Dr. Hagan, dry eye causes final thoughts please!

[needhonesthelp]

My doc did order a RF, ANA, SSA, SSB, CBC, TSH, C-Reactive, ESR, LFT, BMP, and urinalysis.  Everything is normal.  My WBC count was a little low but it is normally on the low level of normal.  My PCP didn't seem concerned.

1)So you are saying that cold medicines can cause dry eyes but not the cold itself...

The Optometrist said he has seen people in his practice present with dry eyes during and after a virus and then get better weeks later.  He said some virsuses can effect people's glands and cause dryness.  2) Is this accurate?  And if so how long could it take to get back to normal?

Is there any hope that my dry eyes may get back to normal and I do not have a chronic problem?  I'm not asking for you to diagnose me but just from experience.  I have this really bad feeling I have an autoimmune disease because of other symptoms but I have been dealing with a lot of stress and worry too.  

3) I'm guessing worrying, stress, and anxiety do not cause dry eyes...

You final thoughts are appreciated based on my last questions.  I'll follow up with specialists as needed.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Don't expect restasis to kick in for 2-3 months. Happy Easter to you.

JCH III MD

[needhonesthelp]

Thank you sir.  Well, my eyes were definitely irritated during the cold but continue to bother me a lot.  They are confirmed as dry based on a low shirmers test too.  So all I can pray for is that they will get back to normal soon.  My other symptoms that have me worried are stiffness, achiness, dry mouth at times, and others.  I just don't know if some of this is due to stress or anxiety or from an underlying disease.  I suppose time will tell.  

The main thing that worries me is that I have read someone can have normal bloodwork and still have an autoimmune problem.  In fact, my mother has been clinically diagnosed with Sjogrens but her blood work is all normal.  

By the way, I did start restastis a couple weeks ago.  Hopefully this will make my eyes better.  I just hope they will get better on their own too.

Take care and Happy Easter.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I'm glad your tests turned out normal. This is my experience. Colds and flu often affect the eye causing redness, discomfort, discharge, some discomfort. Some of these symptoms are similiar to dry eyes. I believe the symptoms are due to the cold or flu virus or bacteria and not due to dry eyes. The symptoms are the same (think you can get chest pain from doing too many push ups or from a heart attack).

In anycase there is no reason to get hung up on this. Your tests are good, you did not have this problem in the past and there is a good chance that it will get much better over the coming months. If it doesn't then you may need the full court press treatment of dry eyes which we have outlined in theis forum many times.

Good luck

PS anxiety doesn't cause dry eyes but makes any symptoms worse.

JCH III MD

[needhonesthelp]

By the way, this post is a continuation from a post a couple days ago on the other eye forum.  The new questions were full, so I posted over here because I know you check both places.  Thanks for any further thoughts.