The fewer treatments I do the better my eyes feel

Most treatments either do nothing for me or even make my eyes feel worse. IPL, ciclosporine, warm compresses with Blephasteam, fish oil, antihistamines, lid hygiene, gland expression don't do anything. Excess heat and pressure from gland massage can actually hurt the eyes and cause the cornea to warp (so I've heard). Most eye drops/gels/ointments (I've tried soooooo many) provide relief temporarily but then become irritating after continuous use. They also seem to wash away what little lipids I still have in my tear film and after they evaporate they seem to leave the eye drier and more irritated than before. This is why I try to use eye drops only when I really have to. I also noticed that a lot of cosmetic products like hair wax are really irritating to the eye, which is why I stopped using most of these products.

Recently I've been using Blephademodex again and after that Naviblef Daily Care for lid hygiene which both contain tea tree oil. Yesterday I skipped using Naviblef before going to sleep and my eyes felt noticeably less irritated at work today. I feel like a lot of these products are a waste of money and can cause more harm than good.

The only thing that at least provides symptom relief is wearing some sort of eye protection. I wear moisture chamber glasses or cheap goggles most of the time to prevent my eyes from drying out.

What's to learn from all this? Really make sure the things you're doing are actually helping you and don't just do them because of conventional wisdom or ads. Clearly some people are really helped by IPL, Ikervis, lid massages, whatever...but in many cases putting too many chemicals in or around your sensitive eyes can make things worse.

This is not medical advice btw. Always talk to your doctor.