A Success Story

I’m glad to be able to report that my eye condition has been brought completely under control, so much so, that I almost regard it as a problem of the past. All that I do now is to use Natrasan First Aid Spray, which is hypochlorous acid, to clean my eyelids in the morning and in the evening. I still have to use artificial tears, but in comparison to all the problems I had in the past, that is next to nothing. I also take one tablespoon of flaxseed oil every day and one effervescent tablet of 600 mg acetylcysteine dissolved in half a glass of water daily. However, the past was very different. Basically, the underlying problem of my symptoms is ocular rosacea that led to chronic inflammation of my eyelids, causing meibomian gland deficiency and superficial ocular hyperemia. I frequently experienced a foreign body sensation, stinging in my eyes or itchy eyelids. My eyes frequently went red. I had to use eye drops containing a powerful corticosteroid almost continuously to control the situation. But only about 3 to 5 days after a treatment had finished, my eyes would go red again and I had to use another round of treatment. I also used 40 mg doxycycline for 6 months without any success.

During the worst period, March 2017, I had trouble opening my eyelids in the morning, which was associated with pain and photosensitivity – then I thought this would never get any better! I believe an improvement came about using Restasis eye drops, which I used for about 4 months. After that I continue for another 2 months with cyclosporine eye drops made up by a specialized pharmacy. My intention was to use these drops indefinitely, until I found out that they contained BAK. Fortunately, via this forum I knew that BAK could be potentially very harmful, and I immediately stopped using the eyedrops. I discovered the solution to control my eye problem participating in chats in this forum. Particularly, I am grateful to MGD 1701, who told me about the Natrasan First Aid Spray and was kind enough to tell me about his experience with the spray. I think that it is quite possible that without the Dry Eye Zone forum, I would still be doing battle with red eyes. My motive for writing this is to thank those who have provided me with advice, to emphasize how important it can be to participate in a forum like this and to offer hope to those that are near despair. I have been there, but improvements can unexpectedly occur, perhaps via a treatment you had not previously heard of – hope, I can testify, is always justified!

Hanns

Saragossa, Spain