posted 05-01-2003 10:59 PM            

In January I tried to wear contacts for the first time in years. I had a feeling then that my eyes got red sometimes, but I made the mistake of not mentioning it at the appointment. I got fitted for contacts and everythign was fine for a couple weeks. Then my left eye got really red and I had a burning/stinking feeling in both eyes. I went to an optometrist who diagnosed with me with conjunctivitis in my left eye and gave me Tobradex. I went back a week later when it had done nothing for me and all he said to do was add artificial tears. If it wasn't better in a week I should see an opthamologist. He insisted my right eye was fine.

Well, the next day I called one and was fit in that day. He said that he agreed and had me on Tobradex, Ocuflox, and Pred Forte all at the same time, but that I also had developed a corneal ulcer in my right eye...all of a sudden. For two months I continued to see them being bounced between the opthamologist and the optometrist there who kept declaring everything looked like it had cleared up, despite the fact that I still knew my eye was pretty red at times and burned. The last time there they said that and I just said okay and left it alone.

The next day I was on the phone trying to find someone who could see me that day, because it was just unbearable that day. They were great and, I think, finally helped me and gave me a correct diagnosis of blepharitis after several visits. They spend 2 1/2 hours with my at my first appointment to get my whole history and examine my eyes. For the past three weeks I've been doing the warm compresses and lid scrubs, and artificial tears for much longer. There's been improvement, but it's not yet to my satisfaction. I also have a touch of GPC they said, but they didn't think it was enough to cause these problems.

Despite how much better I felt with them, I think I need to see an opthamologist for treatment. I liked them, but I'm going to take Elyse's advice and see a corneal specialist on Monday. I doubt there's much more they can do for me, but you never know. Besides, the other place didn't take my insurance...I was just desperate so I saw them anyway.

Okay, so I ended up telling the whole story...but I need to. Everyone tells me they don't notice any redness (it's not a bright red usually...just a pinkish overall color). While it's better than it was since I've done the warm compresses and everything, I understand most of what everyone has said in other posts here. I've had the doctors that said everything was fine when it clearly wasn't. I have the family and friends that tell me maybe it's all in my head. Not to mention that I work full-time currently and for about three months I was barely able to do my job since I work on a computer all day.

So I have blepharitis apparently. My left eye always has some redness ranging from very slight to completely red, particularly in the morning. They burn when I look at the computer and sting when I'm walking down a hallway. Clearly they're dry, because I do have some glands clogged I was told. At this point though, the burning is totally manageable...for now. It's more the redness that still bothers me.

This whole thing is starting to get to me more and more and put me under a lot of stress. I'm only 21! I'd never want any of this, but if I had to, I wish it'd happen a lot later in life. Elyse..you have it much worse than I do, and we're about the same age. How do you manage?

Anyway, sorry for making that so long, but I had to vent since my frustration has been building day after day. I'll be participating here more in the future, because I need some sort of contact with people who understand.

Thanks for reading!

Chris

posted 05-02-2003 01:32 PM            

Boy, can I relate! Your story sounds similar to mine. I'm not sure if you've read my whines but they all have "blepharitis" in the title. I know exactly how you feel. I'm glad you've at least got the burning under control. I haven't been able to do that and it's so distressing to live every day in agony. And people (except for us here) just don't understand. I've been told everything from "Just don't think about it!" to "Trust your body to heal itself." Uh, yeah, thanks for the advice.

Has anyone mentioned the oral antibiotic doxycycline to you? I can't take it because I'm allergic (figures) but it's the one antibiotic that actually works on the malfunctioning oil glands. You might also want to see a specialist... that would be someone who is an external disease specialist in ophthalmology. I saw one a couple of weeks ago who was unable to help me, so I'm seeing a different one next week. Don't give up! I think a lot of doctors don't listen and are willing to dismiss you very easily, so it is important to find just the right one.

