Computer use & dry eye

[Jacqueline]

Hello,
I'm new to this forum & this is my first post. I'd like to know if anyone else developed dry eye due to too many hours at the computer. I'm almost convinced too much computer time caused my dry eye leading to blepharitis. Anyone's thoughts on this?

[LindaLa]

Hi Jacqueline: There is definitely a connection between computer use and dry eye. I have blepharitis also. I work at a computer all day long. My eyes bother me less on weekends. I just returned from a 9 day vacation and my eyes feel better. I don't think the computer lead to the blepharitis, I just think that the computer use exacerbates the dry eye.

[Jacqueline]

Thanks for your reply. I've been reading books on all of this & they do say blepharitis can be caused by excema, dry skin, low thyroid & HRT & dry eye. Well, I'm all of those. But I do wonder if the dry eye could have brought on the blepharitis since I may be prone to it. Another thing. My eyes are not open like they were (look droopy) the right eye is more closed than the left & seems to bother me more especially if I've been on the computer. Do you have this problem? My eyes really look sleepy & ill like I have an allergy.

[LindaLa]

Hi Jacqueline: My eyes don't look sleepy, not that I notice anyway. They often do look red. I have rosacea and ocular rosacea, which my dr. says causes the blepharitis. I believe that the dry eye is caused by the blepharitis. I didn't have dry eye until my rosacea and then blepharitis. I currently am on Pataday as my dr. says some of my issues may be allergy related. I have not gone to an allergist, but may do so. I finally will see a corneal specialist this week (it took a long time to get an appt.) as all this has now caused me to suffer from recurrent corneal erosions. My opthamologist has been good and has tried almost everything, but it seems as though nothing works or provides relief. I have dry eye in both eyes, but my right eye is the worst. Tranquileyes have provided the most relief for me. I still have the blurry vision, but my eyes don't feel quite as scratchy or gritty since I have been using them at night.

[mgshutterbug]

Hi Jacqueline and Linda,

I, too, have increased dry eye symptoms when using the computer for any length of time, or reading a book for awhile. I use moisture chamber glasses all waking hrs, and they are quite helpful in keeping the moisture in. I still have to use eyedrops, but less so. You can look in the Dry Eye Store, and see what moisture chamber glasses are like, and read Rebecca's thorough description of them. She also has written alot of info under the "quick links" section of the header.

What I've had to do because of blurriness from dry eye, and also some other eye conditions, is increase the size of the font on my computer, and buy a kindle for reading books. I increase the font on that to a 16 or so, and it causes me much less eyestrain.

One thing you want to make sure of, is to use preservative-free drops when you use drops. . The others can cause alot of damage to the eye over time. I also never turn my fan on in the car more than half way (I try not to turn above low), and I turn the air vents so they're facing away from me. If I can, I don't use the fan at all. Hope I'm not preaching to the choir with these suggestions. I find the Air Shield moisture chamber glasses to be the ones which work for me.

I also will use very warm water and soak a washcloth, hold against eyelids. I keep reheating the washcloth, do so for about 5 minutes. That brings me some comfort. Hope something in here helps. Keep positive, there are a number of options available to help, and I find folks on the forum to be very kind and helpful.

Maria

[Jacqueline]

Hi Lindala, My sister is Lindalu, at first I thought it was her in this forum. Thanks for your input on your situation. Likely the excema & the other issues are what triggered my blepharitis similar to your rosacea. Yes, you are right the blepharitis causes the dry eye. I've considered seeing my doctor on this who treats environmental allergies. He treats more naturally rather than drugs. He did get me over a horrible time with food allergies caused by candida which was caused by too many antibiotics which wipes out your good flora. Anyway, I've made an appointment for next week. I've had the ill eye feeling off & on for a few years & always wondered if it was allergies. I've probably had blepharitis & didn't realize it until the dry eye set in. I'll have to try tranquileyes. Thanks so much for responding. Jacqueline

[Jacqueline]

Hi Maria,
I'll have to look into the moisture chamber glasses. I do wear prescription glasses though & hope they can work. At least I could wear them overnight. Good suggestions on increasing the size of the font on the computer. Do you feel the Kindle is ok for your eyes? Since the computer screen is what seems to irrate my eyes I wonder if the Kindel would do the same. I do have trouble with blurriness if I overuse the computer or read a book too long. My doctor did tell me to use the preservative free drops but in the beginning about a year ago before I got hit so hard with this, I did use the drops without preservatives but only used up one bottle. Before I discovered all the things to know. I wonder if I made this condition worse with the one bottle. You are having the same issues as I with fans, vents, windy days, etc. even the malls have air flowing that irritates my eyes. I'm looking into wrap around glasses but my face is small & I find them huge. They have some called "Fitovers" which I saw in the mall. $$60 & still quite big but may have to buy the smallest they have. The warm washcloth does help plus my doctor said to do a daily shower & use baby shampoo on the eyelids at the end of the shower. It all helps but I want a solution which there seems to be none. I keep reading about castor oil pros & cons & am afraid to try it. I found a book called Smart Medicine for Your Eyes" which has both homeopathic as well as traditional suggestions. They mention using a vitamin A drop into the eyes. I want to research it further. There I go, I think the fact that I'm a researchaholic made my dry eye condition worse. I thank both you & Lindala for responding to my letters. It is very much appreciated. If you find things that help, it is always welcome.
Jacqueline

