What Causes Dry Eye And Is It Related?

[Anoj]

Hello ... I have seen in various places dry eyes listed as a symptom. Before I had my initial POTS crash, I went for a few months with VERY dry, red eyes, to the point that they were extremely painful and I couldn't tolerate any light or wind. I went to several docs, and none of them seemed to come to a consensus. One of them said I had pinkeye, which I knew was not the case! The only thing that helped was steroid drops.

I'm starting to have problems again. It's very uncomfortable. I was just wondering if this is related to POTS and how.

Thanks!

[bellgirl]

Could possibly be Sjogren's, which is an autoimmune disease; You can get a diagnosis for that by your doctor. I had blood work for that, but then was told a lip biopsy confirms it. I have very dry eyes, but then something pours out of them on occasion, too, which is just weird. No one can answer my questions on this, and it's frustrating. My eyes get very red on occasion, too. I can hardly wear my contacts anymore. I also am light sensitive, which is considered part of dysautonomia. Sometimes the sympathetic nervous system can cause dilation of the pupils which causes blurriness and light sensitivity.

[Anoj]

it is interesting you say that - i was tested for Sjogren's and it came out negative. i was sure i had it because my eyes were/are SOOOO dry! if you look up dry eye symptoms, you will probably see that abnormal tearing is actually one of the symptoms of dry eye. i know it sounds weird and opposite, but it's true. maybe the dryness is causing the eye to overcompensate.

[HopeSprings]

It can be a small fiber neuropathy symptom. I produce almost no tears accoring to the eye Dr. I tested negative (blood and lip biopsy) for Sjogrens too.

"When autonomic fibers are affected, patients may experience dry eyes, dry mouth, orthostatic dizziness, constipation, bladder incontinence, sexual dysfunction, trouble sweating, or red or white skin discoloration."

From:

http://171.66.127.177/content/76/5/297.full

[Anoj]

oh, great. i did test positive for neuropathy. thanks, naomi!

[Friedbrain]

Second the Sjogren's possibility. I have tested positive for one of the autoantibodies. Maybe that's why the steroid drops helped? I had an optometrist once put some kind of paper in my eyes, wait, and then check it for moisture, and declared my eyes dry. But I also had the more diagnostic determination, from a rheumatologist.

[Anoj]

i'm looking at the other symptoms, naomi ... bladder incontinence. hmm. i'm embarrassed to say i've been having this symptom, too! ugh.

[Anoj]

you know, the more i think about it, maybe this is more of a "burning" sensation.

[McBlonde]

Hmmm... Mine don't burn. Mine are dry. Mine's an endocrine issue. I have the antibodies for Graves Disease.

[Dizzysillyak]

Thanks for the small fiber neuropathy info. That makes a lot of sense in my case since it's

been linked to celiac disease.

I started

looking at supplements for this and found methylcobalamin, b12, so far. I'd expect adenosyl b12 to help

to tho.

Tc .. D

[Anoj]

McBlonde, I have Hashimoto's. I wonder if that has something to do with it.

[Friedbrain]

Anoj,

If you are positive for one autoantibody, you are at increased risk of having other autoantibodies. I also have Hashimoto's, my very first medical diagnosis (early, back in high school). I have since tested positive for other autoantibodies, including the Sjogren's (SSB, I think). fwiw.

[Anoj]

thanks. they tested me for sjogren's and i didn't have it. i'm not sure what test they used, though. it was something my endo did.

[Anoj]

hashi's also was my first dx. i was dx after i had my kid, but i have had it since i was 10 years old. what i thought were regular sore throats turned out to be repeated bouts of acute and very painful thyroiditis. now, why would a 10-year-old get that? i have had a pretty stressful life, and i know that contributes to a lot of illness.

[bellgirl]

Thanks Naomi, and Anoj...I'm thinking mine is the small fiber neuropathy I find it interesting that each one of us have something autoimmune related as well...autoantibodies like FriedBrain said

[Anoj]

update ... had to go to my eye doc today. for the past 2 days have had blurry vision out of one of my eyes. turns out it is very irritated from dry eye. the nerve looks fine. she prescribed Restasis to help my eyes produce more tears. said my eye was so irritated it looked like someone rubbed it with sandpaper.

[McBlonde]

Oh no!! That feels terrible! I hope the Restasis helps!

[L4UR3N]

It is definitely related, though I'm not sure exactly what cases it (as with everything else wrong with us! ). It is a good idea to be tested for sjogrens as well as the small fiber neuropathy, however if you look up Familial Dysautonomia it is one of their main symptoms. While us potsies may not have FD, the dry eyes may be due to our SNS imbalance. Mine were so bad that I had to get punctal plugs. I tried Restasis for about a year prior to the plugs, but unfortunately it did not work. My opthamologist explained to me that Restasis would only work if the cause was autoimmune--guess mine wasnt! The plugs have been AMAZING and I would highly recommend them. It's really the only treatment for any part of my POTS that has brought me some amount of relief .

[Batik]

I can highly recommend the Dry Eye Zone for anyone with problems in this area. And if you're considering eye surgery to correct short-sightedness, please acquaint yourself fully with the very substantial risks.

My mother has map dot fingerprint dystrophy and recurrent corneal erosions, I wonder if that's an autoimmune thing as well? I just have mild dry eye myself. Also I have a cousin with EDS, which seems to come up a lot these days.