Living With Chronic Dry Eye: A Common Issue for Mid-Life Women
Lesley Lassiter was diagnosed with chronic dry eye 5 years ago.
She manages symptoms by taking work breaks, limiting screen time, staying hydrated, and watching her diet.
She has been diligent about managing her symptoms throughout breast cancer treatment.
Lesley Lassiter, a freelance writer from Nashville, says her chronic dry eye began as light sensitivity upon waking up in the mornings. Gradually, her symptoms worsened to the point that her eyelids would dry to her eyeballs while she slept.
“I’d wake up with them like that, and it was quite painful. I've also had maddening bouts of feeling like there's an eyelash stuck in my eye when there was not,” Lesley says. “It manifests in different ways all the time.”
Disease affects mid-life women more often
When her symptoms began, Lesley made an appointment with her ophthalmologist. He checked her vision and the health of her eyes. He then diagnosed her with chronic dry eye disease (DED). It happens when the eyes don’t make enough tears to stay wet. It affects millions of Americans each year. And women are more likely to have it than men, especially as they get older.
Lesley has tested different dry eye treatments. She even tried hormone replacement therapy to try to relieve her dry eyes. Unfortunately, for Lesley, who is 49, hormone therapy did not work.
Work breaks, hydration, and dietary changes are helpful
As a freelance writer, Lesley finds that she has to take regular breaks from her computer. Working in detailed spreadsheets can be particularly challenging. She says blue light-blocking glasses help a bit. Her chronic dry eye also affects her ability to tolerate wind and gas heat from central air or gas logs. She’s also sensitive to pollen — which is common in Middle Tennessee.
She’s found that sticking to a balanced diet that includes omega-3 fatty acids is helpful. She also stays hydrated. She wears sunglasses when outdoors and avoids reading on her phone as well.
Through her diagnosis, she learned that her tear film isn't as good as it should be. That causes her eyes to dry out often. It also makes her eyes more prone to allergic reactions. She uses prescription eye drops to help manage symptoms.
“I use preservative-free eye drops during the day and steroidal eye drops at night, along with using eyelid scrubs morning and night to remove debris and build-up of oils and skin cells,” she says.
She’s also dealing with a cancer diagnosis
On top of her dry eye condition, Lesley was diagnosed with breast cancer in spring 2022.
Her cancer treatments target rapidly dividing cells, which include cancer cells as well as skin, hair, and nails. As a result, skin doesn't slough off like it usually would. Typically, doctors limit steroidal eye treatments to a couple of weeks because of the risk of glaucoma, Lesley says. But for her, the benefits of steroid eye drops outweigh the risks. She takes them regularly but takes a break from steroidal eye drops every 2 weeks.
She has also had good luck with more holistic treatments. She supplements her diet with fish algae oil and uses Optimel Manuka Honey Dry Eye Drops, an over-the-counter lubricant.
“They are not prescription eye drops,” she says, “but they have helped me a lot.”
Since her cancer diagnosis, she has been undergoing chemotherapy. But she won't know if she will have radiation until after her mastectomy in late summer.
The cancer treatment also causes dehydration, which aggravates her dry eye symptoms.
“I will have to try to drink even more water and take more breaks from computer work,” she says.
Connecting with dry eye patients for support online
With her diagnosis, Lesley has also found support online connecting with others who have chronic dry eye. There are Facebook groups that focus on sharing dry eye tips and resources.
Compared to others with chronic dry eye, Lesley considers herself “a mild case.” She’s been able to manage her symptoms mostly by taking work breaks, limiting screen time, staying hydrated, and watching her diet.
“People who have this affliction are often desperate and willing to spend any amount of money for relief,” she says. “It’s a maddening disease.”
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