My eye problems started when I was taking Zithromax antibiotic for acne. Every doctor has dismissed any connection, but I swear my eyelids hurt whenever I took a dose. I was talking to a friend yesterday and I had completely forgotten her husband is a pharmaceutical representative for Zithromax. She is going to ask him if he has any info supporting a connection between the antibiotic and eye problems. My friend is a cytopathologist, and she feels certain that such a thing could indeed happen, since Zithromax is a tissue-based drug and is designed to be stored in one's tissues. I'm kind of excited and hopeful that there is some concrete data I could show the specialist at my next appointment. If it is true, I just hope I didn't do any permanent damage by using Tobradex ointment for five weeks at my doctor's insistence. Tobradex contains tobramycin, which is the same family as Zithromax. I wish now that I had insisted on something else, but I figured, well, he's the one who went to med school....

Anyway, my point in bringing that up is to see if you had any possible triggering factor that you can think of too.

Other than that, know that I completely understand. I know you're only 21, but believe me, it's no better to have this at 42 But, you're right, 21 should be a carefree age! At times I don't deal with this very well, and this board has been a tremendous help. I can't whine to my family and friends 24/7. They don't really understand anyway. Hopefully, coming here will make you feel better too.

posted 05-02-2003 02:23 PM            

I have heard of doxycycline. In fact, I was on it a couple years ago for acne. I stopped taking it because it didn't do much of anything for me. I have been on minocycline again though since January, which I've read can have the same effect as doxycycline. I had been taking it for about two weeks before these eye problems got out of hand. So it doesn't seem to be doing much good for my eye problems.

The only real trigger I can think of is that perhaps I've had this awhile and I just didn't notice. When I got contacts in January, it aggravated the condition and made it what it is now. And to think just prior to this I was contemplating LASIK. That wouldn't have been good.

posted 05-02-2003 10:59 PM            

Somehow it has just become part of my life. That is definitely not a good thing, but I think that I am able to manage it so well because I am no longer surprised by it. I don't like it one bit, but rather than trying to live my life around the discomfort in my eyes (which is pretty much 24/7 lately) I just carry dozens of vials of tear drops with me (I bought a special make-up case just for eyedrops!), I make sure I have enough of my prescription drops, and I rest when I need to. I have made it a habit to use a cold compress at least once a day (that helps immensely!). I try not to let it stop me from doing what I want to do. I mean, there are just some things that I cannot do, like being outside on a windy day, or being around cigarette smoke, etc... And there are some days when my eyes are so bad that I just have to stop what I am doing and come home (can't tell you how many classes I've missed this semester because of that!) I just try to roll with the punches. Like I said, nothing surprises me anymore. I was totally SHOCKED when I had the corneal ulcer and it took almost 2 months of treatment to go away! But that was over a year ago and I have learned so much about this condition since then. If only I had known about healthboards while I was going through that!

Healthboards and all of the wonderful people here has really been my life support. It's great to have a place to come and share stories, get advice, and just complain without anyone saying "oh come on, it can't be that bad"

I think the most important thing is to have the support of your friends and family members, as well as the support of a good doctor. My parents have always been there with me, driving me to manhattan and brooklyn for doctors appointments....even going so far as to stay overnight with me in Maryland to see Dr. O'Brien at the Wilmer Eye Institute. But it took my other family and friends a while to come around. My best friend still really pisses me off sometimes. But ever since she started getting the occasional eye allergy, she has stopped saying "oh, come on, it's only your eyes."

Even the children in the elementary school that I work at have been extremely supportive. I hear from adults all the time "oh, your eyes look fine, so how can they feel so bad. It can't be true" But the kids are great. "Ms. B, you need a hug." "Ms. B, howcome you need eyedrops?" "Do they hurt?" "I hope you feel better soon." Today, my fifth graders saw me putting in my drops and they got really curious, so I explained a little bit about this to them. I explained how sometimes my eyes get very dry and I don't have any tears. They said "does that mean you can't cry?" We had a nice conversation and I explained to them that when they see me putting in eyedrops, they don't have to be worried because it's normal for me... it's just something that I need to do.

