Young woman, 23, with extreme dry eye condition who needs drops made from own blood urges others to ‘cherish’ eye health

A 23-year-old with an extreme dry eye condition who requires drops made from her own blood to soothe her symptoms has urged others to “cherish” their eye health.

Melanie Saunders, from Greenville, South Carolina, US, first noticed she had “bone dry” eyes at the age of 12, where she would subconsciously stimulate her gag reflex or make herself yawn to help her eyes fill with water – but over the years, she started to realise her symptoms were “not normal”.

The former nursing student, who had to drop out of college and move back home in 2023 because of the condition, said her symptoms worsened around this time – waking in the night in pain as her eyelids would “dry shut to (her) eye” and experiencing burning sensations.

When her symptoms were at their worst, Melanie had to tape her eyes shut and was only able to open them for two hours a day, and after visiting several eye doctors, she was diagnosed with a rare variant of an eye gland disorder – meaning her eyes struggle to produce tears and maintain their moisture.

After finding an eye specialist who prescribed her with “serum tears”, eye drops made from the serum in her own blood, and having operations to keep moisture on the surface of her eyes, Melanie has been able to manage her symptoms to some extent – but she is still “plagued” with fears when thinking ahead to her future.

Melanie has also launched a GoFundMe page to alleviate the pressure of her medical expenses on her and her parents as she estimates they currently spend around 700 dollars (£510) a month on her treatment.

“Don’t take your eye health for granted, appreciate your eye health,” Melanie told PA Real Life.

“I remember before all this complaining in school about having to wear glasses, but I would do anything to have that now.

“Even if you’ve got to wear glasses or lenses, cherish the aid that allows you to have a quality of life because some people don’t have any aids that work for their condition.”

Melanie first noticed her eyes were “bone dry” when she was around the age of 12.

“I was sitting in class one day and I vividly remember trying for 30 minutes to make myself gag discreetly to help my eyes fill with water,” she said.

She added she would make herself gag or yawn “at least once every since day” to produce moisture in her eyes throughout the rest of her time at school.

Having worn glasses since she was seven-years-old, Melanie said she suspected her dry eyes were being caused by the contact lenses she also used.

“There were times my eyes were so dry, it kind of hurt to peel them off,” she said.

Melanie said she “pushed through” her painful symptoms throughout her youth, but an overnight stay with other girls her age while in college led her to see her behaviours were “not normal”.

“I remember looking around and everyone was super peppy – I was just sitting there and my eyes hurt so bad,” she said.

In May 2023, Melanie said her symptoms started to flare up.

“My eyes would be glued shut in the morning and were very swollen,” she said.

“I would always wake up with little abrasions over my eyes because throughout the night, my eyelids would dry shut to my eye.

“As you’re sleeping and dreaming, your eyes twitch and when mine did, it would cause a rip.

“It would wake me up six times a night before I had proper treatment – that was one of the most traumatic and miserable things.”

Melanie’s eyes would also burn with the dryness.

“It constantly feels like wind is blasting in my eyes, like I’m sitting in front of an air conditioner which is going straight into them,” she said.

Grappling with her symptoms, Melanie visited a host of eye doctors and specialists and in May 2023, she said she was diagnosed with severe lacrimal gland dysfunction – a rare variant of a disorder which impacts the gland responsible for producing tears.

She said she was also diagnosed with corneal neuralgia, a condition which accounts for the chronic pain and burning sensations she experiences, as well as other conditions which account for her symptoms.

Sadly in October 2023, Melanie had to drop out of nursing school at the University of South Carolina and move back home with her mother because of her symptoms.

Around this time, Melanie said her condition became so bad, she could only use her eyes for “around two hours a day”, forced to tape them shut for the remainder of the time.

“I did not go outside at all during this time, I didn’t get any sunlight,” she said.

Melanie said this continued for six months, before she found an eye specialist who prescribed her with serum tears – drops made from the serum in a person’s blood to relieve dryness – which cost her around 100 dollars (£72) a month.

She explained that every three months, she visits her doctor where they take between 10 and 12 tubes of her blood and put them in a centrifuge to separate the serum.

This is then diluted with a preservative-free saline solution before Melanie can apply the drops to her eyes.

She also found an eye specialist in April 2024 who has “helped (her) the most” with her condition, and she has since undergone several operations to relieve her symptoms – including having holes where her tears drain stitched closed to hold in moisture.

Melanie has now found a combination of treatments which have helped her to manage her painful symptoms, such as the serum tears and over-the-counter drops.

She also wears moisture chamber glasses when outside, preventing her eyes from drying out and protecting them from dirt, dust or allergens.

The condition has impacted her mentally, however.

“I want a career, I want a family, I want kids, I want to marry my boyfriend – and these are all such big question marks,” she said.

“I’m very dependent on the care of my mum, so when I look at the future I think ‘who is going to take care of me?’

“That’s a super big fear of mine and it plagues me a lot.”

Melanie has launched a GoFundMe page to help relieve the pressure of her treatment costs on her family, as she estimates they spend around 700 dollars (£510) a month on her medical expenses.

To find out more, visit her GoFundMe page here: gofundme.com/f/melanie-saunders-funds-for-eye-disease