Bad habit; any advice?

You should contact her eye doctor rather than trying to figure it out on your own. My 85 yo mom's eye specialist doesn't recommend OTC eye drops because she says the ones that claim to get rid of redness or itching can actually cause more harm than good.

I have a couple of eye issues so, I'm very sensitive about them. It can really make you miserable when your eyes are acting up. I'd have her examined by the most experienced ophthamologist that you can arrange and have them check for anything that can cause the redness or discomfort. I didn't know for a long time that I had dry eye. It can really cause a lot of pain. Scratches on the cornea can also be painful. I don't know much about macular degeneration. I would inquire from the doctor the best ways to help with discomfort and promote better eye health. My doctors recommended warm compresses, which have really helped. Also, I use gel drops in the day (multiple times) and sterile lubricating ointment at night. The doctor can determine if she would benefit from prescribed drops, either for infection or irritation. Vitamin D has helped me a lot too. My heart goes out to her as when your eyes are bothering you, it's so very stressful. I hope you can find her something that helps.

Dry eye can be a problem with ARMD, she may need a good ocular lubricant. There are several available over the counter, my mom liked these:

https://www.refreshbrand.com/Products/refresh-celluvisc

but do talk to her optometrist about this.

Hi Cindy-
I have noticed a lot of patients with macular do tend to have red or bloodshot eyes.(I was an Optician prior to entering that damn phone booth and becoming Super Caregiver for mom). Different factors of the disease can cause redness. And while your mom’s constant touching her eyes most likely is a big factor in the redness, itching may not exactly be the culprit instead it may be the only reason she feels is acceptable when it could be her trying to ‘focus’ or ‘adjust’ her vision. I have observed various actions of patients at various stages of macular, and many of them rubbed touched etc their eyes. You’re doing best with the compresses and also continue to ensure her patties (hands) are as clean as possible using soap and water and nail brush if needed but NOT hand sanitizers- can cause further irritation. Hope this helps and have a great day!
xoxoxo
susan

Cindyn12345: try warm compresses rather than cold. I went though a bout with dry, red eyes/ eyelids (diagnosis of possible eye rosacea) and warm compresses along with washing lids with baby wash (no tears formula of course!) water per eye doctor, helped a great deal.

Just on the off chance that this is allergy related, is she able to have maybe half a Benadryl? I, myself, had to take one last week due to itchy eyes! It helped.

My mom has MD too, along with her AD. She takes 3 different drops, two of which are twice a day. Several months ago her eyes seemed very red and irritated. She rubbed at them a little and sometimes indicated they were bothering her. Her eye doc suggested taking her off one of the 3 drops, which helped. Supposedly it was the one that wouldn't affect her pressures and cause her pain. We're noticing that her eyes are red again so I'll call the eye doc when we get home. (We're currently hunkering down across the state waiting for Hurricane Dorian to pass.)Luckily, she doesn't fuss over her eyes too much, and we're not sure how much she really sees anymore. She seems to look "past" us, or to the side now. I don't know if this is the AD or the MD. She's not a reliable reporter when it comes to pain so we're always trying to read the signs as best we can. As for your mom fidgeting with her eyes, I guess I would consult with her eye doctor and try to keep her hands busy with some gadget to keep them out of her eyes. My mom holds a robotic puppy dog much of the day. It soothes her and she "pills" the fur. Poor little puppy. :)
Good luck to you, I hope you find peace on this journey.

If you use OTC eyedrops, use the ones that DO NOT have redness reliever but just address dryness. Those with government best. The redness relievers cause rebound redness. A warm compress on the eyes a couple of times a day helps stimulate the oil glands in the eyelids. These glands dry up as we get older and make dryness and itching worse. My eye doc likes Soothe XP.

My mom also has a habit of rubbing her eyes. She said it's because there's gunk in them so I asked her ophthalmologist about it. He told me that her tear duct isn't as close to her eye as it should be to take away the tears that form, therefore, gunk will develop. The problem is - the more she rubs it, the worse it gets because the elasticity of her skin isn't there anymore to get the duct back close to her eye. I'm reading responses here with interest as I've not found a good solution yet!

She needs an eye doctor evaluation. OTC eye drops for dryness can be helpful. Your eye doctor can also prescribe eye ointments that last longer than drops.

Give her something to keep her hands busy and out of her eyes. Play music or the radio to give her mind something to focus on.

