Dry Eyes: What Kind of Cure is This?

“Sometime last year, I noticed my eyes were itchy again. The problem has appeared off and on over the past few years. When I was in Arequipa three years ago, my right eye was very itchy. I went to an ophthalmologist who said “esta irritado,” – (it’s irritated). He prescribed some medicine, mostly vitamin and herbal supplements and went on my way. Over a few weeks, the problem faded. I forgot about it. Was it cured?

Now it was back. My right eye was very itchy.

The problem has waxed and waned, over a few weeks, never going completely away. The left eye was starting to itch as well. I had an upcoming appointment with my optometrist, with whom I had developed a trusting relationship. I decided to ask about it, to see what he says. When I got there, he was a she. Actually, he was on holidays and I saw someone else. I was pre-examined and then sat down in the room where, normally, my eyes would be tested for glasses.

The optometrist entered and asked a few questions. Looked at some pictures and at my eyes. We discussed my ongoing eye status. Then I mentioned the itching.

“Your eyes are really dry. We could prescribe some eye drops…”

I replied that I’m not fond of medicines and less fond of putting them in my eyes.

So, she offered another recommendation, with a bit of explanation;

“The problem could be that your tear ducts are not flowing smoothly. So your eyes are dry and irritated – the right eye a bit more than the left. You can try this and see if it helps.”

Wet a facecloth with hot water, or heat a wet facecloth in the microwave.
Press the hot facecloth onto your closed eyes for about two minutes.
Do this twice a day for about two weeks.

Like much doctorly advice, she finished with “Try it, and see what happens.”

Interesting. No drugs. No surgery. Just a simple exercise. I’ll do it. And I did.

As soon as I got home, I tried it. Not much difference. Again the next morning. My eyes felt a bit better. Again at mid-day. The itching was fading. Again in the evening.

The next morning, as I heated up the facecloth, there was almost no irritation. This was working.

The next day, less irritation, but still a bit. Day by day, better.

I’m 70 years old. After a week, I also noticed that my eyelids were open wider than before, less wrinkled somehow. Were my wrinkles cured as well?

I knew I should follow the prescription to the end. “Two weeks,” she said. By the time two weeks had passed, the itching was completely gone. My eyes felt like new? Were they cured? Was my disease cured? Was I cured?

I waited three days without the facecloth without any itching. The fourth day, a small scratchiness in my right eye. Left eye – no problems. I did the facecloth again, and the problem was gone.

Over the next few weeks, I did several tests. It seems I need to use the hot facecloth exercise every two or three days to keep my eyes happy. I’ve been good for over two months now.

Is this a cure?

We often think of a cure as perfect, final, and permanent. This is a simplistic view, only sometimes true.

In the new theory of cure, there are two basic types of cures.

An attribute cure is a change to the cause, resulting in a permanent cure – until the cause appears again. For example, most surgeries are attribute cures. The wound is stitched and heals, the hernia is repaired, or the tooth cavity is filled. These cures are generally permanent, until another wound, another hernia, or another cavity appears. The cure for an infection, an antibiotic provides a cure – until another infection occurs. In most cases – no second infection occurs – unless there is a secondary cause.
A causal cure is a process that must be maintained to maintain the cured status. A causal cure is a preventative cure, an action that cures and prevents future occurrences. We can’t cure scurvy with any amount of Vitamin C, only the scorbutic state. Scurvy is caused by an unhealthy eating process. Curing scurvy requires an ongoing process to maintain a healthy level of Vitamin C. The same is true of any nutritional disease. However, modern medicine, for all its power, does not recognize causal cures. Modern medicine, has no techniques distinguish between treatments and cures.

At first, the facecloth seemed like an attribute cure. Two weeks of heating my eyelids, and I was cured. But no, I’m not twenty any more. My eyelids are 50 years older than that youngster. I can clear the ducts with heat, but they clog up again in a few days. I need a causal cure. I need the process of applying a hot facecloth every few days to maintain the cured state, to prevent my eyes from itching.

I have a causal cure. It’s not in remission, it’s cured. If I stop, in a week, or two years, a new case of illness will likely occur. As long as I maintain the cure process, my itchy eyes are cured. There is little difference between this cure and eating healthy foods to maintain a cure of scurvy, malnutrition, or avoid poisoning. Before the illness, no conscious action is needed. Once the illness occurs, it must be cured. Once cured, the cure must be maintained to maintain the cure.

However, modern medicine, cannot recognize my cured status, nor my curative action as a cure. If I were to write a book about curing dry eyes, the publisher might require I insert the standard medical disclaimer “this book does not claim to cure….” We see this quote today in almost ALL books written about cures – even those by the most authoritative doctors.

