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What's with the eyes?

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Posted 1/14/2015 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
Is having dry, irritated eyes part of the whole thing? I'm in the middle of the Flare from Hell, and my eyes are driving me crazy. I use homeopathic eye drops--a lot--but this is making me crazy. Is this part of fibro, or could it be something else?
Posted 1/15/2015 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
Cimorene-

I'm not sure. My tear ducts stopped working well a while ago and I am on Restasis. It helps a lot, but burns around this time of year a little bit. I wait 15 minutes afterword and use either Systane or Bausch and Lomb's Sooth. I never thought of it being related, but based on the timing, it wouldn't surprise me.

If you can stand it, Systane makes a gel/ointment you can put in your eyes at night. It really helps, but is a bit icky. My husband used when he first started with his CPAP machine. It helped protect his eyes from accidental "blow out" air hitting them.
Posted 1/15/2015 12:18 AM (GMT 0)
Dry , irritated eyes is a very common symptom with fibro, i use eye drops, and eye wash to relieve this

Also my dr used to prescribe drops for this, but it was super pricey even with insurance...so i now get over the counter drops. I only need to use drops occasionally, so a bottle lasts about a year.

Post Edited (Ljm2014) : 1/14/2015 5:21:07 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/15/2015 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
I use systane balance formula. It's very soothing.
Posted 1/15/2015 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
I have dry eye issues a lot. The last bout with Pink Eye was out of this world, lasting weeks.
Posted 1/15/2015 4:15 AM (GMT 0)
I'm a great believer in Colloidal Silver. I just read that it's good for all kinds of eye problems, so I put a drop in each eye, and it helped a lot more and my eye drops. After all, they put silver nitrate into the eyes of newborns for many years in order to protect against infection. . .

I read several rave reviews of quick cures of Pink Eye with colloidal silver....
Posted 1/15/2015 5:07 AM (GMT 0)
Tangodancer, I'm dealing with a very bothersome bout of pink eye.
I'm using bactrium gel, systane balance, occusoft cleaner, and cold compresses. I've had it for over six weeks with it bouncing back and forth between both eyes.
Posted 1/15/2015 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
I should have known!!! It's the FM.

In November, as I opened my eyes one morning my Lid ripped my cornea. I have not had this problem before, nor have I even heard of it. Dry eyes, yes, but never a torn cornea. Since then it just continues to rip, over and over again. It was described to me like pulling off a scab from a wound. I have seen my eye Dr more in the past month and a half than I have in my entire life. All from dry eyes....or should I just say FM? I am now on a strict, 5 week regimen of Muro 128 and Blink moisturizing drops. If it tears again after 2 weeks into it then it's a fail. Which means we have to find another treatment.
Posted 1/16/2015 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
Often in the morning I wake up with swollen eyes. I can't see until I wash my eyes with water. They are sore and sometimes I can't read the paper. My Optometrist said it is because I have dry eyes. She did not prescribe any drops so I buy over the counter drops. I have purchased Clear Eyes or Visine. Some are for redness too but I just get them for moisture.

My eyelids drooped down several years ago. The skin is very thin. If I close my eyes when getting some sun my lids don't provide protection anymore and I am seeing bright red through my lids.

Dry eyes are also a symptom of Sjogrens Syndrome so people on that panel might be able to offer suggestions.

I need to drink a lot of water. Nortriptyline does cause dry mouth.

Loring

Osteoarthritis in Multiple Joints, Fibromyalgia, Neuralgia, Chronic Daily Headaches, I.B., Hard of Hearing...
Posted 1/16/2015 2:40 AM (GMT 0)
Joy,
I'm so sorry to hear about your pink eye. It is so nasty! Although I've had pink eye a few times in the past, from working with kids, and it only lasted a day or so after antibiotics. This case was outrageous, and the worst ever. I was scary looking and for so long. After that bout, I'had dry eyes so bad, I'd wake up and not be able to open my eyes, or they'd be so dry, I couldn't close my eyes! Scared the dickens out of me! I used moisture gel, icky, but it worked. Plus, I used warm tea bags on my eyes for long periods of time. Steer away from visine. It drastically dries the eyes and constricts the red blood vessels.

That (dumb) daycare I worked at (that I don't work at anymore) would let kids in if they were sick, even with pink eye. They'd "say" the mom was coming to pick the sick kid up, but then mom wouldn't arrive until 2. Meanwhile we were exposed for hours.

Now that I don't work at the daycare (they actually requested a new social worker--guess I was off sick too much), so I'm off not by my 'fault'. I'm going to collect some partial unemployment for a while and I"m applying for food stamps.

The sleeping in many days a week and working at 4 or 5 is ideal. I also got another choreography gig. Happy about that! Go away illnesses and Fibro!

