Dry eyes
 

I went to the opthalmologist this week as I often get something in my eyes called uveitis - this is connected to the ankylosing spondylitis i have. He said that I dont have uveitis at the moment which is good but I do have dry eyes. He suggested lubricating drops to help. I came away and then thought that could have some significance.I keep suggesting sjogrens to my rheum but he says no as my blood shows no evidence and I never before had dry eyes when we did the schirmer paper test. Might this now be enough to pursue a lip biopsy? No one would do it without further evidence of sjogrens above and beyond the nld sfn. I've read that sjogrens can come on without positive AnA blood?

Hi Joanna - it's possible to have many of the symptoms of Sjogrens (including dry eyes) but not actually have Sjogren's itself. There's a group of symptoms called Sicca Syndrome (I have this) which mimic some of Sjogren's. The lack of a positive blood test for Sjogren's would suggest it's possibly Sicca but you could request the lip biopsy if you want more confirmation. Be aware that with the lip biopsy there is a risk of infection/scarring and possibly increasing SFN in that area.

Here's a link which explains it better than I can:

Sjogren's Vs. Sicca Syndrome

I can recommend Systane Balance eyedrops - my optometrist prescribed them for me. I used to use Refresh Clear Eyes Plus but the Systane have more sustained lubrication (twice daily application).

So I've had this issue too and was checked by one of the best rheumatologist who specializes in Sjogren's, or so they say. He couldn't find any signs, serum or otherwise. The only test he didn't run is the lip biopsy, which he said he wouldn't perform because there was no other sign. Of course, in addition to dry mouth, throat, and very wet eyes at time and itchy and dry at others, I had every other symptom of the illness. But no lip biopsy was done. I thought perhaps I should push for a lip biopsy, but no one will go over his head, since he's such a big shot and I'm not quite sure I have it anyway, since the disease is so much more common among women than men. Perhaps I'll pursue it again at some point, but at this point even my dry mouth and throat have mostly dissipated and I've come to see that my dry mouth is ore closely associated with a low-carb and ketogenic diet.

Just a suggestion....

Here in the US eye doctors are suggesting oral Omega-3 fatty acid oils/supplements for dry eye:

Here is one example...
Flaxseed Oil and Fish Oil for Dry Eyes

more:
A randomized controlled trial of omega-3 fatty acids in dry eye syndrome