That's what I've come to believe. All this using eyedrops and running to the doctor, it's just something I need to do. It's part of my daily routine now. Get up, put tear drops in (before I get out of bed), brush my teeth, get dressed, use Restasis, have breakfast, use tear drops, go to school, use tear drops, go home, go to the eye dr, etc.... It's all very common for me now. But that is rather sad, that I've had to get used to all of this. The one thing I can't get used to is how other adults look at me funny and tell me there's nothing wrong. How would they like to walk a day in my shoes? I absolutely cannot stand it when people tell me "my eyes were so itchy yesterday... for 15 minutes they wouldn't stop itching." OK, take that and multiply it by 100%, have it 24/7, and then you've got about half of what I (or all of us on this board) have. When your eyes have been giving you problems 24/7 for a few weeks, then come talk to me. If not, get away from me because I'm jealous! I don't mean to sound nasty, but that's just how I've come to feel. Or at least, if someone is going to tell me their eyes are bothering them, then they should try to go to the dr and find out what is wrong, and then follow his directions and do something about it instead of just sitting there and complaining. I take a very pro-active approach with my health. I don't expect anybody else to understand my condition or do anything for me if I am not willing to try to help myself. My dad gets the occasional eye allergy. My entire family has started going to my eye dr. So, my dad makes an appointment with him every time his eyes itch. He gives him an allergy drop and tells him to use it for the entire hayfever season. My dad uses it for a few days and then stops. Then 2 weeks or a month later when his eyes are itchy again, he wonders what is wrong and goes back to the eye dr!

I have to say that basically the entire reason that I have been able to get through this and stay as sane as I am is because I have a fabulous doctor. He has really become my friend. He has never once said to me "YOU are going through a lot." It's always "I can't believe what WE'VE gone through together." or "Don't worry, WE'LL get through this." He is genuinely upset when I come to him and I don't feel well. More than once he has told me "you know, last week when you came in with that problem I was really scared, but I wouldn't tell you then." If it wasn't for him, I never would have survived that terrible ulcer. He took such good care of me. I have quite a unique relationship with him. I feel like he is holding my hand every step of the way.

That's why when people tell me how much of a hard time they are having getting their eye drs to treat them right, I can definitely understand it because I have had other kinds of doctors over the years who have treated me like I am crazy. But I am so grateful for my eye dr. There is truly nothing he would not do for a patient. For example, I have his cell phone number, email address and pager number, and I have been told to use them as much as I want. And believe me, I have done just that! I would never take advantage, but there was a time when there was no other way for me to get in touch with him but on his cell phone. I'm not sure if any other patients have been given that privelege, but I am sure if they needed him he would be there.

Now getting back to friends and family.

The way I see it is this: WHO CARES what your friends and family think... if you know that you are sick and you are suffering, that's all that matters. And if there ever is a time when I want to complain to my best friend (who at times can be very selfish) I basically tell her "look, for months you have been telling me about your problems and I have listened. Now YOU are going to listen to ME and I am going to talk for as long as I want to, and if you are my friend, you'll just listen and offer me a shoulder to cry on."

This may sound strange, but in a way I am glad that there are all of these other people out there with the same problems as me. I would never WANT anyone to have these problems, but I am glad to have people to commiserate with. Chris, it's especially nice that we are both young. I thought I was the only young person in the world with this. Have you ever been tested for Sjogren's syndrome? I used to feel sorry for myself, being so young and so miserable. But now I think this is just part of my life, and if I'm going to feel sorry for myself I'm never going to get anything done.

We all just have to keep going and try to stay happy.

That's not to say that I'm not absolutely terrified that this is never going to get better. I just don't let that consume me. Instead, that fear is what drives me to help myself.

I hope my little sermon here has helped in some way! LOL!

