I have had this problem for about a month. My cat scratched my left eye. I am going to a corneal specialist. They have already done a debridement on my eye last week and today they are going to do the stromal puncture. I am curious to hear from others with this condition. I have been reading the posts and it seems like no one has had a procedure done. I find that my doctors believe it is necessary to try and control the problem as soon as possible. I really would like to hear from anyone with this problem and also anyone who has had the puncture procedure done. It is really torture to deal with the pain. I find myself almost living in fear of it happening. Thank you very much for any support you can give!

I went to the doctor today and he decided to wait and see before doing the ASP. If it cracks again then we will do it. Anyway, I posted earlier and would really like to hear from someone with rce. Also, I keep reading to warm the Muro ointment, but it burns when I put it in my eye so I keep it in the refrigerator and it has been much more comfortable to use.

Bumping up

Hi SRoman, I suffered with RCE for 3 years before finally giving in and having stromal puncture done last Fall. Actually they did it 3 separate times over the course of 2 months. The doc wanted to keep a bandage lens in for 3 months after the procedure in order for the eye to heal but I still had erosions with the lens in place and unfortunately I got a blister under the cornea due to the eye being starved for oxygen with the lens in there. He took the lens out and I continued to get erosions but less frequent than before the procedures (it was happening several times/week and sometimes several times/night). It has now been several weeks and I'm hoping that things have finally settled down. I used Muro, both drops and ointment, for over 3 years and finally decided that it seemed to be making matters worse, so I started using Tears Naturale drops during the day and upon awakening at night before opening my eyes and I use Genteal Gel before bed and also each time I awaken. This seems to be working much better for me. The gel tends to crust on my lashes which helps to keep the lid shut at night.

Thank you so much for responding. I got the impression that the stromal puncture usually cures this problem. From what I am reading here I am wondering if there is a possible cure.

Thank you so much for responding. I got the impression that the stromal puncture usually cures this problem. From what I am reading here I am wondering if there is a possible cure.

Hi Sroman -

There used to be a long thread about RCE on here with all kinds of hints and treatment methods, and stromal puncture was discussed heavily there - generally people don't like the stromal puncture.

Anyone who has had this knows what you mean about living in fear, but don't worry about not finding a solution - there are interventional techniques that will certainly work, and noninterventional things that might. For some with mild cases, non-interventional techniqes that you can read about here will work - they mainly involve techniques with drops, Muro, sleeping position, Doxycycline, etc. They won't work in the more severe cases, but can help. I think you already found the shorter thread (called "RCE"). For the time being, try those techniques while finding a good corneal specialist.

I had RCE for about four years, the last two of which were really bad (episodes at least 3-4 times a week, taking off most of the top corneal layer). I tried every noninterventional thing out there. Then I tried anterior stromal puncture (ASP) twice, which did not work. It has about 50% rate, but I think it really only works for mild cases as well. PTK laser surgery stopped it dead in its tracks for me, and I haven't had one erosion since. A good PTK surgeon would have probably 95% success with it, and 100% on a second try. A corneal specialist who does not do laser surgeries may not suggest it and only do ASP. Again, try non-interventional things until you find a good doc that you are very comfortable with.

A lot of what path you choose depends on your injury and severity, and how comfortable you are with interventional techniques. How deep was the scratch? How often are the erosions? Are they in the morning (most common) or anytime during the day? Was there infection? Are they getting better? Do you have a corneal dystrophy?

Good luck,
ebmd

Hello
I am new to the board, but not new to the pain of cornea erosion. I have had this problem for more than 6 months and I was told yesterday that I will have to have out patient surgery? Do you know of anyone that might have had this done? I am in so much pain now that my eye was closed shut from all the tearing...

I have RCE, but it is due to another medical condition, keratoconjunctivitis, that can not be cured. I've had it for 25years. The pain of this condition is some the worst I've ever had. I'd give anything to be able to have what I call "the majic numbing drops" that the eye doctor puts in :jester:

I hope you get relief, and hopefully a cure :)

Hello
I am new to the board, but not new to the pain of cornea erosion. I have had this problem for more than 6 months and I was told yesterday that I will have to have out patient surgery? Do you know of anyone that might have had this done? I am in so much pain now that my eye was closed shut from all the tearing...

What kind of outpatient surgery?

I had both anterior stromal puncture (twice - and it didn't work) and PTK laser surgery (which worked like a charm). Both are outpatient, although with PTK you'll probably have to miss work for a few days. With the puncture, they poke a needle in the site of the erosions to make the surface a little rougher. With PTK, they do the opposite: Smooth the cornea down. PTK has a very high success rate (>90%) while the puncture is at best about 50%.

I had RCE for about 4 years, with the last year of it complete misery - I was having ~75% of my epithelium eroding away every single day. I'd get events any time of the day - while driving, eating dinner, sleeping, etc.
The day I had PTK was the last time I ever had an erosion, and that was 5 years ago.

Good luck,
ebmd

I had RCE since August 2006 off and on. My new doc want to try the puncture proceedure. I am wondering if I could request the PtK surgery and by pass the puncture. I don't want to deal with this issue for months and years... :eek:

Chuck,
when I first had my injury my doctor explained the possiblity of recurrent erosion and use of a laser (which I understand now is PTK) should they keep recurring. So far things have been going alright, if they should get worse I will definitely talk to him about that option. You are the patient, you do have a say about your treatment. After all I've heard from other folks, I wouldn't want to do anything less myself.

On a side note...funny thing, during a follow up visit--one of the assistants was a bit chatty and started talking about what treatment may have to be done. None of which was what the doctor told me directly. Good thing I do my homework, I could've been freaked out by the description the assistant gave!

Evie

To all these threads: A question Am I right in thinking Corneal Erosion is Corneal Ulcer?
I posted a thread about my Corneal Ulcer, with no replies, so perhaps it is different or the discussion has been exausted. Anyway if it is the same, It is helpful reading these threads.

They are two different things. The ucler is an infection. The erosion generally is an injury of the cornea by an object i.e. getting poked in the eye by something. The "recurrent erosion" is when you have suffered an abrasion and the cornea surface is weak and subsequent "scraping" of cells of the cornea occurs.

I'm going to guess that you can get RCE as a result of an ulcer as the cornea has been compromised. If you search the this board you will find posts referring to "corneal ulcer".

Hope that helps.

I am set up for my puncture proceedure tomorrow. My doc is confident it will likely solve and fix the problem. I am not looking forward to the pain.

I just discovered this site and am extremely glad I did. I was just diagosed with rce a week ago and it has been unbearable. My doctor gave me Nevanac for the first few days to help with the pain, now I am using Refresh Tears 4+ times a day and Muro at night. I swear the pain is worse now than it was last week when I went to the doctor. My eye is also getting incredibly red in the white areas of the affected eye. Any suggestions on what could be causing this? It is getting progressively worse, along with my sensitivity to light. I have noticed that my night vision also seems to be worse. Is this common? I must admit that it is kind of disheartening to see how many people have struggled with this for years and years (I read the old thread), without finding much relief. However it is also good to hear the success stories. Thanks to everyone for sharing!

Sorry to hear you are experiencing RCE. I'm afraid I don't have any advice. Once I got over the initial injury and pain I have managed my discomfort with a contact lens. I'll be getting close to a year since my injury and I can't get by more than a couple nights without the lens before having an erosion. I'm managing it, but it is frustrating.

Chuck, I just happen to wander over to the board since I haven't been by in a while and I just assumed everything was going good for you. I'll check the other thread too. Hope you are doing okay since the procedure.

I am set up for my puncture proceedure tomorrow. My doc is confident it will likely solve and fix the problem. I am not looking forward to the pain.

I just discovered this bulletin board in my search for what to expect from a puncture procedure. I have had RCE for about a year, had PTK in March which work great, except there was still an area with some cysts that needed treatment (why they didn't take care of that with the PTK is still a big question in my mind) so now I need a puncture procedure. I have had 2 episodes now, am just waiting to have an episode when the dr is availabe to puncture me. I can't really find good information on how painful that is and what recovery from it is like. I found the PTD to be way more painful than the doc let me to believe, although it healed like a charm and that area has been great. I just wish they could have done that procedure to more of my eye and taken care of the entire problem at once.

Chuck, how are you doing? I would enjoy hearing about the procedure and your recovery. I hope all is well.

Funny I just had a MAJOR RCE last night almost 2 weeks from the debridgement and puncture. I saw the doc this morning got a BCL and he wanted to perform another debridgement (I said no way lets try the BCL for now) The initial debridgement was painless (numbing drops) and he put over a 100 punctures in the area of the eye. I was out for about 3 days with extreme pain for the first 4-26 hours and discomfort for 2-4 days. I had a BCL for a week then started using the muro everynight and for somereason last night got woken in extreme pain from a RCE BAD! I am following my steps from what I did yesterday. I worked in a dusty environment but did not feel any discomfort and used refresh tears numerous times??? Still no ryme or reason as to why, but I missed another bid day of work again. THis is really a nightmare so far. I have to go back again in 8 days to recheck it. The only thing that I can't recall was my sleeping position? I know I had some dreams light sleep last night if that matters? Maybe REM sleep did me in? THanks for your concern and I will keep you all posted from now on.

Glassgirl, how painful was the PTK? Hours/days? Do you know how big an area they did? My doc says the best is to do the entire cornea but that's a really scary thought for me. I had the puncture procedure 3 separate times. After he did it the 1st time I got another really bad erosion and he said it was in a different area from where he did the 1st puncture so he repeated the procedure in another spot and again a few weeks after that when a blister developed under the epthilium, possibly from the BCL he gave me after the 1st procedure. The pain was pretty bad for awhile after the anesthetic wore off after about 4 hours and uncomfortable for several days. I continued to have erosions, I think from the cornea sticking to the BCL, even though the BCL was supposed to help the healing, and was suddenly getting erosions anytime without warning and not just at night. After the 3rd procedure he removed the BCL, patched my eye for the 1st 24 hours, and after that it felt better. I've still had some minor erosions but nothing like it was before and they tell me that the next step is PTK but I'm hoping to avoid that option since I'm allergic to oral pain medication. I found that after the PTK, warm compresses helped with the pain. I used one of those Bed Buddy sinus packs you just heat up in the microwave.

