Corneal Ulcers

[timtim]

Hello,
I have to correct my earlier post! I wrote earlier that it seemed that I could close the eyelid more when looking up but not when looking down. Nancy you are right: the eyelid does *not* close more when looking up, it's just that the pupil is raised higher which gives me the impression that it's closed! I find that when i try to close the eyelid, it always stays open by about 6mm, and that's the best i can do regardless of whether I look up or down. This means that the 6mm is open even when I'm asleep, which is a bit scary, but I guess we all have similar stories...

Anyway the main reason I am writing is to ask Nancy how things are going without the eye weight, how much longer to wait now? Did you have an allergy to the original gold weight? I hear that sometimes the gold weight is not the correct shape for some patients and that this could also be a cause for the abnormal reaction. The solution is to replace the gold weight with a special platinum weight type that can conform to the curve of your eye better because instead of being solid, it's a chain of platinum links (I've been told). I don't know if gold ones are available like this.

take care

Tim

[nancyann]

Hi Tim:  I like hearing what you said about the eyelid accepting the platinum weight shape better.    I'm hoping to have it put in around June, July, all depends on my eyelid healing.    My doc doesn't know if it was an actual allergy, but the lid stayed red & swollen for 8 months, so it had to come out.    Oh, by the way,   I don't use the saran wrap on the goggles anymore or the foam.   It IS more comfortable without anything in, but I still wake up several times a night as the goggles shift,  but it does shield my eye while sleeping. 

[nancyann]

Hi Jeanlea:  saw my optomologist after work;  to put it in a nutshell:  he said I'm not a candidate for Restasis or Punctual Plug because the problem is not dry eye, I am making tears; the problem is not closing the eye which is what causes the dryness.  My cornea is in great shape - he feels it's because of my constant use of lubricant.  Also, when I close my eyes HARD, my right eye closes enough, he said my eyeball goes up & the upper lid comes down enough to cover the cornea.
What he did recommend is a Tarsorrhaphy (when they stitch your eye at the inner & outer aspect so there is a small opening in the center - you can still see but aesthetically doesn't look as good as it is now.   Well, the vanity in me won't do it - I told him if the platinum weight doesn't work MAYBE I'd consider it.  Well, that's the answer in a nutshell.   I'm to continue putting gobs of lubricant in my eye, use goggles or, as he suggested, taping my eye shut at night.  I see him again in 2 months.
Meanwhile, he didn't think I had a reaction to the gold weight, but that the weight may have been blocking a duct which caused the swelling/redness - I will let my reconstructive doc know this when I see him the end of June.   On a good note he thinks my eye looks much better without any weight,  but I still want the platinum.
okay, that's it.   Always good thoughts Jean,   Nancy

[Jeanlea]

Nancy, Thanks for sharing the news.  When I go to see the cornea specialist in 3 weeks I'll ask him if I have tears.  I know I had none a year ago.  I had a partial tarsorrhaphy last year.  It really doesn't look bad.  But of course now, one of my doctors was thinking they may want to do more.  I'm thinking NOT! Good to know why the gold weight may not have worked for you.  Now they can fix that problem with the platinum weight.  Great that it is looking much better!

Jean

[nancyann]

Jean:  He didn't mention a 'partial' tarsorrhaphy to me, probably because my eyelid won't move unless I blink real hard, & then only closes a little, but enough to cover the cornea, maybe a partial would be useless in my case.  I hope the platinum weight works too - my eyes have always been very sensitive, & with the platinum weight going across the whole upper lid, it may cause more of a problem...well, we'll see.  Best wishes to you too - keep putting in the lubricant.  I tell ya, last night I was thinking I probably use the lube more like 7-8 times a day !!
Always good thoughts,   Nancy

[timtim]

Hi Nancy

thanks for the update. I think I'm in a very similar position to you- my opthalmologist said the same stuff about how my eyeball looks upwards when trying to close the upper lid, as well as my eye being dry due to incomplete closure rather than not enough tears (although I hear many patients have both).

I am scheduled for tarsorrhaphy (sewing the outer corner only) and a gold weight sometime this summer, so I might get it at the same time as you!. I also have a month's worth of radiotherapy (FSR) scheduled for June, just for good measure! (I'm wondering if they can be done at the same time, but that's another post....)

Good luck Nancy with taping at night if you choose to do it. The surgical tape most people use is not watertight, so using it combined with your goggles should be the perfect combination in my opinion.

