red eye

[Karen]

ot up this am with a red, red eye!!! The eye doctor said it looked inflamed but no scratches on the cornea, just a dry area where he thinks it didn't close good        in the middle of the night, so I am using Tobradex a streoid ointment twice a day.  Anybody else have this trouble?  I have a numb cornea which really is a "pain".  Kare.  How long did it take to clear up?

[Jeanlea]

Karen, I've had the red eye problem several times now.  I load it up with PM Refresh every two to three hours until it gets better.  It usually takes about 2-3 days to resolve.  It happens because it somehow gets dry I think.  I also have a numb cornea.  I will be interested to hear what others have to say.

Jean

[satman]

Hi Karen, I have been there [dry eye]. does your eye lid feel like theres gravel underneath it[tell-tell sign of dry eye]I have tried just about everything out there and the only thing that really worked for me was lacri-lube [goop].
about a year ago I asked the AN panel for advise and received a lot of great info.I would put the link here but not that computer savy.
you might want to search my old posts and read what everone had to say [great info], I believe my post was the same as yours, RED EYE ?
As far as your cornea I would reccommend that you ask pattibobatti, she will respond and she is great,very kind and informative when dealing with cornea questions.

[Jan D]

Using ointment at night is the key to keeping your eye moist.  I don't even rinse it out totally in the morning, as it gives an extra protection during the day.  Lacrilube is good, and they make a generic version that is even cheaper (Puralube) - you can find it at the Kaiser pharmacy (if you have Kaiser).  My eye doctor also prescribed an antibiotic drop (Zymar) that has worked wonders when I get an infection - it worked miracles for me.  I convinced her to refill it so that I could keep it on hand at all times and use only when necessary.   

Jan D

[Dfcman]

I too agree with this statement.  Putting genteal PM or Lacralube in at night can help a great deal.  Sometimes taping the eye shut at night can help too.  I thought I had recurring pinkeye, but since my eye was not closing all the way, I had to get a graft of animal fat in my lower lid.  That was in february and you seriously can't even notice it.  Most of my eye problems have been solved.  I put a little Genteal in here and there for whenever I need it.

Tobradex def gets rid of the red but since it is a steroid it doesn't allow the cornea to heal if you have a slight abrasion; hence making it worse.  For a long time Tobradex was the only thing working but it was actually causing my cornea to develop a thicker abrasion.  There are some great opthamologists out there.  My local doc said the one who I went to in Pittsburgh was one of the best in the country.

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

DFCman

Great to read you are still out there!

I am so glad to read you eye issues are solved? You had a nasty time of it- being away from home and all...

How was you year at college?

Daisy Head Maizy (aka formerly  "4")

[hruss]

Karen, I also have a red eye ow and then.
Right after my second surgery, my eye did not close well down and was very red and scratchy. I used Torbex during that time and put some ointment during the night.

For two weeks my eye got well and now it gets red and my vision is blurred from time to time. Even now when I write this reply my eye scratches and is red - this happens when i did not have enough sleep the previous night or when i am out in windy weather. In these cases i put 2 drops from Tears Naturalle (drops which resemble real eye drops - you can buy them without a prescription from every chemist's (at least here in Bulgaria)) and several minutes after that my eye is ok. These are produced in Belgium but i am sure you will get some like these prescribed by yourdoctor. They are always used when you feel dryness in your eye andthis could be caused simply by working on a computer for a long time.

hope you will be fine soon too.

Best wishes,
Hrissy

[Debbi]

The Tears Naturalle are also available in the US without prescription.  I have the "single" use version which is very gentle on the eye.  Right now, it's not viscuous enough for me, but hopefully as my eye starts to provide some of its own lubrication, I can graduate from gels and Celluvisc to the T. Naturalle.

Meanwhile, I use Refresh PM or Celluvisc gel drops in the day time and puralube at night.  I am now using a sleep mask with Glad Press n Seal to protect my eye at night - yes, I know, it's quite a site!

Debbi, setting new fashion trends in evening eye wear...

[cmp]

Karen--

Sorry you are dealing with what sounds like a very unhappy eye, though fortunately at least your doc says the cornea's not scratched.

Like you, I followed up my AN surgery with a nerve graft, which unfortunately didn't solve my dry eye problems. I know a punctal plug (where your lower tear duct--where the moisture constantly created in your eye drains--is literally "plugged") has helped some folks here. I tried one but it popped out twice, and I was so tired of eye problems at that point (nearly 2 years after surgery) that I opted for a more permanent solution, a cauterization of the tear duct. Though I still rely on Celluvisc drops during the day and Refresh ointment at night (and wear sunglasses outside no matter what the weather!), the cauterization has made me much  more comfortable, and I haven't had an opthalmic issue (corneal abrasion, keratitis--which it sounds like you have, etc) since getting it done.

Good luck!

Carrie