Something I don't understand. How is it you can go weeks inbetween errosions? Why doesn't it happen nightly? Could something in the eyelids or something else be contributing to the errosions? Just wondering because you can't predict it. Far as the BCL sticking to the eye, my doc said the contact sits on the tear layer thus avoiding such occurences. Could you have dry eyes instead that causes the BCL to stick? Did the doc give you antibotic drops as well? Just wondering.

I don't understand why either, although I was having erosions just about every night and sometimes several times/night before the puncture procedure, but at times I'd go several days without and could never figure out why those days were different than others. I was on an antibiotic drop when I had the BCL. Even though I was never officially diagnosed with dry eye, I believe they are somewhat dry but I do use drops during the day and both drops & gel at night. I now find that using the gel at night tends to crust on my lashes and make my lids stick together which I think is helping to keep my eye shut at night. It seems that the erosions happened right before I would awaken, probably from my lids opening a little before I was aware of it but with the gel they are more adhered shut.

Good info squirl, I also read some articles on the web that artifical tears actually make the condition worse... This is interesting because when I first got diagnosed the doc said to use tear drops and eye lube ointment at night which I did then things got worse...I had more RCE than before the start of treatment. Lastly, when I went back in with pain from the last RCE the doc wanted to perform another debridgement and puncture again (2 weeks after the last one) I opted for the BCL instead hoping it will take. Has anyone had luck using the BCL for an extended period over just using MURO at night? MY BCL allows me to sleep in any position with no RCEs
Is there any supplement available to help the cells in the eye heal better?

Hi Chuck, sorry to hear you are still struggling with your erosions.

I have had the first full week of not wearing my BCL (at night) and not having an erosion. I had some problems before then a milder erosion at which time I changed into a fresh contact the next morning, but two days later when I reinserted it, my eye was irritated and red (redness isn't something I generally experience). This forced me to sleep without it and so far so good. Allergeries (hayfever) are bad right now, but suprisingly as long as I take my antihistamines I'm alright--when they wear off, my eye feels irritated, but so does my other one. Also, I'm taking Donnatal (for IBS) which I thought was contributing to my RCEs before , but now I wonder. Could it be that it is actually helping prevent the edema under the cornea that I've read make the cells unstable? The Donnatal definitely keeps the white of my eyes very white. I've noticed this some years back. The mystery goes on....

Hey chuck cap. I must be about 9 months into BCL therapy now. And I can go months between erosions (this to me is a success). My optho wants a complete 9 months with no erosions (no mild ones or big ones before we try without the BCL in). I use less and less eyedrops now. Maybe once or twice during the day and 2 or three times at night (everytime I wake up). I am heaps happier this way than wearing a pirate patch every second day. I havent had a proper erosion since November last year (6 months wahoo!!) and only maybe 3 mild ones since then (only like a 2/10 on th pain scale) and nothing since early march. Its a very strange feeling when i get the contact changed (every 14-21 days) but i guess my cornea is just so unused to feeling my eye lid on it after so long wearing the contacts. I havent had a debridement or PTK although I have considered both options and if i hit the two year anniversary of my injury (fingernail across cornea) and the contact still hasnt fixed it I will reconsider those options.

Moshpit,
Congratulations on being erosion-free for such a long time...I hope that this success continues.

I send you all wishes to stay erosion-free.

Janet

Moshpit,

Glad to hear things are so much better for you. Unfortunately, the morning (3am) after I posted one week of no erosion without the BCL, I had two erosions. Guess I spoke too soon. I'm getting close to one year of my injury. Just doesn't seem like I can avoid these erosions if I don't wear the BCL. I have thoughts of PTK. My vision is affected enough that coupled with erosions, PTK is sounding appealing. Wouldn't be able to do it for a while even if I wanted to (have to travel etc.) I'm curious to see how things go once you get out of the BCL.

Evie

Damn Evie. Thats really sucks that you had an erosion after a week. To be honest I scared of what its going to be like without the contact. Life kind've sucked for the first 9 months of my RCE without it.

Ill be interested to see how it goes without it as well.

It seems most who use the bcl have no problems...The issue is how long does it take to fully heal? My doc said it takes 3-6 months for the cells to take and form deep to prevent rce. I love my bcl in but I also know its a false sense of security. I went monts with the bcl only to go back to rce again. The real question is does the eye heal properly with the bcl in? If it takes 3-6 months then why not wear a bcl for months? Recently I told the doc to leave in my bcl for a few more weeks due the dusty environment Im working in. Dust seems to bring on RCE for me, even with drops 12x a day. Good luck to all! Evie hope all is well!

f&%#!!!

6 Months and then bang last night a mild erosions. Enough to make me know it aint healed but only a 4/10 on the pain scale.

Must be the commentators curse huh?

Ah rats Moshpit! Sorry to hear that. I'm on my nightly contact still. Allergies have made it feel a little touchy, but all in all I can't complain.

When I first started reading about RCE (in medical literature), it said such things as 'erosion can occur years after initial injury'. This makes me wonder how, without something like PTK we can really truly recover from the injuries with no further erosions(?)

Hang in there, hope everyone else is doing okay!

Evie, I've often thought the same thing, but couldn't PTK also be considered a type of "injury"?

Evie, I've often thought the same thing, but couldn't PTK also be considered a type of "injury"?

I think I understand what you mean. The way the Dr. explained it to me is that they remove layers of the cornea and that when it heals it is more stable. I understood this deliberate removal is deep enough that the cells will more securely anchor to the (basement) layer. I'm assuming an injury in itself is going to produce an uneven healing if you will, and part of the damaged area will heal properly while other areas are subject to erosion. This would explain why some people have the debridement in one area but develop an erosion at another point.

That's how I understand it. Please correct me where I'm wrong.

I've had my corneal erosions for over a year and a half. Very painful - blurry vision occurred almost every night. I had strommel puncture done twice - did not help. Finally June of 2006 I decided to get PRK. I needed glasses and I figured this would help my problem and fix my vision. Well I have to say - 1 year later I have not had 1 erosion. My vision is 20/30 and I feel great. My recovery time from the procedure was not that long and not painful at all. I've seen that some people were in a lot of pain, but I have to say I was not at all. I had on a bandage contact lens that was taken off after 5 days. I think that it was the best thing that I've ever done. I wasted a year trying all those other remedies that never worked for me and I was miserable. Hope this helps!

Lisa;)

I've had my corneal erosions for over a year and a half. Very painful - blurry vision occurred almost every night. I had strommel puncture done twice - did not help. Finally June of 2006 I decided to get PRK. I needed glasses and I figured this would help my problem and fix my vision. Well I have to say - 1 year later I have not had 1 erosion. My vision is 20/30 and I feel great. My recovery time from the procedure was not that long and not painful at all. I've seen that some people were in a lot of pain, but I have to say I was not at all. I had on a bandage contact lens that was taken off after 5 days. I think that it was the best thing that I've ever done. I wasted a year trying all those other remedies that never worked for me and I was miserable. Hope this helps!

Lisa;)

Lisa, thanks for the post. I'm seriously considering talking to my doctor about this as he mentioned it during the first visit of my injury. It's been a year and I have given up going without a contact at night because I just can't stop having erosions.

Evie

Well, in two weeks im going to the Gold Coast in Australia for a week. It will be my first flight since erosion in Dec 05. And im hoping I dont get my eye drops taken off me as we board. Im still wearing BCL but im due for another optho app in the next month so maybe they will take it out (%$#!!) I believe strongly that it will cause a massive erosion episode and that I will then be reccomended for PTK. I hope thats not the case, but honestly when BCL is changed even that 5 minutes between contacts is a horrible feeling. It just feels like grit in my eye straight away. I know they can stil see the "scab"in my eye and im wondering wether I should just bite the bullet and get the PTK. Its anoying as we are TTC at the moment and I hate my eye taking priority.

