So, I wanted to wait until I was really sure about this, but I'm pretty sure now, so... I found a supplement that REALLY helps. It's called 'MacuGuard' from Life Extension. Here's the link: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HFRINMC There's nothing there we haven't all discussed before - lutein, zeaxantin, astaxantin, etc. - but it really works for me. I've tested it a couple times now - and I'm really sure it helps, and here's how I know... It turns my fingers a little yellow. It has saffron, beta carotene, and red/yellow algae in it, and at first I wasn't sure what was making my hands yellow so I went to the doctor. He said "your liver is fine, so what have you been eating, have you had a lot of Indian food or squash" and it took me a little bit to put two and two together. The old formula didn't have saffron, this one does. And I take double the recommended dose, because I wanted 20mg of lutein and 8mg of zeaxanthin instead of the 10/4 in a single pill. That also puts 12mg of astaxanthin in my system, which might be what really does the trick here, as well as 2.5 mg of beta carotene (contributes to the yellowing effect). So, I stopped taking it for about 10 days. Long enough for my fingers to not be yellow at all. And my eyes got MUCH worse in that time. Took it again and in just a few days my eyes felt better. I'll take that trade-off. I'm not turning into a canary or anything, my fingers can be a little yellow if it mean my eyes work. I also take bilberry extract, which is pretty harmless and also pretty cheap, but honestly I could just eat a bunch of blueberries for the same effect and they're yummy. So that may or may not have anything to do with it, but here's a link to the bilberry in case anyone thinks it might help: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004R68MFS I take two of those also. I don't want to call myself a success story, because I have good days and bad days, but things I can do now that I couldn't before: Use my work laptop and Microsoft Teams (which we switched to from Slack). Drive my wife's Subaru with the super bright LED screen on instead of off. Watch my FireTV with zero discomfort. Play video games on occasion. Use my iPhone 7+ (with skinomi techarmor matte) for hours without discomfort. Watch a movie on the plane on the shitty screens they have, without discomfort (other than from the plane seats). Occasionally use the soft yellow LED we installed over the sink (against my better judgment) since the fluorescent tubes were flickery. Shop at the grocery store without freaking out due to their insistence on LED's for coolers (although I note with some satisfaction that they pulled the awful garish "covered in LED" displays from the checkouts after the customers and cashiers all noted that they were painful to look at!) I don't attribute this enrtirely to supplementation. I've worked hard to reduce sources of strain, minimize my time around LED's, etc. But my daily regimen is: Probiotics for gut health (probably unrelated, I've needed these my entire adult life...) MacuGuard & Bilberry Allergy Meds (Allegra or Zyrtec, depends on the season) Prilosec (only needed until I lose a few pounds and rid myself of the acid reflux) Magnesium (to counteract the Prilosec which tends to rob you of magnesium) Fish Oil (because I'm middle aged) Anti-inflammatory as needed (again, middle aged and I do martial arts and I'm overweight, so Advil is my friend) Whisky (because ... whisky) Tai Chi in the morning, karate in the afternoon 8 hours a night of sleep, no matter what COVID has seen me gain weight, for sure. I need to lose literally 50lbs. But I'm feeling a lot better about the future. I hope this helps someone. Cheers!

A magnesium supplement I can recommend is the slow-release MagSRT B-Free from Jigsaw Health. I liked it enough that I re-ordered it. I think the slow-release makes a difference with my twitching calves since the other non-slow release ones don't really have the same effect to diminish the twitching.

After reading your post i've started taking astaxanthin 12mg a day and it seems to be helping with my brain fog a lot (Thanks). My eye issues are still there (Early days) .They maybe better. I still stick to my safe devices atm. I've been in a Dr google tangent and thinking I may be low in calcium which could effect the nervous system. As I have lots of food allergies, over the years i've stopped eating alot of calcium rich foods like dairy. I'm slowly going try adding A2 low fat milk (I don't digest fats well, as i have low stomach acid) and see how I go. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. So it makes sense how we could be deficient if we are on computers all day. A very vicious cycle. Be interested to hear if others limit their dairy / sunshine.

I think Magnesium/Calcium are important, also. They take more time to kick in, but I ran out of magnesium supplements… and started declining - tinnitus worse, eyes more tired, etc. I am starting to believe that a lot of this is down to neurological issues which can be exacerbated by deficiencies in minerals and vitamins. I'll post back with what supplements really work - I have a nature's bounty mag/cal/D3 that I'm trying, but I'm also trying that slow release magnesium recommended by Sunspark, it has like 4000 positive reviews.

Gurm I am starting to believe that a lot of this is down to neurological issues Based on every doctor I've spoken to (a LOT), this is definitely a brain problem, not an eye problem.

Supplement that helps, my semi-success story...