Jen
Posted 1/18/2015 8:05 AM (GMT 0)
Just add it to your long list of fibro symptoms! Lol Dry eyes are common in fibromites. My eye Dr. Checked me for dry eyes. They put a paper substance on your eyes and it shows how much moisture you have. I had none. It's important to keep drops in them. Make a habit at least twice a day. You will see some are thicker then others. They can be Costly for a tiny bottle. I buy mine at Costco for a better deal.
Posted 1/18/2015 5:11 PM (GMT 0)
Dry eyes seems to be a common issue, but it's worth getting checked for Sjogren's also. There's a lot of overlap between Fibro and a lot of different auto-immune disorders (not just in symptoms but many of us actually get dx'ed with the autoimmune stuff eventually).

I've been dealing with the dry eye issues since the start of this, I also get extremely sensitive to light. I was on a new med for migraines (Verapamil) and it seemed to also calm down both of those symptoms, but then the side effects kicked in and I had to stop taking it, so I've noticed both of those returning to previous levels.
Posted 1/19/2015 12:14 AM (GMT 0)
It's hard to know what symptom to attribute to...what. Dry eyes, for instance, are also connected with aging in general. However, I notice that mine kind of fluctuate, and I might possibly be able to connect the phases where they are particularly dry with my fiber flares. As far as the aging thing, it's a little scary, because there are days when I really just can't stand to sit at my computer or read a book....other days when my eyes are not just dry but incredibly irritated, and they just drive me crazy!

I like a product called Similisan for eye drops. It's homeopathic, but you can usually get it in drugstores or even Walmart. There are a number of varieties, i.e., dry eyes, irritated eyes, computer eyes.... Kind of spendy, but I think it's worth it.
Posted 1/20/2015 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
Yes i also get , that can barely open my eyes some mornings from the dry eyes..never heard of it tearing the cornea..thats scary..

Winter with the lower humidity is harder..we run a humidifier in the winter and dehumidifier in the summer..

If you do not have a humidifier..simmering water on the stove can help

Lj
Posted 1/24/2015 5:42 AM (GMT 0)
I don't get dry eyes but I do have a problem with blurry vision. My eye doc gave me my prescription lenses and said I would be at 20/20 with them. As soon as I walked out though things were blurry especially at night. I told my eye doc that my prescription wasn't strong enough so they checked me again but my eye exam indicated that my current prescription is right.

It's really weird and all I can assume is that it has something to do with fibro...
Posted 1/24/2015 6:20 AM (GMT 0)
With fibro, my eyes can be different everyday.. And my vision varies with it..

Before a storm i test as though i have glucoma but i do not... My eyes are just sensitive to the pressure systems..
Posted 1/24/2015 10:39 AM (GMT 0)
I am a new member and was actually just "formally" diagnosed with FMS today. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and basically refused to believe I had another chronic pain disease until about 3 months ago. I have experienced just about all of the major symptoms: pain, chronic fatigue, insomnia, numbing and tingling, depression, anxiety and a bunch more.

I have also had eye problems and it is so strange. One day my right eye will be blurry and the next day, the left. One night, my right eye was so blurry, I was convinced that I was going blind. My husband talked me out of a major panic attack and the next day it was OK again.

Does anyone know of any person that was diagnosed with Fibro years ago and have no systems today? My sister was telling some friends in another state about me having fibro. Two of the women nonchalantly said "Oh, I have that too!" I also socialize with these women when I go for a visit and neither have ever even mentioned this before. Both are older women in their 60's and are super active. I really don't think either take medication for their fibro. When my sister let me know what they said, it sort of hurt my feelings. It made me feel that I was making too much out of the diagnosis and being a hypochondriac since the friends didn't seem to have any current problems. I am wishing and hoping this will happen to me as well.
Posted 1/24/2015 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
I have a friend who says she had it so bad that she cried if anyone touched her and then after a while , and steroids it went away..

Research seems to indicate that if you"get over it" that you prob did not actually have it to begin with...also each of us with fibro can have it differently... With its own list of symptoms.. And degrees of pain, stillness , etc...
Posted 3/2/2015 5:28 AM (GMT 0)
I too have the changing vision. I just had an eye appointment last month and was so happy that he gave me a new script, with all the different measurements. I could actually see with the equipment. the day he did the exam and was so happy to get new glasses.. Until I wore them. Yep, you guessed it. The Blurry Vision Fairy came in that night and rubbed vaseline all over my eye balls and I couldn't see right for two days! Needless to say, I will be looking into investing in an eye drop company... ;-)
Posted 3/2/2015 5:51 AM (GMT 0)
They put me on Restasis several years ago for dry eyes. Turns out My tear ducts get plugged. Once I was on this, my eyes were much better and my vision improved a bit. Not sure id it was related to Fibro but they told me its prettty common at my age. (I really hate hearing that, lol)
Posted 5/25/2015 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
My eyes arent outwardly irritated but i do get sunken eyes or eyes that look sick. Usually on my worst days. I also have sore eyeballs. Does this happen to you, also?
Posted 5/27/2015 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
I've been told I have sjogrens which is the cause of my dry eyes along with my fibro. I eye doctors recommended I switch to an eye drop with no preservatives. She specifically recommended the counter eye drop called Retaine. It works a lot better than the Bausch and Laumb Sooth eye drops I was using.
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