Hello All,

I am new to this thread so this is very long to give background and ideas. Next time I post it will be way shorter, so I apologize for the this being soo long. I originally found the old RCE thread with approx over 112 pages, I almost cried when reading several pages, except my eye hurts so much from what I am going thru crying would only make it worse. I am so sad so many are suffering so much , but also so relieved I am not alone. I couldn't agree more with so many posts (off the old thread of fustration with the eye doctors (specialists,etc.) who give you so little advice and time and rush you thru. They definitely don't understand the sheer misery of this condition. I am trying many things. My backgroung is I have been suffering with recurrent corneal erosions ( RCE) for almost 2 years now. They use to be a severe one every few months, this past year it is every 1 to 2 weeks, sometimes a mild one followed by a more intense one the next night. Moderate to severe pain, blurry vision that can last for days, and not get back to what is normal for me some time longer, only to have another erosion before that. I had an old eye injury from an accident over 20 years ago , both corneas were scratched badly, for around 5 years after that I had recurrences, then all they did was patch up my eyes (with alot of ointment) for a few days. Finally they seemed to heal and I only had a couple of recurrences many years later. Now I am over 50 years + and this problem started with the dry eye syndrome, then a few erosions ( abrasions) once every few months to the constant ones I have now. I have tried every gel , ointment, drop, etc., but even with the best self care my left eye still seems to do it even while my eyes are closed. I have read the REM state when your eyes move while sleeping ( chasing rabbits effect) it can happen. You awake in pain with a eye running with tears. I find keeping my eye open seems to help alleviate the pain better, and then only closing again after pain has diminished. Of course putting in some sodium chloride drops can help somewhat. I have had such fustration trying to get to see a doctor when you need to because as you probably all know too well, they have to see you when the erosion is fresh or they can't see it. Trying to time this has become almost as much of a problem as the pain itself. Half the time it is a weekend, or the rest of the time the Doctor is all booked up, you have to beg, plead etc. to try to get in for urgent care. I have Kaiser (HMO) and I can tell you it is a real problem there. I love all their ads on TV "Thrive with Kaiser" , NOT. Instead of all the spending on the TV ads they need to get more eye doctors, it is like being in a factory or assembly line there. Anyway, I want to share with you all what I am doing what has worked for me and Not worked well. I liked genteal gel for sever dry eyes at night and the moderate one for day, but am recently re-thinking this as I have a hunch it might be contributing somewhat to this condition. I have switched during the day to riteaid over the counter eye drops because they have sodium chloride in the "inactive ingredients" and I have read that is a key ingredient one should use. They help, I found Muro 128 5% sodium chloride drops to be much too strong for my eyes, it really stings (only for a few seconds) but did not help me at all, and my lubricant eye drops from the drug store were so much better. At night I have switched back to using an ointment instead of the Genteal Gel. I find that the mineral oil in the ointments can be irritating and the one I found with the least percentage of mineral oil in it so far is Tears Natural P.M. by Alcon. It is harder to get in the eye though because it is softer, one trick is to have the ointment touch the eye which seems to help it adhere, before you complete the squeeze out from the tube. Using a small amount rather than too much has been better, too much seems to make the eye too sticky and can cause an erosion-for me anyway. I also have genteal PM ointment which is my 2nd best choice.
LASER SUGERY; I had a CORNEA SPECIALIST DO a laser proceedure in office where he lasered the spots where he saw erosions. He did several places, sent me home with antibiotic drops and ointments, No Pain Killer!!!
When the anesthesia wore off the pain was excrutiating, after several hours, my lid was swollen, my eye was constantly running, couldn't put any ointment in because it just would run out, my nose on the left side totally was running as well till it was red and sore from constant blowing in tissues, and the top of my head was so painful, I was a mess. I couldn't eat , sleep, or do anything but lie on my back in such pain I actually though about killing myself ( I would never do it, but the pain was 24/7 and worse than the worse erosion I ever had, even the time when my husband took me to the emergency room at the hospital for a severe erosion (that was a big mistake and another story for another time). Anyway the doctor who did my laser surgery was gone, he did not give me pain pills, no soft contact bandage, I left desperate messages on his phone. He called ,me three days later, was sincerely and totally sorry for what I went thru, he had left for a trip out of town, and had just got back. He apologized for not giving me any pain management, and said "he though I would be all right." He only spent a few minutes with me before he suggested the laser surgery (this was my first visit with him), so I do not know how he came to that conclusion. He said this would Never happen again, he would take care of pain in the future. I actually felt sorry for him, he was obviously very dismayed and ashamed of what happened. I finally healed from the laser proceedure, pain lasted for several days but not as Severe as first 2. I was erosion free for 3 weeks, then I had another one , and another , etc. I went back to him and he did a Stromal puncture for a mild erosion in a totally different area, he said he didn't do that area with the laser. Well I never had an erosion in that area before either, I wondered if the Laser brought that on. Anyway in that "other area" the puncture seemed to work as it never reoccured there, he also gave me alot of pain management including soft contact lens bandage which got me thru the first day. But where he originally did the laser, my eye never felt completely healed where he did do the laser. Before that in between episodes my eye felt healed like the other eye, after laser surgery if always felt like it was going to tear or a pulling pain, even when the erosion of the week was healed. When i mentioned this the doctor had no response.
I have seen another eye doctor , he did stromal puncture on the recurring area, he could see the laser scars. The pain was bad but not anything like the laser surgery. Vision is still blurry but improving, I will let you know if this works. The other doctor who did the Laser on me wants to do a PRK on me, but after the nurse told me I will get a 14 page waiver to sign from the hospital I got nervous and did not do it . Why 14 pages, what the heck are the complications? also dry eyes are a complication with both PTK and PRK, and most of us RCE sufferers have this condition. Also, am terrified of going thru that worst pain of my life Again! And I know about pain having been in a couple of bad auto accidents, but this eye thing was by far the worse, worse than broken ribs, worse than a broken nose, and I could go on but do not want to get too gory. I have read so much on this as I am sure all of you must have on the Medical Sites here in the US as well as England and India and even Croatia,( this is a worldwide problem, why so little understanding of it here and no real Cure without alot of complications?) But , I feel this site with real life experiences is by far the best research any one can get. No doctor guessing what will work, no drug company "pushing their product," etc. Just Real People telling the truth about real life experience. What ever happened to all the other folks who were on the old RCE thread, there was so much more people there. Just wondering. Thank You for this community, and I hope I can possibly help someone else with my experiences. I am so happy to have a part in this community. Any comments or suggestions greatly appreciated in advance.

I've had my corneal erosions for over a year and a half. Very painful - blurry vision occurred almost every night. I had strommel puncture done twice - did not help. Finally June of 2006 I decided to get PRK. I needed glasses and I figured this would help my problem and fix my vision. Well I have to say - 1 year later I have not had 1 erosion. My vision is 20/30 and I feel great. My recovery time from the procedure was not that long and not painful at all. I've seen that some people were in a lot of pain, but I have to say I was not at all. I had on a bandage contact lens that was taken off after 5 days. I think that it was the best thing that I've ever done. I wasted a year trying all those other remedies that never worked for me and I was miserable. Hope this helps!

Lisa;)
Hello Lisa,

I am happy for you that the PRK has worked. To help me better can you tell me were your erosions from recent injuries, or age related underlying problems ( where the epithelial doesn't adhere well) ? Do you mind giving your approx. age as I know that sometimes that matters as to whether this works well or not. Also, did you have Dry Eyes syndrome, and did the PRK make it worse? Post OP Pain?? Just trying to figure out if I should go this route, because of bad reaction to other laser surgery which did not work . thanks, Judy

Judy,

PTK is very different from the laser surgery you had. It sounds like you just had a laser version of anterior stromal puncture, which is not a terribly successful technique. With PTK, there is some preparation of the corneal surface, and the whole cornea is usually lasered, not just a few spots. I would not be afraid of PTK just because your other surgery also used a laser - they are two very different procedures.

I had anterior stromal puncture twice for RCE, and once had the type of painful reaction you did - far worse than any erosion. Then I had PTK, and it worked great. I won't go into detail because I've written about it many times, but briefly: I was 30 when I had it, post-op pain wasn't too bad, my eyes are a little drier now, I have epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (common to RCE sufferers).

If my other eye ever gets bad erosions like before, I'll go straight to PTK with no delay. It was only after I had PTK that I realized just how badly I suffered with RCE - the cliche of "getting my life back" really applies.

By the way, don't worry about "14 page waivers" and stuff. If they were cutting off a hangnail you'd have to sign the same type of thing. It doesn't mean anything. If you get PTK, get an experienced surgeon.

good luck,
ebmd

Hello ebmd,

Thank you for your reply. My eye surgeon wants to do a PRK , Not PTK. Maybe because I have dry eye syndrome. Do you also think that is as good. I believe the other lady who posted here had a PRK also and said it worked for her, (Lisa ). I hope it works for me also, I am still recovering from the stromal puncture. How long should I wait to have the PRK? Or what are your thoughts about it.
Best Regards, Judy:) :)


Judy,

PTK is very different from the laser surgery you had. It sounds like you just had a laser version of anterior stromal puncture, which is not a terribly successful technique. With PTK, there is some preparation of the corneal surface, and the whole cornea is usually lasered, not just a few spots. I would not be afraid of PTK just because your other surgery also used a laser - they are two very different procedures.

I had anterior stromal puncture twice for RCE, and once had the type of painful reaction you did - far worse than any erosion. Then I had PTK, and it worked great. I won't go into detail because I've written about it many times, but briefly: I was 30 when I had it, post-op pain wasn't too bad, my eyes are a little drier now, I have epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (common to RCE sufferers).

If my other eye ever gets bad erosions like before, I'll go straight to PTK with no delay. It was only after I had PTK that I realized just how badly I suffered with RCE - the cliche of "getting my life back" really applies.

By the way, don't worry about "14 page waivers" and stuff. If they were cutting off a hangnail you'd have to sign the same type of thing. It doesn't mean anything. If you get PTK, get an experienced surgeon.

good luck,
ebmd

Hi,

Question for all: Anyone using ointments at night notice extra eyelashes falling out. Much more loss than usual? It seems to be happening to me and I am pretty certain it is from the ointments I use at night. Just wondering if anyone else has had this? Is this from the petroleum or mineral oil, it also irritates my eyes a little. But I am a slave to this to try to slow down the erosions which have wreaked havoc on my life for quite some time. i have also used Genteal Gel but thought it didn't stop the erosions as well because it drys in the eye and doesn't last all night. Please tell me what your experiences are and what works for you all out there who are suffering thru this.
Thanks, Judy:confused:

Hi, I am 49 years old and do not know how I got this. One night I woke up with a sharp pain in my eye and from there it got extremely worse. Many Drs. could not diagnose this and gave me several different things to try. Nothing helped. Then I got the PRK - 1 year and 2 months ago and I am very happy to say that I no longer have any pain. I went thru strommel puncture 2 x's and so many other treatments that did not help. This is the only thing that does help. Mr. Dr. says that my eye is dry - it was before the PRK too. But, I put in drops before bed and it doesn't seem to bother me at all. (to be honest, I hardly put the drops in my eyes) If I can answer any more questions, I'd be glad to help.

Lisa

Hello ebmd,

Thank you for your reply. My eye surgeon wants to do a PRK , Not PTK. Maybe because I have dry eye syndrome. Do you also think that is as good. I believe the other lady who posted here had a PRK also and said it worked for her, (Lisa ). I hope it works for me also, I am still recovering from the stromal puncture. How long should I wait to have the PRK? Or what are your thoughts about it.
Best Regards, Judy:) :)

Hi Judy,

PRK and PTK are very similar. The only difference is that PRK corrects your vision at the same time. Make sure your insurance covers PRK - since most people get PRK solely to correct vision, it is considered cosmetic and insurances often won't cover it. Your doc may have to write a justification for it.

Choosing to have PRK is something you have to decide - no one here can tell you that. For me, I was sick of random episodes several times a week - in a restaurant, at work, etc. After two years of trying all kinds of techniques, I'd had enough. They might work for some cases. They helped, nothing fully worked for me.

If you are having episodes once every two weeks or so, you might try the things you read on here - some of the techniques work quite well. If you are consistently having them 2-3 times a week, forget about it - just get PTK (or PRK) and move on with your life. Like I said before, I had no clue just how much RCE controlled my life until after I had PTK and could look back.

