Myopia and dry eye

Hi,

I am a 39 year old man who has been myopic since the age of 9 and currently have a prescription of about -8.0 in both eyes.  I wore contacts almost non-stop from the age of 17 to 33 and never had any problems whatsoever with my eyes.  At 33, I developed a bad case of conjunctivitis, and ever since I have had severe problems with dry eyes.  I can no longer wear contacts and my eyes hurt most of the day.  I have been to see ophthamologists many times and have tried just about everything, including Restasis and punctal plugs, with no success.  Strangely, when I use lubricating drops, though I might get a little momentary relief, within a couple minutes my eyes feel worse than before.  This problem has definitely had a negative impact on my quality of life.

I do a lot of work using the computer and this definitely makes my eyes hurt worse.  My question is, am I further damaging my eyes?  I am worried that since they bother me so much already that if they continue to get worse it will be unbearable.  I see a lot of floaters when my glasses are off but I have seen these for many years.  Also, is there anything that someone with moderately high myopia can do that would be good for their eyes?  Would it be a bad thing to not wear glasses for extended periods each day, or will that cause problems?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

You need to discuss your eyes with your doctor. Your situation is not common.

Dr. O.