Tim

[salle47]

First posting on this site
Hi all, earlier this year had problems with a very sore red eye, which initially I was told was gluacoma and then diagnosed with a Corneal Ulcer and hospitalised( different Doctors), it was quite bad and my cornea was more than 70% thinner than it should have been. The ucler was quite extensive and although slowly healing I have lost some sight and they don't know whether or not it will return.
I am on steroid drops, anti-bacterial and artificial tear drops. Well this was my left eye, but I have just developed the same in my right eye, it is not so bad because caught early, but am now on all the same drops on this eye also.
They do not seem to why this has occured and for me it has been very painful, a bit distressing because you start to wonder if you will go blind. I am British and don't understand a lot of the discussion about weights on eyes etc on this site
Anyway intersted in anyone's thoughts

[timtim]

Hi salle47

Are you receiving your treatment in Britain? Me too, welcome to the club.

The gold or platinum weight sewn into the upper eyelid helps the lid to close properly and completely. It's typically needed when the nerves that you use to move the eyelid muscles don't work properly resulting in you not being able to close the eyelid completely, which can be a cause of dry eye. I don't know if you have this.

Did you have a single AN, and which side was it on?

I'm afraid I have not heard before of double sided corneal ulceration. I hope someone else can help.

all the best

Tim

[salle47]

Hi Tim,
Thank you for responding. I am having my treatment in Britain, however I am an ex-pat living in Spain. It is a bit of a long story, but because my left eye was so bad and i did not feel happy with the treatment I was receiving here, which I was paying for and in fact my eye was getting worse. I returned to the U.K and was admitted to hospital and all this has gone from there.
I now understand about the weights, I don't think the problem is related to my eyes being dry, but at the moment the Doc's don;t seem to know the cause. I am probably missing something, but am not sure what AN stands for!
Things are not much better, I have had this Corneal Ulcer in my left eye for some months, been on steroids etc since the middle of March and although it had not gone, it was settling, so i was told. However my right eye started to be a problen a couple of weeks back and another trip to the U.K confirmed it was starting in my riight eye, so I was put on the same treatment. Now my left eye, my bad eye has decided to flare up and I don.t know what to do. Return to the U.K again, Up my drops, Try the Doc's here again, but then the treatment might be different.
Sorry if this is long and as I can't see very well might have some mistakes.
I will read back at your postings to find out if there are any similarities
Sorry folks just found out what AN is and what this site is for. I actually found the site by typing in Corneal Ulcer forum and obviously did not read it properly.
Take Care Salle

[amaguarda]

well i hate that we are going threw this but i'm also glad to see its not only me. this is the second ulcer i have had. today i went to my doctor and she took one look at me and took me first over 10 other patients. she is very good but doesnt speak much english.( being in germany i'm getting used to that).but all i know is this lady gives me the meds to fix the problem,i cant wait to come home to the u.s at least then i will get info on this other than what i read on this site.

[nancyann]

Amaguarda:  I'm so sorry you're going thru the problems of corneal ulcers too- seems like that's the only problem I DON'T have.  I'll keep good thoughts your cornea heals.
Nancy

[Meagan]

I had to take a break from this site because i was depressed from reading it.  I had a cornea ulcer and lost visiion and that is almost better except a patch of scar tissues...not sure if that will go away....they did the partial stitch and did 3/4 of my eye...i cried when they took off the bandage but then my eye won't hold the stitch and pulled open...good think i don't have feeling because ahhh.  My main problem is my eye and of course my face.  I have been seeing a face retrainer and she gave me exercises for my eye so it doesn't roll back.  This whole thing is one depressing think but after 8 months i hoped something would be happening.  I switched eye doctors because my doctor played the guessing game...so we will see if this one works better.

Hang in there everyone...it could always be worse...not sure how...but it could.  We could be going through chemo which i don't think anyone with an is going through.

Meagan

[Ellenmn]

Well I haven't been on the boards much because after work if my husbands not keeping me busy doing things I’m just to tired.
Any way I now know where the pirate talk comes from. I have been treated for an eye Ulcer for the last three weeks. Yesterday I was not only told that the ulcer hasn't healed but I now have an abrasion as well. So now I have to put a prescription gel in my eye 4 times a day, which makes for very blurry vision. So that I can still function I have to wear an eye patch.

[Jeanlea]

Ellen,

Sorry to hear about your eye problelms.  I guess you could be a pirate for Halloween!  I thought that I had a corneal ulcer but it turns out it's an infiltrate of some kind.  My doctor really doesn't know what it is.  He thinks it may have something to do with the fact that I have no feeling in my eye.  It might be something to do with the nerves.  I put ointment in every four hours.  The good thing is that whatever it is, it hasn't gotten any worse.  Sure hope your eye gets better soon.

Jean