Regarding your question for people on here to post tips, etc: This thread has a very very very long history going back almost 5 years. You will find an enormous amount of experiences if you look through the archives. Everyone reacts differently to various drops. A great example is Muro - some people swear by it, others hate it.

ebmd

Hi, I am 49 years old and do not know how I got this. One night I woke up with a sharp pain in my eye and from there it got extremely worse. Many Drs. could not diagnose this and gave me several different things to try. Nothing helped. Then I got the PRK - 1 year and 2 months ago and I am very happy to say that I no longer have any pain. I went thru strommel puncture 2 x's and so many other treatments that did not help. This is the only thing that does help. Mr. Dr. says that my eye is dry - it was before the PRK too. But, I put in drops before bed and it doesn't seem to bother me at all. (to be honest, I hardly put the drops in my eyes) If I can answer any more questions, I'd be glad to help.

Lisa

Lisa!

I made an appointment with my Dr. for September 21st for the consultation. I can't wait to get this over with!!! I had two erosions within the last 6 weeks, the last being the worst one so far. I'm nervous about the procedure and scared about possible pain (but I have a couple left over pain pills from a year ago!!!) I hope my vision gets better....closer to what it was before the injury..it would be a real treat! I'll keep everybody posted!

Evie

Hello all - I posted on this board a while back and I've been erosion free since July 2004. The routine has been the same for me - every morning when I awaken, I squeeze artificial tears in the top corner of my eye next to the top of my nose and let gravity work the artificial down inside my eyes and I avoid all erosions. Nothing has really changed. Once in a while when the weather changes, I can feel as if I could get an erosion when I awaken if I don't add drops. I never sleep on my back because that is just asking for an erosion to happen (or at the least, never have your head looking towards the ceiling when you awaken unless you are a master at keeping your eyes closed still and relaxed).

I've thought about PTK at some point when I'm not so busy with work. I've heard that it can improve your vision due to the polishing effects of the epithelium. I've also heard never to have PRK if one has RCES. I'm not sure if that is due to the cutting of the nerve which takes about 6 months to heal (thus causing one's eyes to dry out more which will increase the chances of erosion).

My wonder with PRK is if it could "flip" one's site such that they become far sighted and then will need reading glasses?

Also, (for those who don't want surgery) has anyone heard anything more about Dehydrex drops? Are they FDA approved yet and do they have the high 90%+ success rate they claim in their trial studies? It sounds interesting but I've kind of been out of the "RCES loop" for a while and I've still just been disciplined enough to wake up "eyes still, closed and relaxed" and add artificial tears and all is under control. But, at some point, I may want to check out other options when I have more time especially if I don't have to deal with glasses for nearsightedness.

Best to all,
Mike

Mike,
your thoughts/questions on potential problems with PRK are good to note. I'm not sure which my Dr. was referring to, though I think it was PTK--but I'm going to ask lots of questions when I see him.

I am farsighted and this injury has left me with blurriness that is not corrected with my prescription and I can no longer read (newspaper print) with my glasses. It has been a frustrating year, waiting to see if it will improve and obviously it won't. I also have erosions during the day which is disheartening. I go through good periods and bad periods where my eye is uncomfortable and I feel it is on the verge of an erosion for days and finally it happens. I think my injury was significant enough that even my best efforts aren't going to prevent erosions. I'm very anxious to see where I'll be at the end of this.

My understanding with the study is they haven't to date received enough participants as required.

Evie

Hello All,

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. I had a stromal puncture for the RCE's in my left eye. I am sad to say it did Not work. Was erosion free while it healed for 2 weeks, but they have started again and they are now even more often. I am so disheartened. My doctor wants to do a PRK but now that I am reading Mike's posts about it making the eye dryer, I am going to tell him I only want a PTK. He seems to feel he would improve my vision, but it is actually better in my left eye anyway. I have Dry eyes, and do not want to make that condition worse. Have used every kind of gel and drop and they all seem to work the first week and then they dry out in my eye real fast. I get erosions even with my eye closed at night, I don't have to open it, the pain starts and the eye starts tearing and i usually wake up with this at 4 AM a few times a week now. I am afraid to go through with another painful surgery and not have it work, or only work for a short time. I have had a few things done but not the PRK or PTK. any suggestions for a drop for dry eyes that get erosions while closed and sleeping?
thanks and good luck to all,
Judy

Judy - I'm not sure what posts you are referring to that I write about "making the eye dryer" as I don't recall ever recommending that. I strongly believe if one sleeps on their stomach or side (not the back) and wake up with their eyes still and relaxed and add artificial tears before moving the eyelid they will avoid 99% of all erosions. You can't get an erosion when you awaken if you keep your eyelids still - physically it is not possible. Also, it's be to try and keep your eyes closed as much as possible before going to sleep. In other words, if you can position yourself in such a way so your eyes are less likely to open at night, that will be much better. However, I realize this may not work for everyone but it can only help. I've never recommended stromal puncure so I'm sorry that you did it and did not have success with it.

However, PTK (not PRK) is extremely successful (90% the first time and 99% the second if there needs to be a second). The only other things I can think of if you want to avoid surgery are Dehydrex trial drops for corneal erosion. I've also heard a lot about Restasis drops for dry eyes but I know little about them other than they are supposed to increase the natural tear production. There's a lot of tips on this board including ointment at night which may help as well as adding the tears before moving the eyelids when awakening.

Best to you,
Mike

Hello All,

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. I had a stromal puncture for the RCE's in my left eye. I am sad to say it did Not work. Was erosion free while it healed for 2 weeks, but they have started again and they are now even more often. I am so disheartened. My doctor wants to do a PRK but now that I am reading Mike's posts about it making the eye dryer, I am going to tell him I only want a PTK. He seems to feel he would improve my vision, but it is actually better in my left eye anyway. I have Dry eyes, and do not want to make that condition worse. Have used every kind of gel and drop and they all seem to work the first week and then they dry out in my eye real fast. I get erosions even with my eye closed at night, I don't have to open it, the pain starts and the eye starts tearing and i usually wake up with this at 4 AM a few times a week now. I am afraid to go through with another painful surgery and not have it work, or only work for a short time. I have had a few things done but not the PRK or PTK. any suggestions for a drop for dry eyes that get erosions while closed and sleeping?
thanks and good luck to all,
Judy

Judy - almost forgot - you said you have dry eyes. Have you tried warming an eye ointment at night such as Muro 128 or Refresh PM and applying it in conjunction with adding artificial tears when awakening? If you are considering PTK or PRK, you may want to research it carefully as the laser can cut the nerve of the eye and it can take months for it to regenerate. This can lead to or increase the problems of tear formation thus making a dry eye condition worse. I'm not sure though if this is the case with PTK but definitely is a problem with PRK (Lasik).

Mike

just reading some the newer posts, I feel for you and hope things get better. Its been 4 months to the day from my last RCE. Prior to that I had the debrigement stromal puncture the 2 weeks prior. I believe dust and poor application of the Muro ointment caused it...Anyhow I wore a bcl for about 3 months after the last RCE. Since being off the BCL I lube up the eye each night with Muro ointment and daily with artifical tears-throw away type. Knock on wood, eye feels alot better since. Once in a while if the eye feels iritated I will use the bcl for sleep then remove it in the morning. I remember on past RCE dry eyes and allergy type symptoms with sinuses. Now, when I wake up I don't use any tears but rather open the eye slowly. All the ointment is on the interior eye, what a mess. Again, I question the doctor in it takes 6 months to properly heal then why remove the bcl? That bcl is a pain saver and due the dust I encounter it really saved me. :)

Regarding some posts that mention a foreign material in the eye during the day, that is likely a poorly healed scar from the RCE. A BCL will allow that to heal without the eye lid rubbing it all day. I remember this same feeling and getting a RCE during the day....ouch.

Chuck! I was wondering how it is going for you. Wow! 4 months, that’s great. I wish I could say the same. Had one last night, with lens in. It’s pretty much been one every few weeks up until now. I’ve had two these past couple weeks. I’m using Refresh religiously at night , but the erosions are when I try to open my eyes without thinking. I don’t think I’ve been so good about being hydrated so I’m working on that. Will see the Dr. in a few weeks.

Hello,

Thanks Gentealgel for your support, and thanks Mike for all the good tips. I am now being treated for the RCE and dry eyes by a homeopathic doctor, who is also an M.D. I have seen him for other things over the years and he has helped me greatly. He has been working on this condition but up till now I haven't stopped having the RCE's. However what he has been giving me recently seems to be improving the situation. I won't know for a couple of weeks though. One thing homeopathy has helped me with is the dry eyes. It isn't always enough but I have noticed some improvement so I am now using less drops. For 1 1/2 years I have used ointments and heavy drops (genteal severe, and others) every night. It started to make my eyelashes fall out, and is giving me some styes in my eyelids. All my life I never had styes or anything like that so I know it is the ointments. I have stopped using them. They never prevented the RCE's anyway, when my eye wanted to do it , it did no matter what I put in it at night. And I DO NOT have to open my eye to get them. I have trained my eye to stay closed and still when I wake, but in the middle of the night I get them and the pain wakes me up. Some think R.E.M. (rapid eye movement when dreaming) can cause an erosion while the lid is closed.

I also find that the more drops I use during the day the dryer my eyes are. It is a catch 22 situation. I don't drink alcohol at all because of this problem, no coffee, am tring to eat more almonds and walnuts, and all the health tips to improve the problem. I think all these things are good but most of us with a chronic condition do need more than the nutritional help. I am holding off on the PTK or PRK because it is a problem with dry eyes as well as a big step. I may have to go this route. I will let you all know what happens. I can tell you that modifying the eye drops (using less during the day), has helped my eyes become less dry. And maybe the homeopathy is starting to kick in.

All the best to all of you who suffer from this lifechanging situation. I hope with all my heart each and everyone of you find the help you need to effect a cure or atleast a modification so you can live with this more comfortably. I will keep you updated on the progress with the homeopathy.
Sincerely, Judy

Judy, your update is greatly appreciated. As terrible as the recurrent corneal erosion cycle is, it can be manageable, and, as you point out, we can take steps to make it better. Like you, my erosions hit two hours into sleep, during REM. I also have opted to try lifestyle choices and drops to manage my problem. I am on Restasis (prescription) for dry eye and Dwelle (non-prescription) to weigh down the cornea, as it contains a polymer that helps the epithelium to adhere to the basement membrane. Dwelle was invented by Dr. Holly, who worked on early studies (1985) with dextran (the key ingredient in Dyhdrex, which Mike has posted about). Dr. Holly is a remarkable researcher on the problem of dry eye, and he published a paper when he was at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center on osmotic agents in the treatment of corneal edema.

