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 Red bloodshot eyes, no relief
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tamstrat Newbie  Posts: 2 |
posted 04-03-2003 06:29 PM
  
I hope someone can give me some advice. For approximately 2 years I have suffered with extremely red, bloodshot eyes. I have worn contacts for over 25 years but have never had a problem before. I have changed eye makeup, contact lens wetting solution, cleansers, etc to no avail. I saw my eye doctor about 6 months ago and he told me I have dry eye syndrome. He told me to limit my contact lens use, use artificial tears and he put plugs in my tearducts. Nothing has helped. I had expensive allergy testing to see if I had allergic conjunctivitis and have no allergies whatsoever. I am at my wits end. My left eye is worse than my right, but both are red. I do live in Denver, Colorado which is has a high altitude and very dry. I have tried several different prescription eye drops and artificial tears. I'm so self conscious of how red my eyes are that I avert looking at people directly in the eyes anymore. My eyes used to be my best feature and now I'm so discouraged. Please help!!!! IP: Logged |
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KayKay Member Posts: 61 |
posted 04-03-2003 09:59 PM
I wish I could tell you something that would help and make it all go away. I have been dealing with dry eyes going on 5 years now. Mine started out mild around 10 years ago. I worked in retail and at one time my boss ask me if I was taking drugs because my eyes was staying so red. (Note I do not take drugs). My problem right now is no insurance so trying to deal with this on my own. I have allergies and feel that is part of my problem. I do want to let you know that other medical things can cause dry eyes. One of which is Thyroid. If you have any other problems read the thyroid board to see if that might be the link to your dry eyes. Wish I could be of more help. I understand what your doing thru and wish you good luck on finding out how to solve the problem Kay IP: Logged |
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purple2067 Senior Veteran  Posts: 1234 |
posted 04-03-2003 11:47 PM
I know how you feel. My eyes are not usually red, but they are very very dry and itchy and irritated. This usually goes on 24/7. No matter what I do, I don't get relief. However, I do find that steroid drops help me immensely. I use FML 0.25% preservative free, as well as dexamethasone ointment. My dr has to frequently monitor my eye pressure though. I do know that steroids can help get rid of redness and reduce inflammation. If you haven't tried one yet, it might be something worth looking into. Also, just because you did not test positive for allergies, that does not mean that you are not having some sort of reaction to something in the environment. An allergy drop might just help cut down on the inflammation and thus get rid of the redness. IP: Logged |
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breite07 Member Posts: 25 |
posted 04-04-2003 11:09 AM
Also....RESTASIS will be available starting the week of April 7th. This drug is also an anti-inflammatory and may help treat the underlying condition causing your eyes to be red (at least that is what I am hoping for). Unliked steriods, it can be used for an extended period of time. IP: Logged |
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breite07 Member Posts: 25 |
posted 04-04-2003 11:30 AM
Can anyone reccommend an allergy drop (prescription or otherwise) that helps reduce the redness? I have used redness relievers (vasoconstictors - like Naphcon A). My eyes look great for a couple hours. BUT once it wears off - the redness comes back with a vengance and is usually worse than before I put the drops in. IP: Logged |
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purple2067 Senior Veteran Posts: 1234 |
posted 04-04-2003 04:22 PM
quote:
I would NEVER recommend using anything that claims to "get the red out" because you are right, it only works for a short while and all it does is mask the problem. It doesn't help with the underlying cause. Do you really think Restasis will help people who have redness? I think that if the redness is associated with dry eyes, then yes it will help. But if the redness is not from dry eyes, then I don't think Restasis would work. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it mainly for dry eyes? Does it say anything on the product information about it treating redness? IP: Logged |
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breite07 Member Posts: 25 |
posted 04-04-2003 05:40 PM
yes Puruple - I meant red eyes associated with dry eye. It's amazing your eyes are not red given all of your issues. My eyes don't itch, dont have any muscous discharge but are dry none the less... I used FLM at .1% and it did nothing. Right now, I am using VIVA drops - contains no preservative - has antioxidants. So far, so good. IP: Logged |
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purple2067 Senior Veteran Posts: 1234 |
posted 04-06-2003 12:00 AM
I think that the reason that my eyes are not that red (although they do get red at times) is because I am using the steroid drops. They seem to get rid of the redness but not the itching and irritation. I asked my dr about this a while ago and the way that he explained it is that the anti-inflammatory mechanism in the drops is working well enough to keep the redness down, but the same mechanism is not working on the itching. I also used FML 0.1% and it did help a tiny bit. It occasionally gave me a few minutes of relief. But the thing is, it has preservatives in it that were irritating my eyes. So, my dr found out about a compunding pharmacy in California that specializes in making sterile ophthalmic formulations, and they can make them with or without preservatives. So, we started getting the FML 0.1% preservative free, as well as many of my other eye medications including my dexamethasone ointment from them. The only bad thing about preservative free drops is that they have to be kept cold after opening, or they will go bad. So, they ship it to me by Fed-Ex overnight, and I put it right in the fridge. When I take them out of the house I have to carry a "mini lunch pack" cooler with me (it's small enough to fit in my purse). Well, I had been using the 0.1% drops and they only helped a little bit. Then my dr found out that they also make FML pf drops in 0.25% strength. He decided to order that for me, and it has helped a lot. I still do not feel GOOD, but it has cut down on the inflammation of my tear glands andthus reduced my need for artificial tears to about 7-10 times a day instead of 10 or 15 times a day. Yes, I still have a few really bad days per week where no matter what I do, I have to use tears every 10 minutes. But it is better. As long as my Intra-Ocular Presssure continues to stay within normal range, I can use the steroid drops. He checks it at least once every 2 weeks, if not more. So I'm not concerned. I also asked my dr about Restasis, and whether or not it can be used as an anti-inflammatory in general, and not just for people who have dry eyes. He said yes. It serves as an anti-inflammatory for the entire eye, not just the tear glands. I can't wait for it to come out. He says there is a possibility that I may be allergic to it (I was badly allergic to the last Cyclosporine drop that I used, but that may just be due to the formulation of it). So I have to try it, and I'll see him about a week after I start using it but if I have any sort of reaction, I have to call him right away. When I had an allergic reaction to the Cyclosporine the last time, my entire face from my upper eyelids to my cheekbones got beet red and was very sensitive to the touch. My eyes were hurting and burning so badly that I could hardly keep them open. My skin was so red that we thought I might have had Cellulitis in my face. But as soon as I stopped using the Cyclosporine this all went away. Some sort of reaction was expected, but he said that what I had was too severe for me to continue using it. So, it comes out sometime this coming week, and in the meantime my prescription is burning a hole in my pocket! If anybody is able to get it before me, please let me know how it is. I will do the same. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will work for all of us! Elyse [This message has been edited by purple2067 (edited 04-06-2003).] IP: Logged |
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breite07 Member Posts: 25 |
posted 04-06-2003 01:17 PM
I should be getting my Restasis subscription tomorrow (4/7) and hope to pick it up tomorrow as well. As soon as anyone is able to get it - please let us know where!!! IP: Logged |
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Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46
So, I will be keeping my fingers crossed and hoping and praying that Restasis works better for me, since it is a different formulation. He said that if we can get my eyes to tolerate it, he thinks it will make a big difference. I am praying. 
I am going to call my pharmacy monday morning and see when they will be getting it. I wanna get it filled already!