I’m 32 now. When I was 22 I started to wake up at night with a gritty feeling in my eyes. For a while I just used Optrex and other over the counter drops. When it didn’t get any better I went to my GP and for a year they kept telling me just to use Optrex eye wash or make my own saline drops. They didn’t think someone in their early 20s could suffer from dry eyes. It didn’t improve so I pushed to be referred to QVH where I was told it was likely connected to the mild facial rosacea I had. I was prescribed Celluvisc and told to clean my eyelid margins with baby shampoo. The condition improved slightly and between 2007 up until the end of 2012 I had six monthly check ups. My eyes throughout this time were mildly dry, strong air-conditioning bothered me but on the whole it didn’t really impact my life.

At the end of 2012 my eyes became much more uncomfortable to the point that working was extremely difficult, especially as my job involves a lot of computer work. I saw quite a few Ophthalmologists at QVH and privately. I didn’t feel anyone was really taking the condition seriously, appointments were 5 minutes long and I was told to use more eye drops and use warm compresses anywhere between once and 5 times a day and I’d get better. My condition didn’t improve and I became depressed about it, my social life became non-existent and I was taking a lot of time off work.

After many trips back and forth to QVH I finally saw Mr. Hamada who was the first Ophthalmologist to acknowledge that it can be a difficult condition to treat and told me it was in fact moderate to severe at that point (I already knew this myself). I think I have been Mr. Hamada’s patient from mid-2013 to present. My condition is still on the severe end of the spectrum but having a knowledgeable and compassionate doctor was a huge turning point for me mentally and I haven’t felt the despair I used to feel since being under his care.

A big turning point was also joining a dry eye forum dryeyezone.com started by an American lady called Rebacca Petris who had suffered severe dry eye as a result of laser eye surgery. There are many stories on the forum of the awful experiences people have had with their eye doctors but it is a very supportive forum and a lot of research papers are posted to give people some hope. I honestly feel I know more than some of the Ophthalmologists I’ve seen about dry eye treatments from being a member of the forum. Mr. Hamada welcomes me doing my own research where as other doctors didn’t want to know as they felt I was undermining them.

In terms of treatments I spent £1300 on Lipiflow at a private clinic which did not help one bit and remains one of my biggest regrets! I still struggle on a day to day basis. I need to rest my eyes regularly and it is rare that I am able to go to the cinema, out for meals etc unless I’m having an ‘OK day’. I currently use Blephasteam goggles every evening to help the meibomian gland dysfunction and use Hylo Forte drops throughout the day, these are the only drops I can tolerate and I’ve tried A LOT of them. I’ve learned that eating sugary foods is really bad for my eyes, I assume this is because sugar causes inflammation. I avoid alcohol as it is dehydrating and I drink a lot of water through the day. I have tried Doxycycline but I have seen no improvement from it though I know it has helped many people.

I remain optimistic that there will be more treatment options available in the next 5 to 10 years and that Mr. Hamada will let me know about them when he receives information!