I, too, found that ointments bothered my eyelids and did not stop the erosions. (Some doctors also say that ointments keep drops that should be helping people with corneal edema from being properly absorbed.) My ophthalmologist took me off of Muro 128 5% ointment after two weeks, when my second erosion cycle started. Since then, I have been a faithful user of Genteal Gel, and it is great at night.

One interesting thing about the Dwelle drops is that now, after using them several times each day and genteal at night, my erosions are weeks in between rather than weekly, and they come four and a half hours after sleep rather than two. So, I am going to continue with this plan.

You are right about some drops being bad. I read the following about a common and bad preservative:

"Benzalkonium chloride is a chemical used as a preservative in many eyedrops, ranging from some over-the-counter eyedrops to many prescription eyedrops.

"Chronic dry eye patients are generally advised to avoid frequent use of any eye lubricant products preserved with benzalkonium chloride, because of the damage it can cause to the tear film and ocular surface.

"With respect to artificial tears, few remain on the market with BAK as the preservative because most doctors advise against its use and alternatives are readily available, including eyedrops with gentler preservatives and preservative-free unit-dose eyedrops."

Thanks, again, for sharing your experience. I really appreciate your keeping this thread updated about your progress and how you achieve successes! I hope that you continue to heal and eventually reach recovery!

I must be coming up on 13 months with BCL in. And I dont want to write this cos last time I wrote something I had an erosion. But its been over 4 months since my last even mild episode and about 10 months since I had a major episode. The first 6 months with BCL were an adjustment period. Better straight away but still a mild epsiode every fortnight or so, that settled after 4- 6 months. Now that Ive gone so long between epsiodes I think Optho is going to reccomend a week without BCL in October.

I highly recommend bcl therapy as something to try. Its better than having a sore swollen photophobic eye everyday.

Nat

Hi, I'm new. I just read the whole thread. This is an intro so a little long.

I originally cut my left cornea on a fast food napkin while dabbing at my eyes back in 2004. Then in 2005 I had my first erosion. That doctor recommended Genteal drops before bed so I did that for about a year with no issues.

I got another RCE last year which was horrible, had to wear a pressure patch and was in tremendous pain. I upgraded my drops to a thick Genteal once I finished the tobramycin that was prescribed.

I got another RCE about a month ago. Went to primary care and he also diagnosed me with blepharitis which I guess was aggravating this problem. He did kindly give me some pain pills to use when it got very bad. He sent me to my ophthalmologist next.

Ophthalmologist took me off the tobramycin and put me on Muro 128 at night and plain drops every 2 hours through the day. I also have to use warm compresses on my eyes twice a day for 15 minutes.

I hate the Muro as it burns for about half an hour every time I use it. I have been using it faithfully though. Now last week I thought I was doing a lot better so I skipped a day with the compresses. BAM! I have now had two days in a row this week of the pain waking me up again, am in pain now. Eye doesn't want to be open, tears flooding my face. Hurts so much.

The ophthalmologist seemed pretty sure this was going to be over the worst part in 2 weeks and said it would be all healed up in 6 months. I am so not believing it right now. He said the next step was that contact lens. BTW, the Ophthalmologist is also a surgeon.

I am afraid to go to sleep because that's when it seems to happen. I get about two hours into sleep and the pain wakes me up. :( I am so tried and frustrated and I just want this to go away. He didn't seem eager to do the BCL when he originally mentioned it, but I am tired of hurting.

I am trying to be proactive. I switched my sleeping spot to get away from the A/C draft. I do sleep with a fan on but it blows across my feet. I am NOT wearing makeup right now because of this. I am taking vitamins and am going to start taking Omega 3's via fish oil on top of my regular ones. I keep drops by my bed and I NEVER open my eyes without sloshing some drops on them first. Sometimes it takes a few rounds like that to get them open!

I would welcome any input.
KHH68

Just wanted to say welcome and sorry you’re having a tough time with your erosions. I can only sympathize. Mine have gradually become more frequent over the year. I have them with my lens in at night—but I would have them even more without it. I have to be careful not to move my eye under the lid when I’m putting in drops, it just seems to be getting touchier as time goes on. Over the last several weeks I haven’t slept well, the fear of having an erosion and waking up a half dozen times at night (putting in drops) doesn’t make for good rest. I started to feel fatigued and run down. Things have been good for about a week now, but I’m on medication for the next week that will dry me up and likely give me an erosion.

I’m going to the Dr. next Friday to discuss the laser option. He was clear when I first injured my eye that I could get repeat erosions and that the laser treatment proved to work very well for patients with this condition. I’m not looking forward to procedure, but I am looking forward to gaining some control over this. I’ll be posting and updating as I go through this.

Take Care,
Evie

Evie,

How did things go with your doctor? I hope that you can find relief!

Evie,

How did things go with your doctor? I hope that you can find relief!

It went as expected. I took my list of documented erosions, he was very sympathetic. I'll do the PTK with vision correction (I'll have to pay extra for the latter) on Oct 11th. It will take a whole 28 seconds of laser. He definitely wants me to be comfortable after the procedure as he doesn't want inflammation due to pain. He said it works 99% of the time and that in 15% of patients there is post operative pain. I told him I'm bringing pain pills so I can take one immediately after the surgery (I did'nt want to have to wait for the pharmacy to fill his prescription) and he thought that was a great idea. His personal experience is his patients respond very well to the treatment. I'll have it on a Thursday and take the two days off from work. I'm very optimistic and looking forward to improvement where both my erosions and sight are concerned! I'll probably post again a couple days after the procedure, the first couple days I plan to sleep a lot! Right now I'm more nervous about having to go 7 nights without a contact, this is so the cornea shape returns to its natural form before the treatment.

Evie

Evie,

It's really generous of you to post your experiences. I wish you the very best-- especially in the long term. I hope that you have many restful, full nights of sleep coming your way this fall.

I'll look forward to hearing how you are doing, and I'll keep you in my thoughts.

I'll do the PTK with vision correction (I'll have to pay extra for the latter) on Oct 11th. It will take a whole 28 seconds of laser.

Evie

Good luck. It will be over before you know it. Expect your vision to go through some pretty strange changes in the first 3-5 days. Don't let that alarm you - it'll straighten out.

ebmd

Evie I hope everything worked out ok. Its going on almost 6 months since no errosion. TG! I read a newer post about someone using the Tobredex drops. Funny because before my RCE started I was treating a stye problem in the eye and used these drops for about 6-8 months then the RCE started. I wrote to the company about this...Anyhow I feel for all of you been there done that...I can only attest that after 9+ months my doctor did a debridgement and puncture back in April, I went 2 weeks after then had a major RCE. He put me back on the BCL for about 2+ months then switch to Muro at night and drops throughout the day. So far so good! I think the BCL was the key to the eye healing properly. He said it takes a good 4-6 months for the eye to heal and bond the cornea properly with NO errosions inbetween. I still say the my problems started from the stye infection caused by the no rub contact solutions. Good Luck to all. I will keep reading this post from time to time. ;)

First, thanks Gentealgel and ebmd, it’s great having you guys for support!

Chuck, what timing! I had an erosion last night! I’m not wearing the nightly contact as the Dr. wants the cornea in it’s natural shape for the vision correction. It was the 4th night without a contact, so my record still stands of only getting through 5 nights without (a contact) erosion. I’m really happy for you that things have been going so well.

I’m very positive about the treatment. Heck, living with these erosions the past year makes this planned one sound like a piece of cake! What’s one more MAJOR erosion? At least I’ll have painkillers if I need them. I’m so looking forward to my vision being restored—the actual correction to my vision is just icing on the cake! I won’t have to wear a contact AND glasses to get by anymore! Even if I have/had to just wear a contact during the day I’d be happy!

I’ll be writing my experiences next week (1 week to go!)

Evie

I am so glad to have found this support group. Most people I know have never heard about RCE, let alone can imagine the pain of it.

I first developed RCE about 7 years ago or so. I have several contributing factors: glaucoma, map dot fingerprint dystrophy (I think the doc also calls it basement membrane dystrophy), dry eye syndrome, and a current infection causing added swelling.

I often get the torturous, severe erosions that feel like someone is stabbed me in the eye with a toothpick. I don't recall ever having gone more than three months without that kind of severe erosion. I also get the smaller erosions that just feel like I have a few grains of sand in my eye, but I can deal with that without whining.

In early September I went through a bad bout of attacks nightly for about ten days. Before that I had been using just the Muro 128 ointment at night and Systane artificial tears during the day. The doc suggested I add back the Muro 128 drops four times a day and if I wake up during the night to use the bathroom, to reapply the ointment to hold me over until I wake up in the morning. I continued with some minor erosions and a few stabbing pain erosions for about two weeks, then was free of attacks for about ten days. Then I had stabbing attacks four days in a row. One of those severe erosions got infected and I awoke on a Sunday morning in excruciating pain and couldn't even stand light in the house with the shades drawn and wearing sunglasses. For the first few days I could see only light, then I gradually began to see huge letters on the eye chart. My vision is just about returned to normal--just a line or so away on the chart and perhaps when the contact lens bandage is removed I'll be able to read as well as before the last erosion and infection.

My opthalmologist is wonderful. Because I have so many other eye problems, I elected not to go to an emergency room, but called her answering service at 10AM on Sunday, Sept. 9th and she told me to meet her at her office at noon. The erosion was bad, as was the infection.

She put on a contact lens bandage, which I'm still wearing, and prescribed Hydrocodone for the pain, which may have slightly taken the edge off the pain, but the pain remained severe for a few days.