If you need to talk I am always here,

posted 05-02-2003 11:04 PM            

Chris, I see that you had a corneal ulcer (oh, how I feel for you!) And you are just NOW going to see a corneal specialist? Obviously you didn't know that you should have been seeing one, but immediately upon discovering your ulcer, both your ophthalmologist and your optometrist should have referred you to a corneal specialist. IMMEDIATELY! It really surprises me that they didn't. But I am glad that the outcome was good and you were able to recover. I did not need to be referred to a corneal specialist because my dr is one, and he's the one I've been seeing since the beginning.

Also, NEVER do LASIK if you have dry eyes! It is really a good thing that you didn't do it!

posted 05-03-2003 11:53 AM            

When I think back to the first two doctors I saw, I only get upset. If this had been treated appropriately from the beginning, perhaps it would've been under control much quicker. Instead, it was allowed to get worse for three months. And I've done enough reading to know that the longer you have these problems, the longer it takes to get under control.

I think I'll feel better if/when I can get this under control and just do the lid scrubs and warm compresses once a day. Unfortunately, my left eye has taken a turn for the worse today so it doesn't seem like that's going to happen anytime real soon. Doing them 3-4 times a day takes up so much time and isn't convenient at all.

I have been tested for Sjogren's. The results were negative. Then again, I don't have a regular PCP and the one I saw didn't seem all that great. I rarely went to see doctors until January. Now it's almost a weekly thing. I'm still concerned though that something could be wrong because from everything I've read, this is much more common in people that are middle-aged. Why am I having these problems being only 21?

This whole thing is still relatively new to me still since it's only been since January. I haven't gotten to the point where I'm ready to accept any lifestyle changes just yet, though it's becoming apparent that I may have to. One of them would clearly be my job since it's always much worse after working on the computer all day. But I am already scared to death that this won't ever go away and I'll have red eyes that burn and sting for the rest of my life. I'm still in the feeling sorry for myself stage, but at the same time, I am determined to get this under control. Particularly the redness right now.

The ulcer was awful. It was very small and apparently it was caught right away, but it was still very painful. What I've been feeling since then, as bad as it sometimes is, is nothing compared to how the ulcer felt.

And as for unsupportive people, my family I think came around more the last time I was over there. It was so bad that I kept my eyes closed most of the time I was there and was in a really bad mood, so I think they got the idea that this really bothers me. The worst one is my roommate, who also happens to be my ex-girlfriend (that's a long story in itself). I just got into an argument with her earlier this week because my sinuses were acting up on Monday and Tuesday, and I refused to take any antihistamines since a side effect is possibly dry eyes. I wasn't willing to take that chance but she wouldn't let it go and kept telling me one won't kill me. I'm not going to take the chance of making my eyes any worse than they already are. Like anyone else, all I want is a little understanding from people around me and not to be argued with for not wanting to take a chance on making them worse. Maybe I was overreacting and should've taken something, but I don't know.

I know that my eyes are dry. I don't know whether dry eyes caused the blepharitis, or if blepharitis caused the dry eyes (which is my guess since I have some clogged glands), but does anyone know if Restasis could help with dry eye symptoms associated with blepharitis? What about punctal plugs? I haven't been able to find much information about if either do any good when blepharitis is involved.

And Elyse, I know what you mean by being glad that there are others with these problems. I wouldn't wish these problems on anyone, but it's nice to have others out there. Particularly someone around my age like yourself. I hope your eyes improve soon! I know your latest issue with optic neuritis is the last thing you needed.

Chris

posted 05-03-2003 04:30 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by iChrisi:
And Elyse, I know what you mean by being glad that there are others with these problems. I wouldn't wish these problems on anyone, but it's nice to have others out there. Particularly someone around my age like yourself. I hope your eyes improve soon! I know your latest issue with optic neuritis is the last thing you needed.

Chris

---

I couldn't have said it better myself Chris! When my dr told me that I have Optic Neuritis, my first reaction was "what the heck is that"? My second reaction was "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" I need this like I need a hole in my head!

