Re: Sjogren's & dry eyes - Response to Sue

[Guest guest]

Thanks, . I'm going to ask for another Schirmer's test the next

time that I go to an ophthalmologist and see what results that gives. I

also plan to ask my rheumatologist about the possibility of Sjogren's

when I see him again. The last time I saw him, he asked if I had dry

eyes or dry mouth, and I said that I didn't think so. That was before

the Schirmer's test that was attempted on me. Since I have Fuchs'

corneal dystrophy, some map dot dystrophy, and cataracts, plus my

myopia and astigmatism, it's hard sometimes to know what's going on

with my eyes.

Sue

On Thursday, February 21, 2008, at 03:01 PM, Pou wrote:

> Sue:

>

> When I complained of dry eyes and mouth, my rheumy said that I

> probably also had Sjogren's and that I needed to follow up with my eye

> doctor (and dentist). My optometrist did the Schirmer's test (the

> little paper in your eyes that measures your tear production). He

> also could visibly see that my tear film was almost completely gone

> and observed tear production while I blinked my eyes. I have since

> had plugs installed in the punctums (the drain holes on the top and

> bottom eyelids to keep more of my tears on my eyes longer and also use

> Restasis to help increase my tear production. I also use Refresh

> Liquigel when necessary, also per my optometrist.

>

[Guest guest]

I also use Restasis eye drops and they make a difference for me. Restasis has a

rewards program that I belong to. You get a $20 rebate after 4 refills and a

free refill after 7 refills. You can check it out here if your interested:

http://www.restasis.com/_treatment/treat_rewards.htm

HTH,

Lori

http://home.comcast.net/~queenstitcher/

http://stitchingqueen.multiply.com

[ ] Sjogren's & dry eyes - Response to Sue

Sue:

When I complained of dry eyes and mouth, my rheumy said that I probably also

had Sjogren's and that I needed to follow up with my eye doctor (and dentist).

My optometrist did the Schirmer's test (the little paper in your eyes that

measures your tear production). He also could visibly see that my tear film was

almost completely gone and observed tear production while I blinked my eyes. I

have since had plugs installed in the punctums (the drain holes on the top and

bottom eyelids to keep more of my tears on my eyes longer and also use Restasis

to help increase my tear production. I also use Refresh Liquigel when necessary,

also per my optometrist.

in Texas

Sue <marysue@...> wrote:

Those of you who have Sjogren's, how were you diagnosed? Were you given

a specific test, or did the doctor just go by your symptoms?

I recently went to a cornea specialist to have my Fuchs' corneal

dystrophy and cataracts assessed. As a result, I will be having

cataract surgery soon.

They did all kinds of tests on my eyes. One of the technicians said

that she thought that I might have dry eye. So she stuck a little strip

of paper into each eye, said something about three minutes, and left

the room. She gave me no instructions. I thought that I was supposed to

keep my eyes closed, so I did. I waited and waited, and my eyes started

to be very irritated. I finally took the strips out, but my eyes were

still killing me. I got up and looked in the mirror and found that the

end of each strip was stuck firmly to my eyeball.

The tech did not come back in for 20-30 minutes. I told her what had

happened, and she proceeded to try to get the paper out with a q-tip,

which did not feel good at all. I said that those numbing drops were

not working anymore, so she put more in and finally got the paper out

of my eyes.

I have since learned that this dry eye test is called the Schirmer

test. I was supposed to keep my eyes open and blink normally. I would

have done this if I had been told to.

Sue