hi i'm wondering if anyone else out there has this problem?

i'm not totally sure about the correct terminology, but when i say sclera i'm referring to the (normally) white part of your eye, and iris being the blue/brown part.

for me, the top part of my eyes (the sclera, just above the iris, which you have to lift up your upper eyelid to see) are always the same color (white, 1 or 2 very unnoticable veins, normal). however, everything else is prone to redness. for example, if i have been out drinking, and don't get much sleep, my eyes will be quite red in the morning, but the top part will be white and normal, whereas everything below that is the same shade of red.

i used to work at mcdonalds and used visine once a day because the temperature/environment irritated my eyes. i used it for about 5 months daily, then i stopped, and it's been almost a year since i've used it. normally my eyes are white now, but like i mentioned, lack of sleep, exposure to excessive smoke and such, now causing the bottom part of my eye to get red for a bit, but the top part is always white.

also, in florresent lights, there's a noticable difference between the top and bottom part of my eyes. the top part is white and healthy looking, but the rest is slightly duller, and veins are notiable close up)

i get slight crusting on my eyelids so i wash them with soap every now and then. also, about 2 or 3 times a day, white pus-like stuff appears in the corner of my eye that i have to wipe away.

does anyone else have this issue (where the top part of their eye is always white, but the rest is prone to getting red under certain circumstances?)

comments appreciated...

I get very similar symptoms as you, where the lower (or exposed) area is prone to redness where as the top part of the eye under the upper eyelid is clear. Personally I think I am prone to dry eyes/allergy which is why the exposed area becomes red. Do you notice any irritation and redness under the inner part of your lower eyelid (the part that is in contact with the surface of your eye)? It could be an allergy.

great! someone else that has half-eye red proneness!

the odd part is, the bottom part of my eye (unexposed, behind the lower eyelid) gets equally red as the middle does, but the top part of my eye (which is also unexposed, behind the upper eyelid) does not get red.

i've been tested and have one allergy to dust mites. the inner part of my lower eyelid is not unusually red. it gets a little red sometimes.

since you have half-eye redness like me, can i ask you a couple questions so i can narrow down a little what could be causing my problem?

1) have you ever used visine? if so, for how long and how long has it been since you used it

2) when your eyes are at their best, is there a noticable difference between the top part of your eyeball compared to the rest? for example, for me when my eyes are at their best, there are more little veins on the eyeball than there are on the top part of the eye. but it's not very notiable.

3) is the bottom part of your eyeball equally prone to redness as the middle (exposed) part is? for me, the bottom unexposed part and the middle exposed part are equally prone to redness, whereas the top unexposed part isn't.

4) do you get the white pus-like stuff form in the corner of your eyes throughout the day?

5) do your eyelids get crusty on the outter rim where the eyelashes are? for me, every couple of days i tend to wash my eyelids with soap to clean bits of dead skin away.

thank you for your reply!

D

1) I've never used Visine.
2) Unfortunately, my eyes are never 'good' enough to not notice, its always fairly irritated. I'd say this problem has lasted 12 months without relief.
3) You have just described exactly what I notice, the lower half of the eye including the "unexposed" area seems discoloured/pink while the upper eyelid is "normal".
4) No, I cant say I get any kind of discharge at all, only some minor stuff in the morning on waking.
5) Nope, cant say I get that either. Have you tried lid massages/eyelid margin scrubs using "no tears "baby shampoo? If you try it 2-3 times a day regularly see if it make a difference.

It has been suggested that my case involves both dry eyes and allergy (including dust mites allergy) so I'm not sure how similar the causes are.
Also, I have not got to the bottom of my particular problem so I hope you have better luck with it, if you do eventually find the cause please come back and let me know!

I have to say though, that the crusty eyelid symptom may be the biggest contribution to your discomfort, especially if the debris is working its way into your eyes.

N

I too have both dry eyes (MGD) and allergy.

And my answer is yes to most questions (although i sometimes use Naphcon-A rather than visine) but these whiteners tend to worsen with time. So i keep the use only for occasions.

I have a question, what is your medication for the allergy part.

I think you should check out the color of the Meimobian Glands on the inner part of the lid. Mine are red. And this is what causes the redness on the lower part and not the upper.

Thanks

i don't take any medication for allergies, or any medication at all for that matter, and i don't use any eyedrops anymore (maybe refresh tears every now and then if i get something like soap in my eye and it gets irritated)

the inner part of my eyelid is a mix between skin color and red. i looked at my brother's inner eyelid (who doesn't have this problem) and it's about the same color.

i get crusting on my eyelids occasionally. and sometimes a little air bubble will form on the edge of my eyelid if i'm not washing my eyelids enough.

i suspect my redish eyes are mainly due to my previous overuse of visine. so there's just always a few expanded veins in my eyes that haven't settled down yet. back then there was a point when i used visine in my left eye more than my right eye, and now i notice that my left eye is more sensative to things like getting soap in it (if i get a little soap in right eye, a little bloach of redness might appear when the soap was then go away after a while. if i get soap in left eye, it gets much redder and for longer).

i'm just hoping with time my eyes will recover from the "damage" i did months ago with visine. time will tell....