additional eye problem...frustrated

N

Nomad

Guest
I've been tortured by dry eyes and scratches in my right eye. It's always been a little dry, but for the last month, its been much worse. (see other post)

As a side note...I have a very big problem in my left eye involving my retina...don't wish to talk about it. I can not read at all there. I rely on my right eye completely for reading.

For the past two days, now I have itchiness and some burning in the little corner of my eye near my nose! I'm so frustrated, I could scream. What in the world is THIS? Has anyone had these symptoms? I was going out of town this weekend and so I wanted the dry eye business well cared for and reading glasses (didn't want to use my contacts) and was at the eye doctor three or four times last week. I ended up with prescription antibiotic drops and also used a lot of those otc tears.

This feels different. A little bit of the skin above my eye itches and the tiny corner inside of my eye itches as well. HELP!!!! Anyone else have this or something like it?
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I am sorry you are having so many eye problems. Those are one of the things I fear the most.

Is the eyelid swollen at all? Is there a sty on the inside (might look like a whitehead)?

Is the itching on the inside of the eyelid or is it more on the edge or just barely inside the eyelid? I get a condition called blepharitis that makes my eyelids hurt, itch, swell up (at one point my eyes looked like they had those Rolling Stone album cover lips around them!) and it is NOT fun. It is caused by the tear ducts and pores in the skin getting clogged by the skin not sloughing off the way it normally does. The dead skin cells plug the pores and tear ducts and everything swells and hurts and turns red.

If I get ANY irritation, I start using baby shampoo (NOT Johnsons - that no more tears line is a BIG LIE because it HURTS worse than any other kind of soap) to wash the edges of my eyelids and then I rinse very well with saline solution. You can buy cleansers designed to be used there, and they are awesome. When I was first diagnosis'd there really were not many of those and they were hard to find. I have a pump of the cleaner at home for when I need it and I have individual packets of premoistened pads designed to clean that area and help with this problems. They are always in my purse and they can be a lifesaver.

I still rinse with saline solution and then put in eyedrops. Anytime you use saline you should follow it with eyedrops because the saline can end up helping to dry things out, like licking your chapped lips makes them worse. Or so three eye docs have told me at various times.

I know you find the thick drops to be oily, but they can make a big difference esp if you are using a lot of the artificial tears.

What is the skin on the rest of your body like? Do you have dry skin? Any skin problems? I have psoriasis and because of that the eye docs check my eyes very carefully because it can increase the risk of complications with-any eye problems. Or so I am told. I have yet to see any studies about that, but both my skin and eye docs say this is so.

This next sounds weird. Bear with me. What color is your urine? Is it dark? You NEED to drink as much water as possible. The goal should be urine that is pale yellow or that you cannot really notice the color of. For every caffeinated beverage you drink, you also need at least an equivalent amt of water IN ADDITION to the normal amt you drink daily. Yes, you will pee like a racehorse. But it will help keep the general fluid level in your body up which helps keep your eyes hydrated. If you can't tolerate water, or can't handle large amounts of it, then drink non-caffeine drinks.

If you have problems drinking water, get a brita type filtration system. I do NOT recommend the ones that screw onto your sink. The biggest problem is having very little control over the amt of water that goes through them. If the filter isn't changed when it is full, it will dump whatever is in it back into the water as it comes out. It is very hard to monitor how many gallons come through those filters. With a pitcher style filter (and all brands are the same, brita, pur, any of them will do the job - even the no name one that is sold at walmart works as well as the brita), the mechanism to measure when it needs to be changed isn't super tecnical but IS more reliable than the faucet mounted ones. Esp the new ones that don't just have you put a date on the pitcher for when to change it.

I DO have a source for this info - husband. He spent more than 5 yrs doing water quality testing for a lab that reported to the EPA. He still knows a lot of poeple doing research on this stuff and those that can't afford whole house filtration systems or think it is overboard (because reality is that MOST cities do an excellent job of filtering the water - you get more problems from existing lead pipes, etc... in older homes), use the brita type filters for their families. And around here you can get a used pitcher at almost any thrift store at almost any time. then you just wash it and put a new filter in if you don't want to buy a new pitcher at the store. The pitcher is just the filter holder, mostly.

One awesome tip to get enough water without drinking a big glass at a time? Keep dixie cups (the small size) by every sink in the house. Every time you wash your hands, drink 1-2 dixie cups of water. Most of us wash our hands a LOT more than we think we do, and this is a great way to get and stay hydrated. One other thing that can help if you don't like or can't drink plain water is to add a bit of lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit juice to it. Just a splash. It adds a bit of flavor and changes the ph so that it is easier on your stomach.

Given eye problems, are you taking a vitamin with lutein? My mom's eye doctor (the md kind because she has had retinal problems, and several other severe eye issues) says that while it won't help short term, it does help long term. Also, get some of those granny sunglasses that go over reg glasses and have the panel on the side to block sun from the sides. We get a LOT of UV rays from the sides of sunglasses and these also can make a difference. They may not address the immediate problem but do offer some wind protection that reg glasses won't. Walmart sells them for $20 or less (solar shield is the brand I can find) and they are something that can ease the strain and every little bit helps.

