 puncta then, if indicated, surgical ( non-reversible) closure of the puncta. The openings to your tear drainage system are called puncta and you have one opening on each lid, near your nose.

Blepharitis is a condition where glands in the eyelids are not functioning normally. They become plugged and instead of putting out their normal clear, oily secretions, they put out thick, toothpaste like gunk. You may not be able to see this “gunk” yourself, unless it is really bad, but it shows up clearly on slit lamp examination.

The best treatment for this condition daily lid scrubs combined with warm compresses. I like to use baby shampoo for lid scrubs. In the shower, place the shampoo on your index fingers, close your eyes, raise your eyebrows (to stretch the skin on your eyelids) and scrub back and forth along your eyelashes for 3 to 5 minutes. The hot water in the shower helps to soften the plugged oils in the glands while the mechanical scrubbing with your soapy fingers removes the oils.

Baby shampoo lid scrubs will also help to wash away allergens and stimulate tear production, thereby addressing all three of your issues. Remember, this is not an instant fix. While you are waiting for the lid scrubs to have affect you can use over the counter allergy pills such as Travist, dimetapp or Zyrtec.

Should your symptoms get worse, your vision become significantly affected or things just not get better in 3 weeks or so you should have a complete eye examination by your local ophthalmologist to look for other, less common, causes of your symptoms.

So. What is the take home message here? Yes. Go ahead and use the drops you have as well as the above treatment. That being said, if things get a lot worse, you have more pain or your vision decreases, try to find a local eye care specialist.

Does this make sense to you?



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