dry eyes

[susie574]

i have been wearing contacts since the '80's, I have always had chronic dry eyes, dry nasal passages and drying in my ears.  Have sinus problems since day birth 1 i think.  I always am putting drops in my eyes for dryness or infection antibiotic drops as prescribed by a dr.  Seems as though it never ends, it just gets better but neve really a cure.  I even changed contacts per my eye dr. for dry eyes and that helped for a while, and now I have dry eyes again, with allergies in eyes, burning and itching pollen I know.  But question (big One) does anyone have a cure or anyone have a clue of an idea that has hope them with dry eyes, and it is something that you can use in your eyes with your contacts still in.  thanks for any info.

[doctornee medical]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
Well, since you have dry eyes, ears and nasal passages, there is a possibility that you are suffering from Sjogren’s syndrome. This is an autoimmune disease attacking the moisture producing glands of the body. If at all it is Sjogren’s Syndrome, you may find useful information on this link: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/sjogrens/sjogrens.htm
I would strongly recommend you to consult an internal medicine specialist. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage.  Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[FurballsMom]

Do I need to see a specialist to determine if I, too, am dealing with sjogrens syndrome?  My eyes are always dry, as are my sinsuses and nasal passages--unless I'm sneezing, or have a virus, of course.  I also have severely dry skin, eczema and dermatitits.  I have since learned that eczema itself is an auto-immune disorder and is closely linked to celiac.  I have definite problems with IBS and undetermined Celiac, although my nephew definitely has been diagnosed with Celiac.  Either way, I am still gluten and lactose intolerant.

I definitely have a true allergy to birch pollen and dust mites, but everything else that bothers me seems to be more sensitivity than true allergy.  So, there is still that low grade allergy that just can't be tested with traditional allergy tests.  Not fun.  My allergist said that the good thing is that these other things won't kill me, even though they'll make me sick or miserable, like food sensitivities.

I tested negative for rheumatoid factors, but I am wondering if these are the only tests used to determine auto-immune disorders.  What else should I be looking into?  I have chemical sensitivities and symptoms of FMS and/or CFS, too.

[doctornee medical]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
“Research from the late 1990s reveals that many patients with chronic disease may have an underlying coagulation defect contributing to their symptoms. David Berg of Hemex Laboratories has been studying the hypercoagulation often found in patients with chronic disease. This list currently includes CFS/FMS, myofascial pain syndrome, osteonecrosis of the jaw, fetal loss, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, Sjogren's syndrome, IBS, Lyme disease, autism, gulf war illness and ADD.” Refer: http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C546624.html
I would strongly recommend you to consult an internal medicine specialist and discuss this information with him. Maybe all your problems are linked to hypercoagulation disorder.
Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!