I saw an eye doc yesterday. One of my eyes was very red. Doc said there's an abrasion, an actual "flap" of torn skin on the white part of the eye. Don't know how it got there.

She gave me a drug (drops) called TOBRADEX. It contains a steroid as well as antibiotic. She told me to administer it 4 times a day for a week.

The steroid part gives me the "ibbee jeebies". I looked up this drug on line and learned that it can potentially cause glaucoma and cataracts. I also read on the net that the steroid part of this drug will INHIBIT healing!

I am frankly scared use it. I have seen people on this forum mentioning using it but I haven't seen anyone specifically talking about its safety, and I haven't seen anyone saying that they had a BAD reaction to it. Some people have said they took it for quite a long time and are now worried about it. Does anyone know how long is "safe" to take it? Has anyone had a bad experience with it?

Thanks!

OK, I know it is nerve wracking to start using a steroid of any kind. If your eye doctor gave it to you, she must have a reason. You need the anti-biotic (Tobramycin) to keep the area clean. The steroid part, Dexamethasone, is going to keep the inflammation in your eye down. Steroids will slow the healing of an INFECTION. I don't know about whether or not they will stop an eye from healing if you just have an abrasion that isn't infected. But remember, your eye DEFINITELY won't heal if it is inflamed.

The other concern that people have with the use of ocular steroids is Glaucoma and Cataracts. Just using it for a few days definitely would not cause cataracts. When they say that, they are talking about long term use. I have been on ocular steroids for about 3 years because I have an inflammatory disorder in my eyes. For me, the risk is worth it. BUT, I do get my intra-ocular pressure checked by my ophthalmologist every 2-3 weeks. High intra-ocular pressure for a prolonged period of time can cause Glaucoma. (normal is in the range of around 12-18 or so). But, if you got elevated intra-ocular pressure from using ocular steroids, the solution would just be to come off of the steroids. Your ophthalmologist might also choose to prescribe drops for a few days to bring the pressure down more quickly. The way my doctor explained it to me is that the eyeball has fluid in it. Steroids contain particles that clog up the fluid releasing channels in the eyeballs, causing an overload of fluid, which causes higher pressure in the eyeball, which can eventually lead to Glaucoma. As far as I know, the only real risk is if your intra-ocular pressures are high for a long time. Even with my prolonged use of steroids, I have only had a few periods where my pressures have gone up too high, and that is because we played around with the dosages. For me, Dexamethasone (I used it in its pure form, without the Tobramycin added to it) got absorbed too much into my eyes and caused the pressure to go up. But everyone respinds differently to medications, and that's just me. What a shame, too, because it worked great for me. My eyes never felt as good as when I was on it. But the problem was only after a few months of use. Now I am not using it anymore because my doctor has found other things that work well for me (most of which have some form of steroid, but not Dexamethasone.)

Don't worry about using TobraDex for a few days. It won't harm you. Just ask your doctor to check your intra-ocular pressure when you go for your next visit, if you are really concerned.

I'd be more worried about what will happen to your eye if you DON'T use it! I have had corneal abrasions and even an ulcer (basically an infected abrasion that goes deeper than the first layer of corneal cells.) You NEED to use the anti-biotic! The steroid will also help your eye to feel better.

Purple,
Thanks for the reply. That helps!
I guess I was also worried about whether this doc diagnosed right. I hadn't planned on going to her. I was in Walmart and asked at the pharmacy what I should do about my eye. I've been waking up with my eyes red and with "crusty" stuff in the corners of my eyes. The redness at first wasn't too bad and I ignored it. But yesterday one eye got super red and so thus I asked about it in Walmart and they sent me to an eye doc who has an office there in Walmart.