If the ophthalmologist who diagnosed the corneal ulcer was a LASIK surgeon, then he may very well have been a corneal specialist. LASIK surgery involves making a flap in the cornea, so I would think (I hope!) that most doctors who do it are corneal specialists. My doctor is a corneal specialist and a surgeon.

Now as for the anti-histamine thing, you are so right not to take one. Your ex sounds like my best friend... she doesn't know a darn thing about this, but thinks she knows everything. Before I had my tear ducts cauterized, I found that taking an anti-histamine was so bad for my eyes. It dried them out terribly. Now that doesn't happen so much anymore because anti-histamines affect the overall production of tears. My problem is no longer that I don't have enough tears, I just don't have good quality tears. And anti-histamines don't really affect the quality of the tears. I too have terrible sinus problems and right now I am taking an anti-histamine (Clarinex). When I couldn't take anything else, I found that taking a 4mg Chlor-trimeton (0ver the counter) did not really affect my eyes and it helped my sinuses.

The reason I am so concerned about my eyes being dry is that the drier they are, the greater the chance of getting a corneal ulcer or abbrasion. Do you know exactly how you got yours? My dr says that at the time, I had not a single tear in my eyes and I must have just gently blinked or rubbed my eye, and I rubbed an ulcer into my cornea. People with the normal amount of tears would not have that problem. I don't recall the exact moment when it happened, but I remember that I was at my friend's mom's house for christmas eve of 2001 and all of a sudden I started feeling like there was something sharp and painful sticking me in my eye. I attributed it to the fact that she has a cat and I am allergic to them. I used plenty of tear drops and washed my eyes out with water. Nothing helped. Seeing how much discomfort I was in, my friend told me it was OK to go home if I wanted to. (I'm Jewish, so Christmas eve is not my holiday anyway!) I slept with a cold compress that night, still not having a clue that anything was wrong. I thought maybe I had gotten an eyelash in there and it had irritated me. By the next day it was still really bad. I called my drs office and the answering service told me they wouldn't be in until december 27th. Why? Is the day after christmas a holiday too? So I called on the 26th expecting to leave a message for my dr to call me, and instead of the answering service, guess who answered the phone? The receptionist! The office was in and my dr was there seeing patients. They got me an emergency appointment and took very very good care of me. I remember it like it was yesterday.... At the time they had a technician working with them who would see the patients before the dr did, and do a vision test, etc... I knew him very well by this point! He came out and sat with me in the waiting room. I told him "I think this is more than just an allergy and dry eyes going on!" He said "Elyse, this is serious. But Dr. M will know what to do." I had to wait a pretty long time for my dr to come out of the exam room, but as soon as he took one look at me I was the next patient to be taken in. There were several people ahead of me, but he basically didn't care. My eye was swollen shut with green stuff coming out of it. I was an emergency! They had to send a messenger out to the lab to get a kit to culture my eye with. Apparently my ulcer was huge. My dr said it was the worst one he had ever seen. Gee, thanks. It took almost 2 months of round the clock treatment with fortified anti-biotics to get it to heal. (I literally had to wake myself up every 2 hours during the night. During the day I used them every half an hour.) My dr said that if he wasn't positive that I was using my drops like I was supposed to, he would have put me in the hospital. But I proved to him that I was using them..... I kept a book of every single drop that I put into my eye and brought it with me to each appointment! He read it for himself!

You know, you said that your ulcer was small. Mine was quite large but I bet we had the same amount of pain. According to my dr, when it comes to eyeball pain, you can have the teeniest little ulcer, or you can have one that covers the entire eyeball... the pain is going to be the same. A larger one just takes longer to heal. And since size doesn't matter, the pain doesn't even begin to subside until it is completely healed. When my ulcer was about 90% healed, I had to wear a bandage contact lens in that eye for about 2 weeks. That really helped with the pain. I couldn't use it before then because I had to get the drops in there and the contact lens would stop them from being absorbed.

