Anyone have severe dry eyes, so bad can hardly keep eyes open?

Hi @drummergirl. I’ve not had any issues with my tear ducts clogging since I’ve started using Systane Nighttime Lubricating ointment. (It’s preservative free)
I also have a tube of Systane Gel if I need a fix during the day. But by using the nighttime ointment regularly, that’s made a huge difference. The key is to use it every night, not sporadically.

My ophthalmologist initially recommended the Systane overnight ointment as an intermediate step until we determined if my dry eyes were related to a medical procedure I had. In which case that would require eye drops made from my blood serum. But this ointment has worked so well, I don’t even use eye drops during the day anymore. I have not used Restasis.

The tube of Systane Nighttime Lubricating Ointment is $15.00-ish a tube and lasts about a month. If you try it, definitely use this right before going to bed because it will blur your vision. (Easily reversed with rapid blinking)
To apply, pull out your lower lid just a little. Then squirt a 1/4 inch of the gel in the pocket. Blink a few times and the oils melt over your eye. I use either an old pillow case or a towel on my pillow because the product can leave a residue.

I’ve also used a Bruder Moist Heat eye compress in the past to open my tear ducts. I liked the mask because I could toss it in the microwave for heating. But with the night time ointment, I’ve no longer needed the mask for my tear ducts.

Ask your eye doctor, the lubricant might be worth a try?

Thank you. Can you name your Dr? Are they an eye specialist?

Thank you for the info I will try the ointment. I have only tried the IPL one time go back in July.

My “gritty” feeling in my eyes began over a year ago! I’ve been to three optometrists and two ophthalmologists. One ophthalmologist prescribed Restasis. It didn’t work. I’m a veteran, so I started going to the eye clinic there. They used the plugs, a prescription eye drop that I can’t remember the name of and Miebo drops. I’m taking Omega supplements and practicing eyelid hygiene. Nothing has worked. What are the next steps?

My “gritty” feeling in my eyes began over a year ago! I’ve been to three optometrists and two ophthalmologists. One ophthalmologist prescribed Restasis. It didn’t work. I’m a veteran, so I started going to the eye clinic there. They used the plugs, a prescription eye drop that I can’t remember the name of and Miebo drops. I’m taking Omega supplements and practicing eyelid hygiene. Nothing has worked. What are the next steps?

Have you tried the head pads on your eyes 2x a day? That really helps with the oil glands. You can get them online at Oasis. My eye doctor sells them also. $20

I had gritty eyes, too, as well as difficulty opening them when I woke up. My ophthalmologist prescribed an antibiotic gel to put on my eyelids and lashes just before going to sleep. That didn’t really help, so at my next visit she prescribed eye drops* to use 2x/day for 42+ days. After I left her office, I looked at what she had written on my exit papers and it said "Demodex infestation. " Yikes! I looked it up and sure enough, the microscopic mites cause all kinds of problems, from Dry Eye to eyelashes falling out, rosacea and much more. I had been on chemo for breast cancer, and she subsequently told me that the Demodex took advantage of my lowered immune systems.

I'm 75 and have read a lot about Demodex mites in the past year. Doctors consider them to be commensal and therefore not a problem. But they ARE a problem. All one has to do is go on any one of Facebook's multiple support groups for Demodex to see that too many people are suffering and their doctors aren’t helping. And the Demodex aren't just in their eyes.

People with rosacea have Demodex, but doctors haven't yet figured out if the mites cause it or just take advantage of rosacea to make it worse. My ophthalmologist told me doctors don't like to tell patients about them because it freaks them out. Whereas my dermatologist told me that our bodies need them, hence commensal. It just doesn't make sense to me why we need mites to live in our bodies. (FYI, studies have shown that 100% of people over 70 have them.)

*The eye drops are Xdemvy, and the drops need to be done for at least 42 days so it kills them through their several life stages and generations. It paralyzes them so they can't move while you're sleeping to mate. (Yuk) It's expensive but very much worth it. In addition to blurry vision from Dry Eye and difficulty opening my eyes in the morning I had had a low grade headache for several months, but within 2 weeks of using the drops it was totally gone.

Another comment here mentioned Meibo. I was prescribed that for my MGD - Miebomian Gland Dysfunction (most likely caused by you-know-who). It's also expensive, but not as much as Xdemvy. I used AI to learn more about Meibo and discovered it's the same as Hylo Lipid, sold OTC (!) in France and under a different name in England. Coincidentally, I was heading to France a few weeks later and went to every ‘Pharmacie’ I could find to buy it. I came home with 11 bottles, each under $12 USD – not the $300+ my pharmacy wanted. (In France, none had more than 2 to sell, and some had none at all.) The company that makes Xdemvy, Tarsus, has something coming out for MGD, and recently started airing commercials about "A Mite Party on Your Eyelids."

I attribute my current relief to four things:
-Being vigilant about going to the doctor
-Taking the Xdemvy eyedrops
-Learning everything I could about Demodex
-Changing my pillow cases daily and sheets every 3 days (and washing my hands before touching them)

Sorry this is so long. I hope it was helpful. One last thing: If your ophthalmologist doesn't know anything about Demodex, change doctors ASAP!