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Friday, July 31, 2015
Eye and Vision Care
Am a Myasthenia Gravis patient. Had thymectomy 5 years ago. Stopped taking all medicines and I feel I am cured now except for excessive tearing. When the tears flow down my cheeks, it gets itchy at the corner of my eyes. It happens usually when I am fixing something like when driving or using the computer. Sometimes I still have drooping eyes, especially when I get tired from exessive work. Does it mean that I am not totally in remission from Myasthenia Gravis? Is it related to this disease or is it entirely something else? Any cure for this exessive tearing which prevents me from using eye make up? Thanks.
You should see your eye doctor. He or she will likely be able to help you out.
This may sound strange, but it sounds like you have dry eye. When there is not enough natural tears present on the eyes, the eyes become irritated. This irritation causes excess production of watery tears to try and wash away the irritant. These watery tears will often spill over onto the cheek.
Without examining you I cannot determine if this is related to myasthenia gravis. Myasthenia gravis can cause the lids to not close completely when blinking and thus cause dry eye problems. Your eye doctor will be able to provide more information specific for your case.
Andrew J Toole, OD, PhD, FAAO
Clinical Assistant Professor of Optometry
College of Optometry
The Ohio State University