You ask "why am I having these problems being only 21?" I ask myself the same thing every day. I have a whole host of other health problems, and I ask myself "why me? why at this age? nobody else my age has these problems?" That's why I'm insisting on blood tests when I see my rheumatologist in a few weeks. No other healthy 22 (or 21) year old has these problems. So obviously there is some sort of underlying problem that is causing it.

I think that Restasis might help you because it helps to restore natural tear production. But the bad news is that it takes at least 2-3 months to start working. You also may want to start taking Flaxseed oil, which is known to promote the production of natural tears by adding to the oily layer. There is a great nutritional supplement called Thera Tears Nutrition that is just for people with dry eyes.

Now about the punctal plugs. If you really want some good information about them as well as any other eye problem, go to http://www.oculartimes.com and click on "dry eyes". There's also stuff there about corneal ulcers, blepharitis, and everything else you can possibly imagine. It's all in very easy to understand terms. This was one of the first websites that I found when I started researching this online.

I think you will be just fine. It takes a lot of getting used to, but you will be able to make the necessary adjustments. Your family and friends will also start to come around. They need time to absorb all of this too.

And we are all here to help as well. It's nice that there are other people out there who have this. It's nice to have someone to talk to.

Elyse

posted 05-03-2003 11:42 PM            

Now that you mention it, you're right, he must have been a corneal specialist if he's a LASIK surgeon. At least I hope so. Even if my eyes were healthy, I'm so glad I didn't have him perform LASIK for me. No doctor should keep prescribing antibiotic eye drops for two months when the condition isn't improving. I'd still like to know what they saw when they said my eyes looked "white and quiet" because I could tell there were problems just when looking in the mirror. My eyes never look white! I don't remember what healthy eyes look or feel like actually.

About the quantity of tears...I have some questions about that. My last optometrist was the first one to do the schirmer test. Well, from everything I've read it's supposed to be done for about 60 seconds and a reading of 15-20 is normal. They only put the strips in my eye for about 10 seconds. The first visit, which was the day I called them because it was much worse than usual, the reading was 10 in my right eye and 8 in my left eye. They did it again the last time I went and they had been improving over the last few visits, but I had a 22 in my right eye and 15 in my left eye. But they had said 20 was normal and 15 was still low, so I'm confused. Maybe there's something I'm missing, but I can't find anything that makes me think they did it long enough. Anyway, from my reading, it seems that, like you, I have enough tears. They just aren't of decent quality. I'm going to have to ask to doctor on Monday what my tear breakup time is. I'm interesting in learning what my reading on that one is.

I'm just a little down today. I thought things were getting better earlier this week, and then over the last two days my eyes have regressed right back to where they were. It hasn't been a great day for my eyes.

posted 05-04-2003 01:59 AM            

As far as the tear break-up time is concerned, you are right, that is what they really need to look at in order to decide if you have dry eyes. They won't really be able to tell you exactly what your tear break-up time is since there is no way to time it exactly.... the way to measure it is to put the fluorescein (that orange dye) in your eyes and then look at the eye under the blue light... this makes the dye show up as a greenish color on the dry spots and it illuminates the tears enough so that the dr can see if they are staying on your eyeball when you blink or if they are just rolling right off. Mine just roll right off. That's why my dr doesn't bother with the Schirmer test. Obviously I have more than enough tears. They are just not the right quality. I only had it done two times (never with my own dr). These were the times when I went for second opinions. My dr was at his wit's end with me and sent me to one of his colleagues here in Staten Island, and then I went to the Wilmer Eye Institute in Maryland to see a world renowned corneal specialist. Those were the only 2 times I had the schirmer test done. When I was in Maryland it was not done by the dr, but by one of his residents. Of course, it showed that the quantity of my tears was completely normal. So the resident just basically said "well, your eyes really aren't dry." Excuse me? I am not here to see you. Thank you very much.

