All a Blur

It’s a good thing I’m seeing my eye doctor this week for my very dry eyes. For several months, I’ve been struggling with blurred vision, and it is getting worse—to the point where it’s affecting my ability to read easily and see the computer screen clearly. This could be due to one or a combination of factors:

• My eyeglasses need a new prescription. Definitely a part of the mix.
• My Sjogrens is getting worse. Also possible.
• The house is very dry, which is not helping. And no, we don’t use a humidifier, because we still have old fashioned radiators and baseboard heat and heat pumps, all of which are drying for my eyes. Plus, a room humidifier is a pain to keep clean and not that effective. But I need a warm house to manage my Raynauds, especially in recent weeks when it has been extremely cold here.
• I’m having a reaction to my EvoTears eye drops, which up to this point have been nothing short of a miracle. They form a protective film on my eyes that retains moisture. However, blurred vision can be a side effect. Really hoping this is not the issue.
• I have some kind of underlying allergy or infection in my eyes that is causing them to get goopy and blurry.

I am as meticulous with eye care as I am with my hands. I use gentle eye drops to clear them in the morning, then wash around my eyelids with warm water and a dot of baby shampoos to clear the tear ducts, then use Restasis for dry eyes, then the EvoTears. At night, I do another drop of Restasis and then use an overnight eye gel. This has worked well for a long time. But something has shifted. My vision is fine when I complete my morning routine but soon blurs, as if my eyes are making another filmy substance that interferes with my sight.

My eye doctor, who runs the dry eye clinic at a local college that teaches state-of-the-art optometry, has been a genius at diagnosing my symptoms and helping me find solutions, including the EvoTears, which I order from Europe, because they require an expensive prescription here but are sold OTC there.

My appointment is tomorrow. It can’t come a day too soon. Will report back when I have some answers.

Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.

Image: Nigel Hoare