Herniated disk and dry eye?

Posted by debbiekbrau @debbiekbrau, Jun 8 9:50am

Hi.. my husband has been dealing with dry eye miserably for 2 years to no avail of any meds to help.. as well as doing allergy shots that seems to make it worse.. he had testing for eye diseases and all turned out negative..so recently he’s had neck pain that goes onto his shoulder an MRI was done and he has a herniated disc in his neck .. he is doing therapy and pain management but it is not helping . His next step is the abrasion of the nerve.. my question is can the herniated disc be causing his dry eye syndrome?
He also has continuous sinus congestion in his head and his head seems to drop to his chin and does say he feels it effects his breathing..
Could the herniated disc be the root to his dry eye?

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eparnold0219 | @eparnold0219 | Jun 9 12:15pm

My eyes are dryer too, perhaps the prednisone causing it abd so many other ussues.

gypsyblue | @gypsyblue | Jun 11 9:14am

Hello,
I have the same problem. After much testing and tear duct flushing, I started using Restasis. Fortunately, it was a game changer for me. The next step would have been surgery to create new tear ducts. I have several autoimmune issues that also contribute to my dry eye syndrome. Best wishes to you!

gently | @gently | Jun 13 2:33am

The head to chin drop is a little concerning. What level was the herniated disc..

restisaweapon | @restisaweapon | Jun 13 1:31pm

Not a health professional, but I very much doubt that the herniated disc caused causes dry eye. My first thought is that his blink rate might be too low. Second thought is, I have a disc in my neck that bulges through poor posture when it gets pinched by vertebrae. That causes the disc to bulge out and touch the brachial nerve which goes over my shoulder and down my arms, I have found decompressing the spine through stretching has relieved that.

erdocsmom | @erdocsmom | Jun 14 2:08pm

I have chronic dry eye, and I really doubt that it's related to the herniated disc. Maybe do some medication he's taken for it, but not the herniation itself. Most of the time dry eyes related to clogged Meibomian glands. If you have a dry eye specialist eye doctor in your area I suggest you see him or her. The best specialist for dry eyes in the country is actually located in Florida. His name is Dr. Steven Maskin. He wrote a book called Your Dry Eye. Mystery Solved. It's available on Amazon and it might explain the causes of dry eye to you and what the treatments are.

debbiekbrau | @debbiekbrau | Jun 15 6:19pm

In reply to @gently "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zp9GNnvHmI&t=57s The head to chin drop is a little concerning. What level was the herniated disc.." + (show)

@gently
I’m not sure I’d have to look back but the pain is more to his shoulder.. he is doing pain management and the next step will be the abrasion to the nerve?

curlylocks7 | @curlylocks7 | Jun 16 9:39am

In reply to @erdocsmom "I have chronic dry eye, and I really doubt that it's related to the herniated disc...." + (show)

@erdocsmom I also have a severe case of dry eyes, and have been treating this condition for years. It actually affected my corneas. My ophthalmologist has recommended I have both upper and lower droopy eyelid surgery. He insists that other patients of his, including his mother, have vastly improved after the surgery. Currently, I am on a regimen of eye wipes, eye drops several times a day, and a gel type vaseline only at night plus using a vaporizer. The cornea specialist doesn't agree. However, he also doesn't live with a chronic case requiring constant treatment. I've had infections, styes, and scratched corneas. I have another appointment with the cornea specialist and the eye surgeon. Has your doctor mentioned this surgery?

debbiekbrau | @debbiekbrau | Jun 16 1:59pm

In reply to @curlylocks7 "@erdocsmom I also have a severe case of dry eyes, and have been treating this condition..." + (show)

@curlylocks7
We have an upcoming visit of the next plan.. after 4 Dr’s and everything in meds possible hopefully we can get to the root of this issue!! And get proper treatment too move on..

curlylocks7 | @curlylocks7 | Jun 16 5:23pm

In reply to @debbiekbrau "@curlylocks7 We have an upcoming visit of the next plan.. after 4 Dr’s and everything in..." + (show)

@debbiekbrau I hope you find the answer you need to relieve you of your ongoing dry eye condition. Please keep us posted!!

erdocsmom | @erdocsmom | Jun 17 12:28pm

In reply to @curlylocks7 "@erdocsmom I also have a severe case of dry eyes, and have been treating this condition..." + (show)

@curlylocks7 from what I understand you should be very careful having that type of eyelid surgery. It can actually make dry eyes worse. One of my eyes was a little bit droopier and I had an ophthalmologist/Plastic Surgeon do my surgery. He was aware of my dry eye problem. Unfortunately, that eye doesn't close totally now and that eye is worse. I've never heard of it as being a treatment for dry eyes, but only as being a cause of them.