Really, the only reason I can see for doing the schirmer test is to have something definite to write down in your chart. They all want some data to record. Yes, it does a good job of measuring the quantity of your tears, but what good is that when the problem is quality??? I don't like it one bit. I had a terrible experience with the schirmer test the first time I had it done.

Normally when my dr wants to see if my eyes are dry, he just looks in them with the dye. This colleague that he sent me to wanted to do a complete work-up, so he insisted on doing the schirmer test. I said "Ok, whatever. Just do it and get it over with." Well, first the strips would not stay in my eyes. Then when he finally got them in, they burned like crazy and made my eyes beet red. A normal reaction, according to the dr. My tears were more than sufficient, and according to the test strips I didn't have dry eyes. I don't know exactly how long he left them in there for, but considering the amount of discomfort I was in, any amount of time was too long. Well anyway, after he took them out he examined my eyes with the dye under the microscope for about 5-10 minutes. Then he dilated them and sent me back out to the waiting room while he went to examine another patient. After about 5 minutes of being in the waiting room, I began to feel like I had something in my right eye. (the one that I previously had the ulcer in) So I took out my mirror but my vision was blurry from the dilation and I couldn't see anything. I went up to the receptionist and said "I feel like there is something in my eye. Do you see anything." Right away she saw something. She made me come in the bathroom to show me in the big mirror. I could see something but I couldn't quite make out what it was. She immediately put me in a chair right outside of the room that the dr was in and went and buzzed him. I heard the phone ring inside of the room, heard him talking, and then heard some rumbling going on in the room. Apparently he was looking for a q-tip, because about 10 seconds later he came out with one in his hand, told me to look up, and proceeded to remove a piece of the schirmer test strip from my eye. Nice, huh? He sent me back to the waiting room, where I flushed my own eye with tear drops (he didn't bother to do that). When I was called back in for him to finish the exam I said "how did that happen?" He said that occasionally a piece of the strip can come off in the eye. Fine. But,.... My question is this: After he removed the strips from my eyes, he examined my eyes under the microscope, lifted up my eyelids, etc... During this entire examination, he never noticed a huge piece of paper in my eye??? How HECK did he miss it???????? HOW???? So I left the office thankful that I was not injured by it. I got home and RAN to the phone to call my own ophthalmologist on his cell phone. He had apparently just gotten off of the phone with the other dr who called to give him a report on my visit. I said "oh, so did he tell you that he got a piece of the schirmer test strip stuck in my eye?" Silence on the other end of the phone. "He did WHAT?" "He left a piece of the test strip in my eye." "OK, I'll be in the office at 9am tomorrow morning. I'll see you then." "But I don't have an appointment." "You do now! I want to make sure he didn't do any damage to your eye! I'll never refer anybody to him again!!" Thankfully my eye was fine and he didn't do any damage. The only other time I had the schirmer test done was when I was in Maryland, and you can bet that they didn't get it stuck in my eye!

My doctor doesn't believe in doing the schirmer test because he says that he is able to just look in someone's eyes and tell how dry they are. Plus, the schirmer test only measures the QUANTITY of tears, not the QUALITY. You can have a perfect score on the schirmer test and still have extremely dry eyes. Like me.

I'd be very interested to know what the quality of your tears looks like. I bet you are missing the oily layer. If you close one of your eyelids, do you notice any tiny white bumps at the base of your eyelashes? Those would be clogged meibomian glands, which lead to dryness because they are the oil glands. If they're clogged then there is not going to be enough oil in your tears. I've got several of them. The way to get rid of them is by using a warm compress. But it is so uncomfortable for me to use a warmm compress that my dr just said to forget about it for the time being. I prefer to use COLD compresses. They feel SOOOOO good!

I think I need to go use one right now. (it's how I fall asleep at night when my eyes are as bad as they are today.) I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a bad day with your eyes. I am feeling like crap too. I hope the new dr has some answers for you. Please let me know what happens,

Elyse

posted 05-04-2003 12:59 PM            

I haven't found the warm compresses all that comfortable either. My eyes look much worse after the warm compress. I love the cold compresses too, but I already spend so much time with compresses every day. Maybe I'll try falling asleep that way.