Dementia patients can get into "do loops" of behavior. My Gram used to pat her thighs rhythmically. It helped to interrupt the "do loop" by introducing another option: folding towels, talking about current events, asking her to set the table with napkins and eating utensils (butter knives only for knives) ...

Check out eye drops that are gel based.  I was having dry eye issues and using regular eye drops but they were not helping much and my ophthalmologist suggested trying drops for severe dry eye gel drops.  Not endorsing any of the brands, but I purchased GenTeal Tears Lubricate Eye Gel for severe dry eye and these worked so much better.

A good item to keep the hands busy is a twiddle muff. Look up instructions for making a crocheted, knitted, or sewn twiddle muff. There are items inside and outside the muff: curly Qs, buttons, silk flowers, etc. to fiddle with; anything securely attached. Busy boards (items sewn onto fabric, then mounted on a small piece of wood or suitable sturdy board) may be made by sewing zippers, a place to "lace" up shoestrings, buttons and buttonholes, a piece of furry cloth, latch locks, slide locks, and many other imaginative items to keep the hands occupied.

Could she possibly be dehydrated? This happened to my M-I-L and drinking more liquids seemed to help.

Have you had an optometrist or opthamologist evaluate her for dry eyes? There are prescription drugs that provide longer relief. There is an over the counter eye lubricant that can be used at bedtime to soothe dry eyes. It can be used during the day as well but it does blur your vision somewhat. Is there any chance she has allergies? There are multiple over the counter medications for that. I would just be hesitant with using them because of side effects. I would probably speak with her physician prior to persuing that avenue.

Check for blefaritis (not sure of spelling). Causes itching, then watering and gunk, and is a chronic condition. I first was diagnosed in my 40's, and it has now returned - I'm soon to be 79. Usually eye wipes help, but my doctor said use Q-tip dipped in mild baby shampoo solution - carefully scrub along top and bottom lash lines, and it works. Do not construe this as medical advice. You need an eye doctor. Preferably an ophthalmologist, not an optometrist. (Insurance covers ophthalmologist, usually.)

Use artificial eye drops every time you see her put her hands to her eyes....it helped my Mom.

You've already gotten a lot of great answers. So this is mostly unnecessary. My mom also has severe Macular Degeneration. In fact, she doesn't even get injections in the left eye anymore because it's so far gone that it's not worth it for her. Anyway, She's supposed to be using lubricating drops at least 6 times a day. That never happens, but i periodically ask her if she wants them. She is really hard to give drops to. It's probably comical to watch. It makes me think of that Friends episode when Rachael won't let Monica give her drops for an infection. Except my mom's mind is willing, but her body does not physically cooperate! She has osteoporosis so she can't tilt her head back at all. I have to lay her chair or bed all the way back, and even then her head is not parallel with the floor, i would need to get her on my inversion table to do that, and that would be impossible. Then she can't make herself relax or open her eyes. Lol!! I am trying to pry her lids apart and she is squeezing them closed. Those might be the strongest muscles in her body!
******
Anyway, the ONE bit of helpful advice i have, is that two different Drs told me not to use generic eye drops. Any of the reputable brands are fine, but apparently the generic eye drops use a lower quality preservative that can have particles big enough to scratch your cornea. I didn't realize that at first and had been using a store brand to save money.

WHOA! Please tell her retinologist this STAT! A person with either dry Macular Degeneration or worse case scenario - wet Macular Degenaration - this is crucial that their retina specialist know that they're doing this.

There was a time dad was complaining about something and I thought oh gees, what a drama king...but I do like his eye MD and so we went in and you know what? Dad was right, there was an issue. Eyes are too important to fool around with. Sometimes just the impact of a professional saying x y or z can have a powerful effect...and there are natural tears that don't cause problems and can be used frequently...but I'd check with the eye MD.

Its possible that theyre itchy. I say this because my 88yr old Mom has same condition and she also complain about itching. Its morecthan likely due to dry eyes. You can buy Systene eye drops over the counter at Walmart which keeps the eyes lubricated. You might speak with her optometrist too.

People; have you taken her to the doc? Have you tried gloves? Check meds for side effects and cross overs. She's got dementia; she's not going to remember...these people like to use their hands. Give her stuff to fold possibly or is she just sitting...engage in activities or find an adult day care where she can be involved. First thing is to take her to the docs...

Our optometrist suggested warm compresses and coconut oil for my 98 year old mother's dry eyes and dandruff. My mother hasn't been able to cry with tears in about 5 years. The oil is applied before going to bed and any excess is wiped off with a tissue.