There is no cure for Itchy Eyes

It’s not hard to find remedies for itchy eyes. Cured, however, is not defined. There are many different medicines, eye drops, that provide relief. There are no cure claims.

Is itchy eyes a symptom, or a disease? Ocular pruritus is the name used by Microsoft Health, source listed as Focus Medica. The Mayo Clinic discusses “Dry eye disease” and advises “Treatments for dry eyes may make you more comfortable. These treatments can include lifestyle changes and eye drops. You’ll likely need to take these measures indefinitely to control the symptoms of dry eyes.” The word cure is not used.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology writes about “The Itchy Eye: Diagnosis, Management of Ocular Pruritis” identifies a number of medical conditions and treatments, and the last one on the list is “meibomian gland dysfunction” and advises “Warm compresses and twice-daily eyelid scrubs can help open inspissated meibomian glands. A clean washcloth dipped into baby shampoo diluted with water is commonly used for eyelid massage and scrubbing.” The word cure is not used.

The ICD/11, the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases does not have a code for itchy eyes, nor for dry eye disease, nor for ocular pruritus. It has a code for meibomian gland dysfunction which it describe as “his refers to the dysfunction of a special kind of sebaceous gland at the rim of the eyelids inside the tarsal plate“. This is not the problem I cured – the gland is functioning perfectly well – the ducts were plugged. It also lists Sjögren syndrome, but that’s not it either. The ICD does not recommend treatments or cures for any disease – it only lists disease codes and descriptions.

How to Cure Dry Eyes

Part of the reason there are so many cures for itchy eyes, is simply that there are so many possible causes. Every cause requires a different cure. In the theory of cure, every cause has many potential cures.

To cure, we must find and address the present cause. The cause that is present, causing the disease, and which when addressed results in a cured status.

There are many causes for itchy eyes.

if the cause is temporary, like smoke or dust, then tearing, or rinsing the eye will relieve the problem. But this is not called a cure. It’s too simple. It doesn’t require a drug nor a doctor, so it’s not a medical cure.
when the cause is an allergy, avoiding the allergen provides relief. It’s a cure, but not medically recognized as a cure. The allergy is still there. Uncured – even if the patient has no signs or symptoms for the rest of a long life. This is simply cure-misunderstanding, cure denial.
or, when the cause is an allergy, if allergy medicines help, it’s medically a treatment for signs and symptoms, but not cure.
When the cause is just a status, like something in they eye, a change of status – removing the something – cures. When the cause is ongoing, then an ongoing cure is required

Amazon lists 54 products for “itchy watery eye relief.” Not one claim to cure. An Amazon search for “itchy watery eye cure” lists products. One even has “cure” in the name (Origin Cure), but none make any claim to cure. Cure claims are illegal without approval. There is no approval process for itchy eye cures. The FDA approves drugs, not cures.

One product offers my cure (without the word cure): Microwave Activated Warm Eye Compress for Dry Eyes, Blepharitis & Stye Eye Treatment. Amazon adds the fine print “You should not use this information as self-diagnosis or for treating a health problem or disease.” Their product website (HealosHealth.com) “Mission” statement page exits, but it’s blank. The website does not claim to cure.

A google search for cure for itchy eyes even produces lists of remedies, and treatments that avoid the word cure:

10 Itchy Eyes Home Remedies
Home Treatments for Itchy Eyes
5 Remedies for Dry Eyelids – Beat the Itch with These Tips

Official medical sites, offer expert advice and recommendations, but the word cure is avoided.

Johns Hopkins Medicine “Why Are My Eyes Itchy? Answers From an Expert” – but no cures.
The Mayo Clinic advises treatments, for dry eyes, adding “You’ll likely need to take these measures indefinitely to control the symptoms of dry eyes.” The word cure is not used.

My Itchy Eye Cure

I cured my itchy eyes last year. The cure proved the cause. A year later, this continues to be true.

Sometimes – maybe once every two or three weeks, my eyes start to itch again. Not serious, but I’m not waiting for serious. I get out the hot facecloth, use it once or twice and it’s cured again. That’s how causal cures work. But causal cures are unknown in today’s medicine.

My ophthalmologist helped me cure my itchy eyes with her advice. However, the disease is barely recognized as a disease. I was not diagnosed. I was not treated. Perhaps that’s why the cure is not medically recognized?

What happens when itchy eyes, ocular pruritis, dry eye disease, meibomian gland dysfunction, or even shortsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism is cured? Nothing. Cured is not defined for any of these diseases – even when they are cured, no cure can be recognized. No cures for any non-infectious eye disease have been officially approved. Any doctor who dares to claim a cure, could lose her license.

I can claim to be cured – nobody cares. But… my story is just an anecdote. Anecdotal cures are not scientific, not worthy.

Note: Every true case of a cure is a story, an anecdote.