Dry eye syndrome

Acupuncture helped me a great deal. I discussed it with my doctor first. I also have a daily routine for moisturizer care, including nightly ointment, daily drops, warm compresses, etc. If I had to do it again, I’d start with a complete check on all vitamin levels like D and B12. I have no idea how much damage I’ve had due to low B12. I hope you find something that helps.

Dry eyes are part and parcel of autoimmunity so likelihood related to PMR.
Of course most of us with PMR are older and age is a factor.
The restasis eye drops can help suppress the inflammatory component if
OTC dry eye drops aren’t enough. Mark Cuban’s cost plus has a good generic price. I always have my pharmacist check GoodRx for me.

Here is a link to Mark Cuban's Cost Plus drug company - https://www.costplusdrugs.com/

As I understand it charges 10% more than their cost - thus the name Cost Plus. It helps manage prices for drugs. Worth checking out, especially if you are also looking at GoodRx prices.

The dry eyes could be a reaction to the prednisone. I have had that reaction as well and also to high blood pressure medication and to an acid reliever. Try using Refresh over the counter sterile eye drops. I use the individual tubes that come usually 100 to a pack. My ophthalmologist said it was safe to use and you can try it twice a day or once to see if you get some relief. Hope that helps.

Thanks for your input! I use nightly ointment and drops numerous times a day. My vitamin D level is fine, but I don't know about my B12. I see my rheumatologist in 2 weeks so I will ask her about B12. Did acupuncture help with any of the other symptoms of PMR?

The prescription is like restasis. I tried restatis years ago when I wore contacts and they didn't help. My doctor used them also and said they didn't work either. I'll just keep using my ointment and eyedrops. Thanks for your reply!

Thanks for your reply. It may be the prednisone, but I think it goes back to having PMR. My doctor sent me to the ER because of the pain I was having. I saw an ophthalmologist the next morning. She said I was ripping layers off my cornea every time it happened, I really thought the cornea specialist would be helpful, but she didn't have a clue what was wrong. I will just keep using my ointment and eye drops. I think I have tried every drop out there. lol

Can you get to a specialist eye center like Duke?

I wouldn't even know where to start. The cornea specialist I saw was internationally known. I just think not enough is known about PMR. Thanks for the suggestion.

I've had dry eyes for many years prior to PMR. I have taken flaxseed oil for many years, which seems to help me. Here is what NIH concluded for the dry eyes in Sjögren's syndrome:
"Conclusions: Therapy with oral flaxseed oil capsules 1 or 2 g/day reduces ocular surface inflammation and ameliorates the symptoms of keratoconjunctivitis sicca in Sjögren's syndrome patients. Long-term studies are needed to confirm the role of this therapy for keratoconjunctivitis sicca in Sjögren's syndrome."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17906762/
Note: I currently take 1000 mg. of flaxseed oil (contains ALA omega 3's) and 715 mg. of Omega 3 from Nordic Naturals Algae omega (EPA and DHA omega 3's). You can also get DHA and EPA omega 3's from fish oil, but you risk mercury contamination. Fish get their omega 3's from eating algae. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is very low in omega 3 content due to our ultraprocessed diet.
I also use Systane Ultra drops twice daily and massage my lower and upper eyes immediately after placing the drops. I've tried the other Systane products and they tend to irritate my eyes for some reason. BTW, my optometrist stated that my retinas looked great!