I've had a lot of issues with dry eye, largely related to my computer usage. (Although it's sort of a combination of 3 factors: I work on the computer, I'm a T1 Diabetic, and I live in a dry climate. All contributors to dry eye.) At times it was bad enough that I could barely read what was on the screen, or I would leave the building and have to sit in my car for 5 or 10 minutes before driving home because the sunlight was causing enough pain to keep my eyes closed. It was impacting my life significantly.

Here's everything that I tried, along with a comment about how well it worked:

- Switched from monthly contact lenses to dailies (Helped moderately, but at that point my eyes were getting worse fast enough for me to not notice a real difference

- Switched from contact lenses to glasses (Helped with comfort once I got used to glasses again, but not with dryness)

- Various OTC eye drops (Retaine MGD is still the best for my eyes, but overuse seems to make it worse)

- Eye doctor prescribed a 2 week steroid eye drop regimen. (So no difference)

- 10 minute warm compress on the eyes twice a day (This helped a lot when done consistently, but my eyes were still really bad throughout the day)

- Omega 3 supplements (Seemed to help a bit when I was consistent with the dosage)

- Various eye exercises (helps a lot, but I HAD to be consistent for multiple days before seeing results)

- Restasis (no benefit after 3 months)

- Xiidra - okay, so this has given me the MOST relief out of anything, even consistent eye exercises. My eyes actually feel normal again, and I saw results after just a couple weeks. Using a new medication kind of makes me nervous, and it's incredibly expensive (even with insurance), but I got to the point where I was willing to take the risk because I was getting desperate. Having severe dry eyes can negatively effect every waking moment.

I'm hoping that after a few more months on Xiidra my gland inflammation and tear composition will be in a good enough place that I'll be able to stop using the medication (which I'll be following up with my eye doctor about soon).

If you're just getting started with a career on the computer START TAKING CARE OF YOUR EYES NOW. Take frequent breaks and perform frequent eye exercises. Hopefully that will help prevent you from getting to the place I did, where it takes a significant amount of work and money to get back to having healthy vision.