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Permalink Reply by Lori Van Decker on January 16, 2011 at 12:14am

I just got temporary collagen punctal plugs put on my bottom tear ducts due to a severe dry eye problem. I have had alopecia universalis for 20 years, and alopecia areata for 20 years before that. If the plugs help, I will most likely wind up having the lower ducts cauterized permanently. You're not alone in what you are experiencing.

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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on January 16, 2011 at 12:34am

Hey, I am going through the same thing - dry eyes (for about a year now!) and lately some panic around the possibility of sjogren's (as I'm having some weird aches and pains...). But I can definitely still cry. Hmmm. And hey (Lori), I just got punctal plugs today (only in one eye, so I can compare). So far I don't notice much difference, if any. Curious to hear how it goes for you. Hang in there Christine. All the fears and projections can be worse than the actual problem can't they? I try to remind myself to stay in the present. Usually things don't end up being as awful as you imagine they'll be (alopecia universalis a case in point for me...).

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Permalink Reply by Lori Van Decker on January 16, 2011 at 10:15am

Hi Vanessa. I've had the temp collagen plugs for only three days, and I see improvement -- fewer red lines in my eyes, no gritty sensation, better night vision while driving. Apparently, I make enough tears; they just evaporate too quickly, so I have a minimal lipid layer. Let me know your experience with the plugs.

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Permalink Reply by Casee on January 16, 2011 at 1:37pm

I have dry eyes too!.....use lots of artificial tears. Somedays they burn a lot and get cloudy on and off....

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Permalink Reply by Christine on January 17, 2011 at 1:18am

Hi thanks everyone for the input, I think the lack of tears when I do cry, really is freaking me out, I have puntal plugs in my upper punctums, but because of a past surgery to correct clogged ducts (if you can believe this) they can't plug the lower ones, as they are just too big...I'm afraid I will never be able to cry again, It feels like I'm crying but nothing comes out, which makes me cry harder, just end up with runny nose and redder eyes. I'm praying that it is not Sjogrens right now. and your right things can seem worse that they are, and it is scary waiting on tests, that may change you life.

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Permalink Reply by Christine on January 24, 2011 at 12:58pm

Well got the news this week, my test for sjogrens was negative, I'm thankful for this, but eyes still very dry I see the eye doc today, hope he can offer more hope. Hoping and praying that it is not another disease, eyes are swollen and red and so dry. May not be related to other autoimmune thing..hope not.

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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on February 13, 2012 at 12:48pm

Hi Christine,

How are your eyes these days? Mine continue to be a challenge, and I am doing lots of research and consulting docs for solutions. Seem to be doing somewhat better lately. Let me know if you've found any good treatments, or are looking for new ideas - we could compare notes :-) I also seem NOT to have sjogren's, as my mouth is not dry and I think my doc must have tested sjogren's at some point... in any case, I find these labels can be more distressing than the problem itself and so I am trying to focus more just on what's before me in the moment...

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Permalink Reply by Christine on February 13, 2012 at 2:07pm

Hi Vanessa, well I do still have the dry eyes, still no tear :...( well if I want to believe what my doc said not too promising of getting more tears in the future, I'm not so ready to believe that yet, it has been a year now for me, and had some real set backs with the eyes, I kept getting these spontaneous corneal abrasions because my eyes were so dry and just the rubbing of my eyelids I think was enough to cause my problems, well after a emergency visit to the corneal specialist, who placed a band aid contact in my eye, I'm now on my fourth week with contacts!! They are amazing, my eyes feel so much better with them in, I still have to make sure I keep my eyes moist, but after placing drops every 10-20 minutes, it is a relief to sometimes go a hour or so, I know that for some people this would be a problem, and I would love to not have to put drops in, but my contacts go a bit funny when they get all dried out. I try to go as long as I can stand it each day after awakening before putting them in, because I don't want to run into any problems where I would not be able to wear them anymore, I honestly don't know if I could stand to go back to the way it was. My hope is that as my eyes feel better, that maybe I'll start producing my own tears again, hey they don't know why my eyes are dry, so they don't have all the answers as to the tears coming back either right? I did find that I was developing a issue with most drops, not sure what ingredient was the culprit, but the only drop I'm using right now is Similasan allergy eye relief drops, they are not single vial preservative free drops, but they were causing me all kinds of problems. I've also joined the support group dry eye zone, check it out, if you join up let me know on there my contact name is Mawsky. How are you doing, and what do the eye docs say is the root cause? What are you doing right now to help with the eye discomfort? Hope all is well, would love to hear from you.

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