Gurm

So I've had some setbacks - I moved to a new home, and the previous owner put LED's … everywhere. I have been steadily swapping out bulbs but it's a big job. There are 6-7!!! full light fixtures that are integrated LED, I've replaced one so far (my office) as well as all the bulbs in the kitchen/dining area. I'll have to do all the bathroom vanities next. The new fridge has LED's also, which should be tolerable in small doses but with everything else combined and having been sporadic during the move with my sleep and supplements, I've gotten to a bad place. I'm hoping to get back to solid ground soon but my eyes are VERY tired. Driving my new car has been tiresome, due to concentration issues. It's tough.

BUT PERSEVERE. I am convinced this problem has a solution. Whether it's brain training (exercises) or supplementation or medication, we can fix this. I have to believe we can.

I will likely be returning to microdoses of THC/CBD to get me back on track this week. I'll keep you all posted.

ensete

Gurm

When they announced the incandescent lightbulb ban back in the day I went to 2 Lowe's and spent $800 on a lifetime supply of bulbs

And appliances can be a pain, when I bought my new house and sold my old house I stipulated in both contracts that I was taking my fridge with me because it is older and has incandescent lighting and the seller was to have her fridge removed due to the led lighting it used. That's my fridge for life now I will just keep repairing it as needed.

My stove and microwave both have incandescent bulbs but I think you can still get new non led ones.

I feel your frustration, take lots of breaks and try not to let your mind get stuck on thinking about it

I'm going to pick up a bottle of that suppliment and give it a shot. I've tried magnesium before as well as other "eye suppliments" and they never did a thing but it can't hurt

Gurm

ensete

I agree - my eye doctor informs me that my eyes, although in need of progressive lenses, are 100% healthy. In fact, my macular health is apparently exceptional for my age.

mike

ensete

My theory in short (for at least me) is that eyes is ok, but that the brain sends wrong signals to eye muscles which results in red eyes and headache. Glasses don’t help, but reprogramming the brain to send right signals to eye muscles is the way to go.

Lauda89

mike

And is it possible to reprogramming the brain? Are you trying this?

ensete

Lauda89

Vision therapy is what retrains the brain.

mike

Lauda89

Already did, or what I believe happened. Since 2018 i have been training with one eye covered, and now i can use all screens. It’s not perfect, my eyes gets tired and hurts a bit some nights, but i can handle 10+ hours behind any screen now. Back in 2015 i could handle 1 hour a day behind a old computer.

Gurm

ensete

I kept the "good" fridge downstairs. Sadly these things have a limited lifespan - you can't keep fixing them forever, and it looks very ugly in the kitchen, so I'm tolerating the new fridge for my wife's sake (but I keep the screen off as much as possible, yes it's a Samsung with the screen in it!)

I'll keep persevering. yesterday was pretty ok, today feels even better. I just have been limiting LED exposure and trying to force myself to sleep and take breaks. Yesterday was my first full day back at work and it went… ok. Not perfect, but by evening I was pretty good to go.

I also started experimenting with binocular vision as a way to reduce eye strain. Covering one eye and forcing myself to focus was VERY helpful. I have a new pair of eyeglasses that I haven't started wearing routinely yet because the new prescription is difficult to get used to, I probably need to accelerate the timeline on that.

Stress/anxiety makes this 100x worse. It's definitely brain related. We need to stay strong, here.

As for the supplements - I think it's holistic. No one supplement is a magic bullet. I think that the saffron/lutein/astaxanthin/zeaxanthin do offer some blue light sensitivity protection, but it has to come in addition to overall de-stressing. Magnesium helps there, as does just getting enough sleep. And a little whisky. And the occasional CBD or THC or Kanna.

ensete

Gurm I kept the "good" fridge downstairs. Sadly these things have a limited lifespan - you can't keep fixing them forever, and it looks very ugly in the kitchen, so I'm tolerating the new fridge for my wife's sake (but I keep the screen off as much as possible, yes it's a Samsung with the screen in it!)

I would challenge that notion. Everything can be fixed. It's just a matter of time, money, and will. I took up component level electronics repair as a hobby just so I could help keep old things running that work for me. Among many other things I've fixed a few TV's that were good for me that I owned and broke so I didn't have to replace them.

Gurm I also started experimenting with binocular vision as a way to reduce eye strain. Covering one eye and forcing myself to focus was VERY helpful. I have a new pair of eyeglasses that I haven't started wearing routinely yet because the new prescription is difficult to get used to, I probably need to accelerate the timeline on that.

Patching my right eye has made my Win10 work computer experience tolerable. Not great, but instead of a painful migraine its more a mild wooziness.

Gurm Stress/anxiety makes this 100x worse. It's definitely brain related. We need to stay strong, here.

Thats what the doctors all told me, the migraines aren't going to cause any physical damage, the most dangerous thing to your body is the stress they cause and that CAN cause physical damage, especially in the CV system.

mike

ensete Patching my right eye has made my Win10 work computer experience tolerable. Not great, but instead of a painful migraine its more a mild wooziness.

