20 years old, trying to get some questions answered

[spencer1988]

i really just need some answers to this dry eye problem, try to make sense of it. im a 20 year old male, and have been dealing with this since i was 18.. one of the questions that i did have, i used to smoke, therefore i would put whitening eye drops in my eyes way to much. i am very anal about what my eyes look like, if they aren't perfectly white i get paranoid.. so for prob ateast 3 years straight i put whitening eye drops in my eyes, several times per day. could this have any affect on how my eyes react to this day? could that have damaged my eyes for life? i never use whitening drops anymore though, unless it is absolutely necessary. another thing, i hear the body goes through chemical changes every couple years.. is this something that could possibly go away as i get older? i've been to the eye doctors several times, none of them have answers for me. also my left eye always seems to irritate me more then my right eye.. it feels very dry a lot of the time, and also the blood vessels stand out terribly.. why would one eye feel better then the other 95 percent of the time? is there an imbalance in the tears? is it possible for one eye to receive more/better tears then the other? lol i realize this is a lot to asnwer, but i have so many questions.. i don't get this, i've never met anyone else with this problem. if anyone has answers please help me! or if anyone has a story similar to mine, please share if anything has helped you.. i realize that there is no cure, i pray to god daily for this to be resolved.. if he can cure cancer in my step mom, why can't this be resolved through god.. thank you everyone for reading this.. if you are a believer please be praying for me, i'm not a depressed person at all, but sometimes it really really bothers me and i get down on myself.

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

There is usually one eye which feels drier than the other or is more involved. I would recommend that you seek the care of an eyeMD to determine the diagnosis and obtain
appropriate treatment.
Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

See an ophthalmolgist that is a corneal specialist. Some possible treatment options that might help include punctal plugs, restasis, oral flax and fish oil supplements, treatment of any underlying eyelid margin disease, possible treatment for any co-existing allergy problems, identifying environmental factors and even systemic diseases that could be contributing to the problem.  You need a good ophthalmologist to work with you in a systematic and persisitant manner.  There is no quick, easy fix.

MJK MD