I was putting in Zymar antibiotic every hour for the first five days, then every two hours for about two weeks, and currently four times a day.
I was at first prescribed Acular for the swelling but that didn't work, so now I'm on Lotemax corticosteroid. The infection isn't healing because of the swelling, and the swelling has so many contributing factors because of other chronic eye problems. The Lotemax is working. I'm now being weaned off the steroid at one drop per day. And as of yesterday it's still infected, but at least the infection is under control and not spreading.

My whole day is pre-occupied with medicating my eyes. It's really annoying, but beats the heck out of being blind or having more painful erosions. I'm on eight different meds--three for the infected eye and five in the "good eye."

My meds are currently:

Infected eye:
--Zymar antibiotic four times a day
--Muro 128 drops four times a day
--Refresh Plus Tears as needed-- as frequently as hourly.

"Good" eye:
--Muro 128 drops four times a day
--Restasis for dry eye syndrome twice a day
--Systane drops artificial tears as needed--but I seem to need them only three times a day or so.
--Xalatan for glaucoma at bedtime. (Contra-indicated right now in the infected eye.)
--Muro 128 ointment at bedtime and every time I awaken for a bathroom trip, which is about 2-3 times a night.

I'm going to ask the doc if she thinks Genteal Gel may be worth a try and talk to her about B vitamin supplements which someone suggested to me, and ask her about increasing my omega 3 fish oil supplement which I currently take to help lower my triglycerides.

If I continue having these severe, painful erosions I may ask the doc about PTK. She is also a surgeon, so I'd want her to do it.

Evie, wishing you much success with your PTK on October 11. :)

Oh, I've felt my stomach sink reading these posts. My husband has just been through a miserable, months-long healing process with a corneal erosion. I felt awful for him, as he described the pain as being like someone stabbing him in the eye.

He wore a contact bandage for some time, then used various ointments and drops for months, slowly decreasing the frequency of use. He also took Doxycyline all that time.

His far vision detiorated to the point where he could hardly see at all. We thought it was a result of damage from the corneal erosion, but his latest eye exam revealed a cataract on that eye and he just had cataract surgery with a RESTOR lens implant.

My 'stomach sinking' feeling comes from reading that this condition can recur. I'm just sick at even thinking about it, absolutely hate the idea of my husband having to ever go through all that again. We had no idea, thought it was a one-time thing, like a cut that heals. The doctor never said a word about the possibility of it happening again.

Does this chance of recurrence fall under "possible" or "likely"? And my understanding is that this happens because the erosion site is basically unstable, even after healing? I know these are questions for his doctor, and believe me I will be asking them, but I'd like to hear from those who have actually been through it.

Thank you, everyone.

Ember, my heart goes out to you and your husband. As painful as mine is, I'd rather have RCE myself than to see my husband going through it. I know my husband feels so helpless when I'm going through a bad spell.

Some people are lucky and get only the small erosions that just feel like a grain or more of sand is in their eye. And others, like your husband and I and many other members of this group get the excruciatingly painful stabbing attacks.

I understand that whether or how often the erosions recur depends on the underlying causes of the RCE of each individual and how well those causes can be kept under control. It's a very individual thing. For instance, my causes are glaucoma and basement membrane dystrophy (map dot fingerprint dystrophy) both of which cause swelling of the cornea and then as you know, the friction of rapid eye movement during dreaming can cause an an erosion. Occasionally my glaucoma meds quit working and have to be changed. When I get warning signs that I'm "due for" another erosion, such as a grainy feeling or excessive dryness, or "sticking" of the eyelid in the morning, I increase my sodium chloride dosages per day and increase the use of lubricants. Especially helpful to many is a lubricant ointment at night.

I recently started having a 1/2 to 1 second stinging sensations occasionally during the day. My doc said that's my eyes telling me they need more lubricant drops during the day and to drink more water.

There's a really good article about RCE at http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic113.htm

Some hope for your husband: I do know a lady who has RCE who hasn't had an erosion for the past five years. But she continues her preventive sodium chloride drops, lubricants, and drinks lots of water, avoids dry room conditions. Some people find that a sleep mask helps if they've been told they sleep with their eyes partially open. I haven't tried that yet.

Best wishes!

Well, here I am at 3:33AM, afraid to go to sleep because of the grainy feeling in the eye in which I still have an infected corneal abrasion, which started with my most recent stabbing pain RCE attack a freakin' month ago.

I can feel it even with my eyes closed. The only meds I'm allowed to use right now in the infected eye are the antibiotic four times a day, a corticosteroid once a day, and Refresh Plus Tears. I can use the Refresh Plus Tears as needed--as often as hourly. But it's not alleviating the grainy feeling.

I have an appointment this afternoon and the first question I'll ask will be about what else I can do at this hour of the morning if I've already used my steroid allotment for the evening.

I'm sooooooooo tired of this infection and not being able to sleep sometimes out of fear of an attack. My second question will be whether we can try a different antibiotic.

No reply necessary--I'm just venting.

I increase my sodium chloride dosages per day and increase the use of lubricants. Especially helpful to many is a lubricant ointment at night.

I recently started having a 1/2 to 1 second stinging sensations occasionally during the day. My doc said that's my eyes telling me they need more lubricant drops during the day and to drink more water.



(long but informative - I have the syndrome but I have been erosion free for over 3 years now).

Hello - let me start by saying I don't agree with what your doctor says and I hope he said more than that. To say - "your eyes telling you they need more lubricant..." doesn't really say anything. Okay, the real reason why you are feeling that "stinging sensation" during the day is because your epithelium is "thinned out." In other words, we all think we get erosions when we feel great pain in the morning which is true and that is our signal. But, what about when we wake up and there is no pain at all (did we have an erosion)? We may have had such a very very minor one that there was no pain at all but the epithelium may have slightly eroded when we awakened and started blinking our eyes in the morning. As days pass, the epithelium continues to thin until one day there is excessive dryness and wham - an erosion we really feel.

I have not had an erosion in over 3 years due to two major things I do. First, NEVER sleep on your back or roll onto your back while sleeping. You have to really commit to this. Second, when awakening in the morning keep your eyes closed, still and as relaxed as possible, roll onto your back and while looking at the ceiling (eyes closed) apply artificial tears with the tip of the bottle gently touching the sclera of the eye by the tip of your nose, generously squeeze the drops in your eye and keep the eyes closed and relaxed for another 15 seconds and then gently open your eyes. This must be done every morning and assume there is no way to know if your eyes are going to stick or not since you don't want to move your eyelid until you have applied the drops.

Last - if you do feel that "sticky/painful" sensation during the day it's a good idea to apply an eye ointment. Personally I prefer Muro 128 but some don't like it and prefer Refresh PM ointment or some other ointment. It may also help to apply the ointment at night as well. ALWAYS warm the ointment before applying it so that it is almost more like a liquidy gel than a solid when applying it to the eye. You can either warm the tube under warm water or just put it against your body for 1-2 minutes (such as under your armpit or rub your hands briskly and put it between your hands).

I still maintain that it is not possible to get an erosion when awakening if you keep your eyes relaxed and still and apply artificial tears. It takes practice to master but if you are committed it can be done.

Last - if you do get an erosion - DO NOT blink your eyes. First, relax (as best you can). Second, lie straight on your back (exactly what you would not do when sleeping). Next, while lying on your back, keep your eyes closed and try to relax them without squeezing them shut or opening them. Be sure to generously apply artificial tears as soon as possible and you may want to apply them several times to try and avoid pain. But, most important is to keep your eyes closed for 15 minutes and just RELAX. The reasons for this are obvious - if you get an erosion you want to keep it as MINOR as possible. If you blink and panic, your potential minor erosion will become a major erosions. What has happened, is your eyelid has pulled some cells off the epithelium (like a gouge) and your eyes are dry. Every time you blink, you will be disturbing and sloughing off more epithelial cells leading to a more major erosion. It's like pulling a bandaid off a sore and then rubbing the sore with your hands so do not blink but just keep your eyes closed. 15 minutes is good because it allows some time for the surrounding epithelial cells to "fill in the gap" which is exactly what is really going on. The epithelium will be thinner but you will have lost fewer epithelial cells. Imagine a milk shake that completely fills a glass to the top and you scoop out the center with a thimble or small spoon. Now, the surrounding areas will eventually "fill in the gap" However, if you start wiping your hand across the glass back and forth (to simulate blinking) after removing the center with a thimble then even more will be lost and eventually the surface will become smooth again but there will be a lot less milkshake and it could be months before it gets to the top again (considering the milkshake as an analogy for epithelial cells).

That's really how it works - the surrounding cells fill in the gap. Many of us sleep with our eyes slightly open and do not even know it. This seriously drys out the eyes which again validates that we need to keep our eyes as still as possible and add drops in the morning and stay off our backs when asleep. Sleeping with our eyes ever so slightly open also explains why 95% of all erosions are in the 6 oclock position on the cornea.

I hope this advice helps some out there. If not, we still have PTK and Dehydrex Trial drops (Dehydrex may be good solution without surgery).

Always the best,
Mike

The only meds I'm allowed to use right now in the infected eye are the antibiotic four times a day, a corticosteroid once a day, and Refresh Plus Tears.

I think you said you have glaucoma. Regardless of which eye if you have a family history of this (since it is often inherited) I would be very cautious of steroids since they will increase eye pressure. Most docs don't like to prescribe them for more than two weeks; in fact most don't like to prescribe them at all and are very cautious so I can't even imagine how much caution one should use when glaucoma is another component. You can always get a second opinion or scour the internet regarding glaucoma and steroids. I just did a quick scour on the net and read that corticosteroids when used to treat eye inflammations or problems can trigger glaucoma in some people who don't even have glaucoma (like it sets it off or something). It's no wonder that most doctors are very cautious.

Last - I had the puff test done recently (yea - even with RCES I felt confident that I would be okay so long as I follow what I've learned about adding drops before opening my eyes). My pressure was 9 (both eyes). When I asked him how it could be so low (as it was last time also) he asked if I exercised and I said all the time. As it turns out, exercise doesn't only lower blood pressure but lowers eye pressure as well.

Best to you,
Mike

This message is for Evie. Evie, I know that you said that you said that you were planning on surgery today to treat your rce's. I hope that all goes well and that you find long-term relief!