Sounds a bit like my journey, keep on patching one eye for at least a hour a day some weeks when you use a bad screen so we can see if you also get progress. The first thing i lost with patching one eye was the terrible tension headache. Can you feel any different feeling direct after you patch the eye? I felt a bit discomfort in the beginning.

xelaos

mike

Do you patch your eye to see with both eyes or do you patch your eye to get better with one?

Did you change your patched eye or do you always patch the same eye?

Do you still patch your eye?

mike

xelaos My left eye is my dominant eye, and I usually cover my right eye, sometimes my left. I have put a paper over the right glass on a pair of gaming glasses and uses them when I train behind a bad screen. I have both my eyes open because i think it’s hard to close one eye for a long time like a hour. The first training-time back in 2018 I looked at a bad screen for an hour a day for three weeks. After that I could use both my eyes to look at that screen with much less problems. The rest of the time I looked at an old screen without covering. Nowadays I only cover one eye when I look at a new screen, for about 30 minutes and then it works. I don’t uses any glasses today, but I take medicine for my sinuses every day. When I don’t look at screens for a day I don’t have to take that medicine.

xelaos

mike

Interesting. Thank you Mike for your response.

I close or cover my dominant eye on "bad" displays. Then I have no problems with this display but it doesn't improve my binocular vision. So if I use both eyes I have the same problem again.

Maybe I try the other way round and close my dominant eye and see if it helps.

Lauda89

mike

Can I know the name of your medicine? Do you take it because you have sinusitis or just because it helps with the eye strain?

Thank you 🙂

mike

xelaos I close or cover my dominant eye on "bad" displays. Then I have no problems with this display but it doesn't improve my binocular vision. So if I use both eyes I have the same problem again.

Maybe I try the other way round and close my dominant eye and see if it helps.

I did my first test with one eye closed back in 2012. Didn’t do anything to my binocular vision I thought. So I told every eye-specialist that it’s no different. That was one of my biggest mistakes in life. I should have keep on training because now I can look at every screen with both of my eyes. So have patience, keep on cover-one-eye for a hour a day at least a month

mike

Lauda89

The name of the medicine is Rinexin, i live in Sweden and you need a prescription to get it.

If i look a little at screens I don’t need to take it. But i am a screen-junkie so usually i take it every day at 16:45.

If i don’t take it my eyes begins to hurt a little around 18-20 and i get a blocked nose. I have visit a nose-specialist that stuck a camera down my nose, nothing wrong. And If i don’t look at screens i have no problems with sinusitis, or what is happing.

logixoul

mike

Hi,

Just wanna let you know about the following I just read on wikipedia about the active ingredient in Rinexin:

In the United States, PPA is no longer sold due to an increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke.[12]^In a few countries in Europe, however, it is still available either by prescription or sometimes over-the-counter. In Canada, it was withdrawn from the market on 31 May 2001.[13]^It was voluntarily withdrawn from the Australian market by July 2001.[14]^In India, human use of PPA and its formulations was banned on 10 February 2011,[15]^but the ban was overturned by the judiciary in September 2011.[16]^

You probably already knew that, but anyway, be careful! 🙂

Also interesting from that article is that the drug is dopaminergic - it acts on the central nervous system. So it might be helping your eyes in a way that is totally unrelated to your nose/sinusitis.

Also I'd like to ask: have you tried some other decongestant meds, such as xylometazoline or tramazoline? They cannot be used long term (this leads to rebound congestion), but I'm considering them for cases when I have an eye crisis.

Quad43

There’s definitely something to food/supplements. You can see it in the inconsistency in which you feel pain. When you eat/drink certain things you have different tolerance levels. Some days you can use devices for an hour before any symptoms. Others it is straight away. Particular foods that have helped me a lot: grapes/raisins

thorpee

Quad43

Another factor to look at is foods that block the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Such as the phytates in wholemeal bread, grains, coffee.

I'm going to try and give up coffee. I think coffee is blocking specific nutrients.

ryans

Gurm Are you still taking the MacuGuard? Anyone else tried it?

Lauda89

ryans I tried it but it dosn't work with me. I have problem with copper and vitamin B12 but i don't see any real improvment even integrating these two things.

Gurm

ryans yeah I still take it. Between that supplement, bilberry, and doing binocular therapy (covering and focus exercises) I am doing much much better. Some things still hurt - the lights at my office in Boston still burn me out after a short time and the effects linger - it I never have to expose myself to stuff like that for much time.

mike

logixoul

Well, i know Rinexin isn’t perfect. I don’t have any of the ordinary side effects that you can read about. Even if the risk for a stroke increases, the risk is still very small. For me it works great, and my goal is to stop with it to the summer.

Before Rinexin I took a nose spray everyday, Nasoferm. That spray is for short term usage and i had used it for many months and it worked ok, but Rinexin is so much better.