When the doc said she saw an abrasion, (an actual "flap" of torn skin on the white part of the eye) she seemed to think it was odd that it wasn't hurting me, and I can't imagine how it got there. AndI don't know how that would relate to the other eye having been red too, on and off, and the crusty thing in the mornings. And she couldn't make it all relate either. So it sort of all seemed like a mystery which made me not totally sure that she'd diagnosed it correctly. I mean I guess she can't deny what she saw, but I am wondering about dry eyes. She didn't ask me about that. And my mom has been suffering from dry eyes and had to have her tear ducts opened. I am in Colorado where its super dry and the dryness does affect my skin. I wonder if its starting to affect my eyes. And I guess I'd just like to be more convinced about what is going on with my eyes before I take this drug. But I am taking it...... and the irritated and inflamed look that the eye had yesterday is gone. Now it just feels dry.

If I were you, I would not let an optometrist be the one to treat my corneal abrasion. You need to see an ophthalmologist(medial eye doctor) In my opinion, she should have referred you to one. You said that your mom has been suffering with dry eyes. Does she have an ophthalmologist that she likes, who you could go to?

I hate to say it, but for me one of the first signs that my eyes were severely dry was that I developed a corneal ulcer, and like you, I had no clue how it got there. I felt severe, searing, stabbing pain in my eye (I am shocked that you are not in pain from your abrasion.) I RAN to my ophthalmologist, who diagnosed me with a corneal ulcer, which is a hundred times worse than an abrasion.

It seems to me though, that if you have this injury to your eye, you would be in a lot more pain than what you are in. It is very good that you caught whatever this is early and got some medicine for it. Personally, I prefer to see an ophthalmologist though.

Do you have to go back to her?

If you have no health insurance, then seeing an optometrist might be your only optino. But if you have health insurance, you should see an ophthalmologist.

Please let me know what happens. :)

Elyse

Hi Elyse,
Thanks for your repsonse. I didn't realize there was a big difference between those two types of docs. I guess I should see someone else. Here's the latest:

I went back to her for a check up, as she instructed me to do. She said the abrasion was not there any more. But I told her how my other was still red and doing the crusty thing in the morning, as well as feeling quite dry, particularly upon waking up. She looked at my eyes again and said I have Meibomian gland dysfunction.

The weird thing is, my eyes didn't hurt UNTIL I started the treatment! I started last night with the warm compress, then the Ocusoft lid scrub and then the systane eye drops that she'd given me. After I did this, I spent some time on the computer. My eyes starting hurting and they felt incredibly tired. This morning one of my eyes felt very dry and uncomfortable when I woke up. I couldn't wait to do the treatment, thinking of course that it would help. Now, my eyes have been killing me all day. There's a blurry feeling to them, and the pain is all around them, like a headache.

Can't be the warm compress that has caused this. Do you think its the Ocusoft (lid scrub pads) or the systane (eye drops)?

Before I was just having dryness and redness in the morning but none of the pain I am now experiencing since I started the treatment.

A lot of us have Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. Did she explain it to you, or just give you that big name? The Meibomian Glands are the oil producing glands in your eyelids, at the base of your lashes. If they aren't functioning properly, your tears are going to be lacking oil, which is a vital part of your tears. The hot compresses are meant to unclog the clogged glands so that the oil gets secreted more. So, if you did develop MGD, that would explain the increased dryness. Hot compresses are good. I used to do them a lot. But then my ophthalmologist decided that they were irritating me too much (I've got inflammatory problems with my eyes, and heat can cause inflammation)so he made me stop using them. But for you they should help. Ocusoft is one of the better lid scrubs. It is supposed to be the one that's supposed to be the least irritating. You could also try using baby shampoo, diluted with water on a washcloth. I don't particularly love Systane either. It's not a very gentle drop. You might try using something called "Soothe". Or I really like Bion Tears.

If your eyes are dry upon waking up, you might try using tears ointment such as HypoTears in your eyes at night before going to sleep.

You say that your eyes are hurting. Are you talking about having an eye headache? Or is it the eyeball that hurts? Cold compresses can be very soothing. But wait a while in between doing the hot compress and the cold one.

You might want to see an ophthalmologist to confirm the optometrist's diagnosis and treatment. Basically, an ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who has chosen to specialize in the treatment of eye diseases. Like an orthopedist treats the bones or a cardiologist treats the heart. An optometrist has not been to medical school, just optometry school. If I was going to be on any sort of eye medication, I would much prefer to be treated by a good ophthalmologist.