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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Very Dry Eyes, Pulling Out Long Mucus Strings, Need To Rub Hard. Tried Rewetting Drops, Artificial Tears. What Is This ?

Hi - I have very dry eyes and have been pulling out long mucus strings. The only way to get them to emerge is by rubbing my eyes until they attach to my bottom eyelid and I can safely pull them out. I have previously had GPC and blepharitis . I also wear contact lenses and haven t found much relief in using rewetting drops or artificial tears . What might this be?
Wed, 6 Mar 2013
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Ophthalmologist,  's  Response
Hi,
Welcome to HCM.
The first thing you must do is to stop wearing CL (contact lens) as it will aggrevate your problem
Revisit your ophthalmologist to find out which level of dry eye you fall under ( i.e., mild/ moderate / severe) based on which the treatment differs.
Apart from artificial tears and lubricant gels, there are other drugs(both oral and topical) which will help you recover better although it needs a long course( 3-6 mths).
If you are still symptomatic there are minor surgical procedures like Punctal plug insertion to retain your tears inside.
And keep your lid margins clean by cleaning it with mild non preservative shampoo ( like J&J baby shampoo) and warm compresses and antibiotic ointment of your ophthalmologist's choice to prevent recurrence and to maintain tear film stability.
Get yourself a rheumatologist's opinion to rule out any connective tissue disorder causing secondary dry eye.
So no CL until you are totally free of mucous.
Hope you find the cause soon and get well soon. Take care. Keep us updated.
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Very Dry Eyes, Pulling Out Long Mucus Strings, Need To Rub Hard. Tried Rewetting Drops, Artificial Tears. What Is This ?

Hi, Welcome to HCM. The first thing you must do is to stop wearing CL (contact lens) as it will aggrevate your problem Revisit your ophthalmologist to find out which level of dry eye you fall under ( i.e., mild/ moderate / severe) based on which the treatment differs. Apart from artificial tears and lubricant gels, there are other drugs(both oral and topical) which will help you recover better although it needs a long course( 3-6 mths). If you are still symptomatic there are minor surgical procedures like Punctal plug insertion to retain your tears inside. And keep your lid margins clean by cleaning it with mild non preservative shampoo ( like J&J baby shampoo) and warm compresses and antibiotic ointment of your ophthalmologist s choice to prevent recurrence and to maintain tear film stability. Get yourself a rheumatologist s opinion to rule out any connective tissue disorder causing secondary dry eye. So no CL until you are totally free of mucous. Hope you find the cause soon and get well soon. Take care. Keep us updated.