[Jacqueline]

Hi Lindala, My sister is Lindalu, at first I thought it was her in this forum. Thanks for your input on your situation. Likely the excema & the other issues are what triggered my blepharitis similar to your rosacea. Yes, you are right the blepharitis causes the dry eye. I've considered seeing my doctor on this who treats environmental allergies. He treats more naturally rather than drugs. He did get me over a horrible time with food allergies caused by candida which was caused by too many antibiotics which wipes out your good flora. Anyway, I've made an appointment for next week. I've had the ill eye feeling off & on for a few years & always wondered if it was allergies. I've probably had blepharitis & didn't realize it until the dry eye set in. I'll have to try tranquileyes. Thanks so much for responding. Jacqueline
p.s. This letter is also below, wasn't sure if I hit "reply" under your name.

[mgshutterbug]

The 7eye moisture chamber glasses that I use all waking hrs do take prescription lenses. The Oasis are quite large, and wouldn't fit you. But they have some smaller ones they've come out with recently. I have their old brand Scirocco that I use for bifocals for the computer. Do you have separate computer glasses? The top part would be for seeing the computer, and the bottom part for seeing close work like the keyboard, and anything on your desk that you want to refer to. The Moisture Chamber glasses that are most helpful have the Air Shield. The Air Dam glasses do not have anywhere near as much seal to your faces, there are many gaps. The 7eye are not cheap, but the prices are coming down. And the Dry Eye Store carries some of the 7eye frames for less than you would pay on the 7eye website. I have a progressive prescription in my Oasis tinted glasses for inside wear, and Oasis progressive very dark sunglasses for outside. Then, as I said, I have the 7eye bifocal. 3 pair of glasses - a pain, but it helps keep my eyes more comfortable. And the Oasis don't look as "goggly" as other brands, though my particular progressive glasses are very large, as well as wrap around. I look like I'm in the 70s generation!

As far as how long you can use the computer or read on the Kindle - it'll depend on your eyes that day, at that moment. Sometimes I can be on for quite awhile, some days my vision is too blurry and my eyes are hurting alot, so it's less time. But by making the font larger on the computer and the Kindle, you will have much less eyestrain. I take frequent breaks at all times, and use the "blinks" (can get "eyes" that blink every 10 sec., put on the edges of your computer screen. When the eye blinks, you do too. You can find the blinking eyes by going to "blogs", then "most popular". They really help me alot. Good luck!

Your condition really will improve, you just need to find the particular remedies that work for you. And of course, new procedures and new products appear over time. Everyone is different. You'll get lots of ideas by reading posts and blogs. I'm glad you found this forum. Keep us updated.

Maria

[spmcc]

The 7eye are not cheap, but the prices are coming down. And the Dry Eye Store carries some of the 7eye frames for less than you would pay on the 7eye website.

A little story: Last year I went to Harley-Davidson to buy a pair of 7Eye Brizas with photochromic (i.e., light adjusting) lenses. Prior to going to the store, I looked up everything on 7Eye's website and printed some info/prices to take with me. When I got to H-D, the glasses were more expensive than 7Eye's website! I brought this to their attention and they did some "stallin' and callin'" before offering me the "reduced" price.

So definitely shop around... go somewhere to try on different pairs and then buy from the least expensive source (I'm now kicking myself for not checking with the Dry Eye Shop too! Bummer esp since the glasses are relatively expensive (but oh so worth it)).

[Jacqueline]

Hi Maria,
That's great information. Thank you so much. So many things to know about this dry eye stuff.
Jacqueline

[Jacqueline]

Hi Maria,
The blinking eye is great. I put it on my screen. Amazing the things they come up with. I do wear progressive glasses but not computer glasses. I had asked at my eye doctor's office about computer glasses & they didn't seem to know anything about it. If special glasses for the computer would help, I'd sure like to try it.
Thanks again for your info.
Jacqueline

[LindaLa]

Hi all, I now have a very large monitor at work which helps as I sit in front of a computer all day. I also purchased a Nook a few years ago when they first came out. It does make reading more manageable. However, if my eyes are bothering me I just won't read. I finally had my appt. with a corneal specialist. I have been suffering from recurrent corneal erosions and she diagnosed me with map dot fingerprint dystrophy in both eyes. She put me on a new drop regimen and wants me to try it for 3 weeks. If there is no improvement she thinks I will need laser surgery.
She is also going to run some additional tests to rule out some potential causes of dry eye to be certain there isn't anything else is going on. I still think the one thing that helps my eyes the most is the moisture goggles.