Dear Mike,

I am new in this board. I have been readig your posts and I am quite impress and happy because I have learnt a lot from you. A year and a half ago my baby daughter scratched my cornea (fingernail) and the initial corneal abrasion became RCE attacks, unfortunately. I nver knew about this condition until that incident happened. What I write here is nothing new for no one. We are all in the same boat. Except for the fact that each one reacts in a different way. After suffering a year plus (muro ointment at night and muro drops during the day) I decided to let doctor make a debridement. I stayed with the BCL for 4 weeks. On e week after I took it off I had an erosion where I could not open my eyes for one hour (that day I took a nap in the middle of the day and woke up with the pain). Since that day I have been trying to follow your advice (not to sleep on my back, not to roll on my back and put the tears right away in the morning before opening my eye. So far, I have no gotten one erosion. Since the debridement I stopped the muor and I am applying Genteal gel at nighth and genteal drops (preservative free) during the day. Some days I don't feel nothing during the day and other days I have the grainy or sandy ffeling the whole day. When this will be over???

Regards

Some days I don't feel nothing during the day and other days I have the grainy or sandy ffeling the whole day. When this will be over???
Regards

Freida - I'm glad to hear that you have basically had no erosions since mastering this technique. I think what happens is those like myself who master it and find it really works get so comfortable with it and it becomes almost second nature that we sometimes get a little too lazy and once in a while sleep on our backs with our head tilted to one side or we sometimes don't apply the drops each morning even though we should. When that happens if our epithelium thins a little you might get that "grainy feeling." I find that I'm more likely to get that slight grainy feeling if I get less than 3 hours of sleep (I have not figured out why this is as of yet but I have a good solution that works well for me when this occurs).

What I have found that REALLY works when you have that grainy feeling in the morning after applying drops is to get up and warm ointment (such as Muro or Refresh PM or another ointment) and then apply it and just lay on your back for about 10 minutes with your eyes closed and relaxed (but don't fall back asleep and be sure to warm the ointment). Ointment lasts about 4 hours so it should take care of the "grainy" feeling and keep the eyelid from sloughing off too many cells as you blink during the day. If it starts to happen "too often" then consider using a little ointment at night (be sure to always warm it before applying it).

As far as when it will be over? Well, we know that PTK has about a 90% success rate the first time and 99% when done twice. Dehydrex drops look promising. A very small study of doxycycline and a steroid looked promising also and may work wonders for some but I've yet to try it and have little time right now in my life since I have my RCES under my full control. But, as you know RCES is a "syndrome" so like diabetes, asthma or other things, for some it's more of something we manage. For me, I've been doing so well with it I'm just not ready yet at this time in my life for PTK. I'm extremely conservative and with these simple techniques I've discovered it's very manageable. If you do at some point go for the PTK just remember to clear it with the insurance that it's PTK and not PRK (which PRK being Lasik is not covered as PTK might be depending on your insurance plan).

Glad to hear things are much better over the last 18 months for you.

Mike

Getting creative here - I should mention a few months back I took a cruise and I can't remember how but I did not have my artificial tears with me the first night but it was easy to get some the next day. Also, they did not have any shops open on the cruise line that evening. So, I tested something out that evening before going to bed. I tried putting a little water in a glass. Then while laying on my back I took my finger and stuck it in the water and then let some drops fall from my finger at the corner of my nose between my eye. Then I gently rubbed the outside corner of my eye by my nose to try and gently work the water drops in my eye. I tested all of this while I was awake to see if I could do the same thing the following morning. I figured anything like this would be better than nothing at all. Well, it seemed to have worked but I don't think my eyes were that dry the following morning anyways but I thought I would throw that to the forum as a tip should you ever find yourself without artificial tears. One could say the water might not be clean and stuff but personally I would risk that over an erosion any day of the week.

Mike

For all of you!!
Try GOGI juice, pure Himalayn Gogi juice does WONDERS for the eyes.. not a cheap brand you get at the grocery store... Pick it up from Costco or from a distributor on the internet.. GREAT healer and stimulates cellular growth and replacement, and will assist wellness in other areas of your life as well. If it did not work or have any healing properties, it would not be sold . Another great product is VIBE from ENiva, look it up on a search engine.. vision testamonials... and you will see how it has enhanced other people's vision and eye health. Both of these products are jammed packed with antioxidants in amounts hard to get in our diets. Cleanses body systems, boosts the effectiveness of the immune system and cellular replication , body functions. Pick up some preventative measures for cancers at the same time by drinking this daily. Only have to take 1 to 2 capfuls /day for health benefits .

I use to sleep in my extended wear contacts and wake up with gooing lenses and eyes, unless I take these products.. with the Gogi juice i actually felt something going on with my eyes the first few days , then my vision seemed sharper. Great for cellular replication...which would be most helpful for healing and tissue repair.

If you do at some point go for the PTK just remember to clear it with the insurance that it's PTK and not PRK (which PRK being Lasik is not covered as PTK might be depending on your insurance plan).

Glad to hear things are much better over the last 18 months for you.

Mike[/QUOTE]

Dear Mike,

Thank you for the update. After the debridement my doctor mention that if it does not get better he would not do any other procedure (stromal puncture. or a second debridement). He told me he would go straight to PTK. The only comment he made is that if he does the PTK I will be more nearsighted. I personally did not understand since I thought PTK does not alter the vision. But on the other hand it does affect the curvature of the cornea so it does or not affect? My vision in my affected eye is almost perfect. I have a very low number of myopia. (nearsightedness) Sorry from my english mistakes since I am not American. Anyways, he did say that my vision will be affected.

Waiting for your reply

Have a good weekend

The only comment he made is that if he does the PTK I will be more nearsighted. I personally did not understand since I thought PTK does not alter the vision.
Have a good weekend

PTK should only improve vision. It does not do correction but its the polishing of the cornea that may get you one or two lines better on the vision chart. However, it's also the same machine that is capable of doing correction and I think another member is doing both. But, you have to be very careful should you choose do do Lasik in addition to PTK because I believe either one or two nerves are cut (and take about 6 months to heal back again). These nerves are responsible for tear production (thus the reason why some complain about dry eyes after Lasik for a while). The drying can lead to discomfort and a possible RCES (which also explains why some who get Lasik get RCES afterwards). I would carefully research this. Obviously if you have learned to apply drops before moving your eyelids upon awakening, you have a huge advantage over others.

Personally, if my doc said PTK causes myopia to worsen I would get a second opinion. You want someone who has done a lot of these and knows how to use the laser, etc. The newer machines make only one cut (I think) rather than two which really helps in not having the dry eye problem (which otherwise takes around 6 months to heal over).

Mike

The only comment he made is that if he does the PTK I will be more nearsighted.

No, you shouldn't be more nearsighted. The fact that he says this means that you should get a 2nd opinion, as was already suggested. I had PTK and kept the same glasses. None of these procedures make vision worse. PRK corrects vision using techniques similar to PTK. Lasik is a completely different technique altogether, and anyone with RCE's should avoid Lasik entirely.

ebmd.

Fried, I too had the puncture proceedure done only to last 3 weeks until the next errossion. However since that errossion 6+ months ago I have not had one. TG! I used a BCL contact lense for about 2-3 months then switched to preservitive free drops during the day and muro ointment before bed. That formula has worked for me so far. I still say the bcl was difference....I requested it to stay in longer and got spares to keep due the dust at work....
Anyhow, I wish you well and things will get better 4 u. Remember that you must go at least 3 months or so for the eye to heal properly. :)

Hi everybody, I'm back from my PTK/PRK. I survived it! Healing is going fast, doctor is amazed...today the bandage lens will come off. I don't want to bump this thread so with my story so I'll post a new post in the coming days about my experience. I will say that I turned out to be in the minority of people who have pain with the treatment and yes, it hurt like heck! But I stuck it out and on my way to full recovery (and better vision)!

Evie

Hi everybody, I'm back from my PTK/PRK. I survived it! Healing is going fast, doctor is amazed...today the bandage lens will come off. I don't want to bump this thread so with my story so I'll post a new post in the coming days about my experience. I will say that I turned out to be in the minority of people who have pain with the treatment and yes, it hurt like heck! But I stuck it out and on my way to full recovery (and better vision)!

Evie

Great news, Evie. I've been thinking about you and am so heartened to hear that things are going well for you. I hope that you experience continued success.

I'm off to read your long post. Thanks for being so generous as to share your experience.

My heart goes out to each and every one of you suffering. It is nice to see such a strong support group.

I’ve tried several times to post, but emotionally it’s been very hard. Reading posts about being afraid to fall asleep and having erosions return after surgery is difficult to handle. Like all of you, I’ve suffered so much and the pain is incredible.

I travel globally about 70% of the time and am afraid to wake up in a place far from my doctor and have significant erosions. It’s happened once already. I woke up in the middle of the night and it started. Within a couple hours both eyes were nearly swollen shut and the sharp, stabbing pain was intense. I took the first flight out, but it was hours of suffering.

The problem started about two years ago in one eye, but became progressively worse. I have almost daily erosions in both eyes now. Short of surgery, I’ve tried everything. My PTK is pending.

The only treatment that has helped significantly is the protective lens. I've had one in my left eye for 208 days now (changing every 30 days) While it fails to prevent my erosions, it cuts the pain in half, while reducing the recovery time. I always keep 2-3 lenses with me at all times.

Keep your head high.

I travel globally about 70% of the time and am afraid to wake up in a place far from my doctor and have significant erosions.

[other stuff snipped]

My PTK is pending.



I'm with you on the traveling. I was once in Austria for a meeting, and everywhere we went people were smoking. I had one of the worst erosions ever while there and should have just come home - hardly slept the whole week.

Glad you are getting the PTK done. If you are getting erosions daily, forget any other cure and just get your life back. My erosions were resistant to everything else, and PTK was the best thing I ever did.

Good luck,
ebmd.

CSG, ebmd, I totally understand the anxiety of traveling with this condition. I too worried tremendously about being away from home for weeks, months at a time overseas. I found myself (in Spain) doing as much as I could during siesta or right before just to avoid the smokers. I feared having an erosion making my connections at the airports. It is amazing how much this affects one’s life.

