10 years after radiation treatments
How my dry eye started
I've had dry eye syndrome since 2009. It is the result of radiation treatments I endured because of a tumor in my left eyelid. I now have no tears from my left eye. It feels gritty, painful, and highly sensitive to light. I don't open that eye much. I didn't know about dry eye back then, just knew that I was in constant pain.
How it progressed and what I did
It got worse over the 10 years. The worst symptom is the light sensitivity which makes it difficult to enjoy all the outdoor activities that I love. My optometrist sent me to a corneal specialist but he wasn't at all helpful with my special case. My optometrist is now quite knowledgeable about dry eye disease and has helped me a lot with prescription eye drops and now finally the scleral lens.
The hardest part
It is difficult to cope day-to-day with the pain in my eye. With the light sensitivity, many sports and activities are difficult, especially downhill skiing and cycling home from work when the sun is low on the horizon. And, I can drive only if it is completely overcast which doesn't happen too often where I live. When I start to feel depressed, I focus on other things in life. Feeling depressed isn't going to help anything and it will drive you away from supportive friends and family. My only "if only" is If only I had known about the dry eye treatment center in this city. Perhaps my doctor should have referred me there.
Turning a corner
Finally have a scleral lenses! I have all these dry eye problems with just my left eye. So, with the lens, it is like having 2 EYES AGAIN! My left eye stays open now and is protected by the lens. Still light sensitive and need my 7-eye or wiley-x glasses outdoors. Cannot live without those glasses.
Where I'm at now
I feel better now with the scleral lens. That is the only thing that has helped with the constant pain. I used eye drops constantly and my eye was still so painful I wouldn't go out with friends or do anything. I couldn't open my eye and didn't want to look in a mirror. Now, with the lens I feel better about my appearance since both eyes are now open. I am feeling very hopeful for the future as I plan on moving next year to a much more humid, cloudy place. I currently live in Calgary, Alberta, which is one of the sunniest, driest cities in Canada.