Lost vision?

[Jeanlea]

Has anyone lost their vision on the AN side??  I was back to see my eye doctor today.  I have two small white patches on my eye.  He thinks they may be caused by the nerve not working.  He mentioned the word neuropathy.  He's sending me to yet another eye doctor.  This one is part of a medical college and is a cornea specialist.  The last doctor recommended that I get more of my eye sewn shut.  I really don't care for that option.  I don't even think that would solve the problem.

Jean

[Obita]

Hi Jeanlea:

Write to Denise if you want.  She had a white patch on her cornea last year and ended up going to a specialist.  I can't remember what it was, but it did go away.  I do remember she had to lube up more often.

Good luck, Kathy

[Jeanlea]

Kathy,

Thanks for the info. Can you sent me a message with Denise's email?

Jean

[Obita]

Jeanlea:

It is in your inbox - good luck.

Kathy

[Denise]

Jeanlea,
Just saw your post.  I had a white patch on my eye, last fall.  I thought it was on the iris, but turns out it was on my cornea.  I went to a cornea specialist, at the Univ of MN.  Mine was a dry patch and if it is allowed to continue you could loose your sight in that eye. That's what I was told. 

The dr. told me to put lubricant in my eye no less than four times a day.  I panicked and put lubricant in eight times a day for about four weeks and it went away. Drops do not work, you need to lube it up.  I went back to the cornea specialist at least three times from October to December, to get it under control.  I have a check up with the specialist next month.  Since December, I have not had any white patches on my eye.  I now use the lube four times a day.  I only use the drops to "rinse" out my eye in the a.m. each day.   I hate it, but don't want to loose my sight, its bad enough, and a pain in the butt enough as it is.

Denise

[Jeanlea]

Thanks for the info. Denise.  Did your doctor have you using any steroids?  My eye also gets red.  The blood vessels are feeding the white patch.  Did you have that too? 
I'll be seeing a cornea specialists in four weeks.

Jean

[Denise]

Jeanlea,
My eye gets red and irritated if I use drops too often.  I have tried many different brands but they all seem to irritate my eye.  I know i am not an eye doctor, but I recommend you start using the lube at least four times a day to get a jump start on this thing. It really helped me and my eye looks normal, and is hardly ever red anymore,  unless I am outside and it has been windy.

Also, when i called for an appointment with the cornea specialist I was also unable to get an appointment for a few weeks, and when I went in the dr. was upset that I did not come in sooner.  I told him why, and he took down the name of the girl I spoke to in his office. He told me if we didn't get this under control then I could lose my site in my left eye, also he talked about stitching my eye lid partially shut.  I didn't want that, so like I said before, I went crazy with the lube stuff, and haven't seen the dry patch since December. 

So see if you can get on a waiting list to get in if someone cancels. Or, if you didn't already, call and tell them you don't produce tears in your eye and you need to see him immediately. 

Denise
P.S. Sorry if I sound bossy, but I am concerned for you and your eyesight.    Oh, almost forgot, I have never been prescribed steroids for anything AN related or anything else regarding my health.

[Karen]

How do you guys use the ointment without it constanly looking greasy?  Also do you get white stuff floating in your eye from the ointment?  Maybe I am putting to much in?  I pull down the bottom lid and   put a strip in.  Karen

[Denise]

Karen,
Don't have a way around the greasy look, except i keep a small mirror at my desk and tissue handy and try to check it every so often. Yes I get the gooey chunk sometimes, mostly in the morning when I wake up, so I just rinse my eye with Systane drops.  Or if its really bad I put drops on a Q-tip and carefully wipe the surface of my eye. DO NOT use a dry Q-tip because that could cause scratches.    I just put a thin strip along my lower lid, my dr. said I only need a bout a 1/4 inch strip in the outer corner of my eye, but with my dry patch scare, I just do the whole thing.  I guess I am alittle paranoid, but, he says keep doing whatever I am doing because it obviously is working for me.
Denise

Jeanlea, how's it going for you? When is your eye appt?

[palms0@hotmail.com]

HI my husband was getting the white strings accross his eye also. We switched to genteal gel, no more strings. He also uses the visine pure tears. I work for an ophthalmologist  which gives me access to many different samples, when he tried some of the preservative free drops or ointments he had an immediate allergic reaction. the dr's states using drops and gel so frequently can cause your eye to become hyper sensitive to something you were able to use before with no problems. it is basically a trial and error on what works for you. but please don't let your cornea become dry because you can get infiltrates and really do permanent damage to your cornea.
god bless
mary ellen

[nancyann]

I'm with you Denise:  I must use lubricant at least 6 times a day if not more.  I put a line in along the whole bottom lid - it does get greasy below the eye but I just wipe it away.  So far I've been able to avoid the corneal problems, but then again I'm only 10 1/2 months out.   Nancy