CSG, one thing I found with wearing the lens is that I had to change it every 2 weeks. After that, it started to feel dry and I seemed to get more erosions. I basically wore the lens for 15 months and had an erosion on average every 3 weeks. Please do post on your PTK experience and recovery. So far everything is going great since my PTK/PRK 4 weeks ago.. Had my check up a couple days ago and everything looks great. I couldn’t wait to get it done and I’m so glad I did it, I just can’t imagine living with RCE the rest of my life.

Dear Evie,

Just one question: when you had the lens in, did you use to put a lot of drops during the day? Right now I have a lens in the eye and besides puting muro drops four times a day I put genteal drops a few times a day to lubricate the eye, especially when I start feeling a little unconfortable with it. My doc also wants to try the lens before going for PTK. Looks like this procedure was followed by your doctor as well, is that right? Also, my lens stays in the eye and only the doc is supposed to change. Before this problem I never had to wear lenses and I am not used to it at all and do not know how to change it. Yes, my doc said I should change go to the office and change it every two to three weeks otherwise gets unconfortable.

So far I did not get an erosion with the lens in, let's see what happens after 3 weeks...

REGARDS!

Freidi,
I did use Refresh drops regularly, with the lens in any time in during the day my eyes would feel dry or uncomfortable and always at night and upon waking. I was able to change my lenses because I've been a contact lens wearer for many many years. This was only after the initial treatment. I was advised to wear the lens if I felt an erosion might be imminent. I'm sure this advice was due to my ablility and history of successfully wearing contacts. BUT, I was told to come in when I had erosion. I already knew enough about this condition from a sibling (and my Dr.) that I might experience RCE so I wasn't surprised when it actually happened. I gave it over a year, but there was no way around it for me unfortunately. I could do good with lens for 2 or 3 weeks and then I'd try without and last a few days before an erosion.

BUT, I was told to come in when I had erosion. I already knew enough about this condition from a sibling (and my Dr.) that I might experience RCE so I wasn't surprised when it actually happened. I gave it over a year, but there was no way around it for me unfortunately. I could do good with lens for 2 or 3 weeks and then I'd try without and last a few days before an erosion.[/QUOTE]

Evie,

Thank you for your answer. You know that sometimes is hard to reach the doctor in the middle of an erosion. By the time you get to the office the erosion is closed already. At least, my erosions happen usually in the morning and so far I was able to be seen in the middle of a "crisis". For me has been very hard since I have two small children which depend totally upon me. I have an emergency baby-sitter available in the morning in case I have to run to the doctor... It is a little crazy to live like that, but I have no choice. However the lens did prevent erosions so far... and in the morning I also feel unconfortable and I put lots of drops before I even open my eye so to avoid a possible erosion even with the lens in. By the way, does anyone in this board heard about a new type of lens that is coming out made out of the amniotic sac?

Regards

dear friends,
I am new to this forum.I injured my cornea with my own finger nail 4 years ago.It healed without any problems in less than 48 hours as I was told by the ophthalmologist.I thought that was the end of it.Problems started one week later.I don't have to describe.You know all about it.Recurrent corneal erosions continued at varying intervals.I started using refresh liquigel at night and after waking up every time.I was free of symptoms for about one and a half years and i thought i was healed completely and stopped using the drops.Again it was ok for few more months. but i had 2 episodes recently when i had to sleep at an unfamiliar place.
I have found that to prevent erosions,some tricks are really more helpful.1.After putting the drops in the eye,I have learned to keep my eye tightly closed(not too tightly though) and keep it like that till I fall asleep.
2.On waking up ,do not open the eyes. Immediately start washing the eye with water gently.Repeatedly apply water to the eyes.After sometime we find the eye opening easily.After that it is ok.If i go back to sleep I put the drops again. I hope it helps someone.Prayers for all of you. Bye.

I have found that to prevent erosions,some tricks are really more helpful.1.After putting the drops in the eye,I have learned to keep my eye tightly closed(not too tightly though) and keep it like that till I fall asleep.
2.On waking up ,do not open the eyes. Immediately start washing the eye with water gently.Repeatedly apply water to the eyes.After sometime we find the eye opening easily.After that it is ok.If i go back to sleep I put the drops again. I hope it helps someone.Prayers for all of you. Bye.

Hello - actually we all have many tricks that work. I do something similar to you but a little more intense. Many sleep with their eyes slightly open so if you can position your pillow to help keep your eyes closed at night than that helps so as to avoid eyes drying too much upon awakening. When awakening, I apply artificial tears directly in my eyes by my nose while laying on my back. I have avoided erosions for about 3.5 years by doing this. Upon awakening, one should relax the eyes and try not to make them move either way (tighter closed or looser - just keep the eyelid as still and relaxed as possible and then liberally apply artificial tears and I find my eyes open without any problems at all). One may consider Muro 128 or an ointment at night which lasts longer than artificial tears. But, I would also say never sleep on your back and try and keep your eyes closed as much as possible at night. I think one can be very successful by doing that but for those who may not have the discipline for that or whose RCES is so bad that the cell just are not adhering at all then PTK and other medical options are available.

PTK (surgery) is about the best "cure" that there is out there (99% effective the second time around). Outside of drastic measures such as a cornea transplant, that is about the best alternative for many who have exhausted everything else. Other medical options include cortisteroids with doxycycline and there is also Dehydrex drops. Muro 128 is usually the first course of action which is an ointment to help remove excess moisture to get the cells to adhere better. Always research before doing more drastic measures as I know for me I would never do ASP and some other recommended surgeries.

Mike

I am also new to the forum...have been clear of erosions now for almost 4 months after several months of hell. Here's my brief story... I somehow injured my eye while sleeping in April and a spent several months with worsening eye erosions. Tried artificial tears of varying degrees, Muro drops and ointment, room humidifier, etc. all with little or no effect...or so I thought...every few days I would wake up with another erosion and my focus would be shot for a day or two until it healed, only to happen again a few days later....I figured the Muro was not working, so I decided to stop using the ointment at night and the next morning awoke with an extremely painful tear on my cornea that sent me to the ER. What I learned is that the mix of things I was doing was somewhat helpful for me...Muro drops during the day, ointment at night and cool mist room humidifier next to the bed. I also had a small plug put into one of my tear ducts, because the damaged eye was dry. This was a simple painless procedure (took about 10 seconds and plugs come out just as quickly) and helped to lubricate the eye.

However, I suffered a severe erosion again, while I was out of town again a few weeks later, after I went most of the day without using my Muro drops....I went to the ER and the eye doctor put in a bandage contact lens. When I got home and saw my eye doctor, I told him I was planning to go on a family vacation to Las Vegas (DRY Climate) and Hawaii the following week...the bandage contact lens felt pretty good and I asked if I could keep it in, as I began to think that it protected my eye while I slept. He gave me a combination of Acular drops to treat pain and inflamation and an antibiotic drop, and told me that I could leave the lens in until I returned from vacation. He also said to use the Muro drops religiously. I have never worn contact lenses, but I found that after a day or two, I didn't feel the bandage lens at all and my eye came into focus with it, so it felt as if it was not there.

I had no problem for the 10 days I was away and I kept the lens in for total of 14 days with NO erosions. This was a major change of events for me, as I had been having them every couple of days. At that point, I wanted to keep the bandage lens in forever. When I returned from my vacation, my eye doctor removed the lens and the next morning I had a very slight erosion, however, I continued to use the Muro drops 3-4 times a day and ointment every night. I have been erosion free now for 4 months. I am convinced that the use of the lens for two weeks game my epithelium the jump start it needed to adhere to the eye. I also met with an eye specialist who suffered from recurring erosion himself a few years ago. He said one of the problems was that my expectations were not set up correctly. He said that it could take 6 to 9 months for the eye to heal correctly and he told me to continue the Muro routine (3-4 drops per day/ ointment at night) for at least six months. I have about two months left before I can begin tapering off the Muro.... Also, I still have the plug in the tear duct of the affected eye. My non-affected eye is often drier and I am considering placing a plug in that eye's tear duct...you cant see these plugs, unless you look very closely for them, but they are a pretty simple, cheap way to treat dry eye, without resorting to systemic drugs. I still also use artificial tears when I feel extra dry.

I wish you luck in treating your erosions...I know at times it seems like your helpless, but there are things that seem to work.... I was ready to undergo the lasik procedure, but the bandage lens and Muro routine did the trick for me...


dear friends,
I am new to this forum.I injured my cornea with my own finger nail 4 years ago.It healed without any problems in less than 48 hours as I was told by the ophthalmologist.I thought that was the end of it.Problems started one week later.I don't have to describe.You know all about it.Recurrent corneal erosions continued at varying intervals.I started using refresh liquigel at night and after waking up every time.I was free of symptoms for about one and a half years and i thought i was healed completely and stopped using the drops.Again it was ok for few more months. but i had 2 episodes recently when i had to sleep at an unfamiliar place.
I have found that to prevent erosions,some tricks are really more helpful.1.After putting the drops in the eye,I have learned to keep my eye tightly closed(not too tightly though) and keep it like that till I fall asleep.
2.On waking up ,do not open the eyes. Immediately start washing the eye with water gently.Repeatedly apply water to the eyes.After sometime we find the eye opening easily.After that it is ok.If i go back to sleep I put the drops again. I hope it helps someone.Prayers for all of you. Bye.

I have the contact lens in for 4 weeks and I just wanted to ask a question: while you had the lens in did you put muro drops during the day?

I had RCE since August of 2006. After months of treatment with bcl, debridgement puncture etc I went without an RCE for 7 months then last week I had a minor errossion. I was told it takes a good 4-6 months to heal without an errossion to heal properly and everytime you get an another errossion its another 6 months? I read some posts that RCE can come back a year or more afterwards? One more thing just by word of mouth it seems the RCE problem is quickly becoming very common now. Is there any new mediciations or treatements available besides RTK and Muro treatement? Also, after i had the minor RCE i put in my daily contacts and used them for BCL for 2 days then went back to Muro at night. Could you use regular daily disposables for a BCL?

I have the contact lens in for 4 weeks and I just wanted to ask a question: while you had the lens in did you put muro drops during the day?

I was told not to use Muro with contacts only preservative free drops like the disposable tubes. I hope this helps you. :D

Hi Chuck,

Tks a lot for your feedback. I noticed the the muro was dehidrating the lens and