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Dry Eye, please help!

MishathePooh

Well-known member
Misha had borderline tears about 3 years ago. He was put on Optimmune which he did well on for a year. It went off the market for a long time so we tried compounded cyclosporine and tacrolimus which he reacted badly to. His eyes looked worse on those two then off them. I discontinued treatment and he's had normal tears for 2 years. His eyes recently started looking bad again so I took him to the regular vet. His tears were well within normal range, so they gave me Antibiotic/Steroid drops and he looked great. After discontinuing drops, his eyes looked bad again.

I then took him to the opthalmologist. They said he has dry eye again and so we brought home Optimmune which is thankfully back on the market. His eyes look terrible. They are red, swollen and full of discharge (1 week after treatment). He is also on Refresh Celluvisc without preservative (a tear replacement) 4-6 times daily. I called the opthalmologist and the student handling the case said there is nothing they can do for him, and it's my fault for discontinuing treatment two years ago.

My boy is nearly 16 and I am having a terrible time watching him suffering. Any suggestions welcome.
 
. I called the opthalmologist and the student handling the case said there is nothing they can do for him, and it's my fault for discontinuing treatment two years ago.

Well that wasn't very helpful or very nice,a bit unprofessional I would say...Sorry I have no answers for you but hope you find a solution for your boy soon and I am sure someone on here will have some suggestions.
 
I just wanted to add that I have had his tears tested multiple times per year in the past two years and tear test results were always normal.
 
Oliver has dry eye but has responded well to treatment, unlike your boy. He too is on Optimmune and Visco-Tears (the equivalent of your Celluvisc, I think). The only other thing he has is Lacri-Lube ointment, which is longer-lasting than his daytime stuff; he has it at night to keep his eyes lubricated until the morning. Perhaps get a second opinion from another ophthalmologist? Hope you can get some help, it is such a painful condition and makes them really miserable.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
After that reaction from the Vet, I would be seeking another opinion. Seems they don't want to help you and Misha deserves better.

Could there be a bit of an infection going on which would require antibiotic drops? Sorry, we only dealt with glaucoma with my dog before Claire (non Cavalier). But there was some drop he was given that contained a pain killer to help.

Wishing you the best.
 
One of mine has severe dry eye and we see an opthomolgist too and whenever we have a set back (having one now b/c outdoor allergies are so bad) she puts us on a two week course of Simplcef, it really clears him up and allows me to get on top of his drops and get him feeling so much better. She said she has some dry eye dogs that are so bad they stay on Simplicef all the time. Even my regular vet has started using it after seeing how well it has worked for Aston. Could be worth looking into.
 
Thank you for the suggestions - I will ask his regular vet about the Simplcef.

I asked if it was possible he had an infection and the student said they checked for ulcers and he was fine. And I said how do you know he doesn't have an infection. And she said we don't. I asked why not put him on antibiotics to make sure, and she didn't give IMHO a satisfactory answer. It was 10 minutes of this and no help at all.

In good news, his eyes seemed pretty bad 2 days this week and looked completely normal the other 5 days. I think there must be some allergy related issues.

He is on an herbal protocol (done by his nutritionist who has been formulating his diet for 4 years) as well, so we'll see if that helps over the long run.
 
Glad Misha seems a little improved, hope he continues to better :)

My CCDE girl Holly P has this problem. She is alergic to Optimune and must never have it again. Christine Heinrich, a UK Opthalmic Board member prescribed Protopic Ointment to be applied to each eye at least once daily, supplemented by either Viscotears or Lacrilube for lubrication to be applied as often as possible. She is now usually down to Protopic once daily but I put in some Lacrilube every time I see her, if you understand what I mean and she has been fine.

If there should be a bacterial infection, which Holly sometimes gets, then there are additional twice daily applications of Polyfax Ointment 20g twice daily until she has been clear of infection for several days.

Both Protopic and Polyfax are ointments used for humans. In the UK they have to be prescribed by the vet under the Cascade Scheme, which is marked on the prescription. I don't know what the situation is in the U.S. but I think you should check it out before presenting any prescription at your pharmacy.

If I can be of any help please PM me.

This does sound like a bacterial infection to me rather than something caused by low tear production, so perhaps you should try the Polyfax first.
 
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