Sorry this rambles. We have a range of eye problems in the family and these are what the docs have recommended to us.
 

buddy

New Member
what kind of eye doctor are you going to??? an OD or an MD? I think it really is time to get a referral or find a doctor to check you for your auto-immune issues (didn't you say you had auto-immune problems?, sorry if I got that wrong) That is the source of this for me. Just to cover your bases...

Ask them about using the punctal plugs, it is absolutely painless. Did not cure things for me but it sure did help. completely painless. Punctal Plugs for Dry Eyes - AllAboutVision.com

I hope you get relief. I have suffered this too.. I am also super frustrated lately by floaties. So many and at times I can't read. I have issues with near vision as many of us do when we get older, but it is uneven and taking my glasses off fixes it still. but the floaties make me nuts at times.

It is not a small thing to have eyes bother you. I hope you can find a different doctor who will look at things in terms of your total health.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Floaters are obnoxious. Last week I spent ten minutes trying to get a little piece of black thread off of my computer screen. Then thank you asked why was obsessively rubbing the monitor - it was a floater!

I am the one who mentioned autoimmune issues in her other thread. I am not sure if Nomad did. But it could be one reason underlying the issues. I hope it isn't, or if it is, then she easily finds medications that help and stop the problems!
 
N

Nomad

Guest
Thank you guys.

I have lupus. I have on and off problems with skin. Dry-ish and weird sloughing issues. The itching is a little bit on the skin outside the eye and a little more in the corner inside of the eye. I do not see a stye. I don't see swelling, but my eyelid seems ever so slightly droopy.

I'm using antibiotic drops and some lubricating drops. Early this morning the burning was bad. However (knock on wood/crossing myself) right this second....hours later...it is a little better (don't know why).

I haven't used my contacts (at all) for two days. I was using them sparingly for the past several days. I have reading glasses now, but am not seeing well in general (I also need glasses for distance) Am thinking of checking into bi focals. I tried them awhile back...but had lots of trouble adjusting to them.

Are bifocals hard to get use to? Any suggestions for them?????

Anyway, believe me...I am going to look into the stuff you suggested! Thank you everyone!
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
The optometrists here are discouraging bi-focals except for people who already have them.
The newer technology is "progressive lenses".
They are "decent", really... but it did take me a number of months to get used to them, and I still need "reading glasses" for computer work, because the mid-range field of vision is too narrow for my working style.
 

buddy

New Member
My eye doctor said that by the time you are ready for the script medication... you may need also a steroid drop for a short time because there has been inflammation. Especially if this has anything to do with your lupus. I hope you find relief soon.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
I have a similar issue, off and on, at the outer corner of my right eye.

I've had two eye docs baffled, because it comes and goes. I finally figured out it was my cats. (Not exactly allergic, but...)

I use a teensy bit of "Stye", on the outer edge of the lid, but with your other issues, I don't know if that would work for you...
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Who treats your lupus? Is your eye dr working with them? You may need to have the docs work closely together to figure out a solution. Are you at the point where you are using one of the TNF medications (enbrel, humira, etc...) for your lupus? I know people who have had excellent results from them, and some that have not and have had bad side effects taht didn't stop when treatment did. I am assuming you are seeing an opthalmologist and not an optometrist, given the complicated nature of the problems.

With the dry skin, work on staying very well hydrated. Also, if you are taking plaquenil or a quinine based medication, be aware that these can cause LOTS of vision issues. I would hope the dr had already looked at your medications to see if they could contribute to the problems.

Go for the progressive lenses - what used to be called "no-line" bifocals. I got them a couple of years ago and the adjustment wasn't hard at all. It made life a LOT easier.

You might have the docs check to see if the dry irritated area has a yeast infection. We used to have a chronic pain support group here and many of the women had lupus. One thing that they seemed to get off and on were yeast infections. Not just vaginally or in their mouths, but on skin too. Given the dry eyes, you may have more moisture in the area from the drops, etc... and the skin can be vulnerable to yeast. the doctor may think I am nuts for suggesting it, but several of the women fought this off and on for quite a while. They used some type of drops to help. The antibiotic drops can also leave you vulnerable to this type of infection - and steroid drops sometimes do also. That close to the eye, I would NOT suggest using OTC miconazole cream from the feminine supplies aisle. Jess and I both get yeast rashes and that is what really works for us. But not near the eyes, because it might cause other problems.

Oral acidophilus capsules may not be helpful with the eye problems, but they probably won't hurt. But you should check with the dr or pharmacist given the other complicated problems you are having.

Again, PLEASE keep drops refrigerated when you are home and either buy the single use packages or replace them often. For drops with preservatives you can keep them up to four weeks, but for those with no preservatives they should be tossed after just one week. You really don't want more infection on top of all of this!!

I hope you start to have fewer problems soon. When my eyes are irritated the solar shield sunglasses with the side panels really help because they help keep the wind away from my eyes better than reg glasses or sunglasses do.

Does the doctor know you are still trying to wear your contacts? If you don't have the kind you throw away each day, you may need to experiment with different types of disinfection to find one that will be the most effective. Be sure to replace the case often or sterilize it - the threads are a haven for bacteria (where the cap tightens onto the base) that people forget about.
 
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