I do have tiny white bumbs at the base of my eyelashes...quite a few actually, and it's mostly my left eye, which is the one that bothers me most usually. I haven't seen any improvement in them over the past few weeks as I've been doing the warm compresses. The only improvement I've noticed is that I don't lose as many eyelashes every day.

I've been using TheraTears lately, and prior to that I was using only Refresh Plus. Actually, I still am using Refresh Plus because I still have plenty left in a box I keep at work. These are all the preservative-free types of course. I also tried Refresh Endura a couple times, but it seemed to make things worse. I don't always use an ointment at night, but I have the last few nights. I've been using Refresh PM.

Today's another bad day unfortunately. Actually, the redness is slightly better. Unfortunately, the stinging is much worse today.

Tomorrow I'm going to ask the doctor about Restasis. I'm also going to bring up the minocycline I'm on. I'm on 100mg 2x a day right now for other reason, but my understanding is that it also helps with the eyelids. However, the recommended dosage (from what I've read) for that is 250mg 4x per day. So perhaps that should be increased.

Chris

posted 05-04-2003 03:17 PM            

I just spent an hour laying with a cold compress... the problem with that is that my eyes feel great while I am using it but 5 minutes after I take it off they are back to feeling like crap again. And today I have got to read William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" for one of my classes. The print in the book is so tiny that even when my eyes are good I can hardly see it! So I have taken to reading with a magnifying glass, and I downloaded the Cliff Notes online! (shhhhh.... don't tell anyone!)

I have also used Thera Tears but found that I like Bion Tears better. They are more soothing for me. But everybody is different. Thera tears and Bion tears are the two leading brands for people with severe dry eyes.... I just happen to like Bion Tears better. I also used to use the Refresh Endura, but I found that it didn't help me. I like something called "Tears Again Gel Drops". They are thicker than a regular tear drop but not as thick as an ointment, so they don't blur your vision. When I am having a particularly bad day and I can't use ointment because I am driving, I like to use those. They have a disappearing preservative and they don't irritate me.

I hope your new doctor can give you some answers. I will be seeing mine again on wednesday. I don't know anything about Minocycline, but I do know that Doxycycline is proven to help clear up clogged Meibomian glands. The usual dosage of that is at least 100mg twice a day. I took it for a while but I had to start out on a lower dose because I have a sensitivity to anti-biotics. It caused me more problems than anything else (not with my eyes... it gave me stomach problems) and my dr and I agreed that it was not worth it at the time for me to be on it. Once my stomach problems subside we may try it again.

Well, I'm going to go attempt to read The Tempest now. UGH!!!

Elyse

posted 05-04-2003 09:00 PM            

You should talk to your doctor about switching to doxycyline. I have been on minomycin and doxy and the doxy wins hands down with unblocking the oil glands.

posted 05-05-2003 08:47 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by ronaldo1:
You should talk to your doctor about switching to doxycyline. I have been on minomycin and doxy and the doxy wins hands down with unblocking the oil glands.

---

I'll have to consider switching. The problem is that I take minocycline for acne, which it's working great for. I've taken doxycycline, and that has done nothing for me.

I'll have to see what the doctor says when I go in a few hours. If I have to switch for awhile, I will.

Elyse, I may give Bion Tears a try sometime. The TheraTears really only do anything for me if I follow their "saturation dosage" recommendation. I've also used the newer TheraTears gel drops, which seemed okay. If it's a bad day, they don't seem to help for all that long...though they do work better that just regular artifical tears.

Today my eyes seem to be just a little better. That's different...normally the weekends are better and work days are worse, since I have to stare at a computer for 8 - 10 hours every day. Speaking of which, I should probably go do some work before my doctor appointment.

Anyway, I hope everyone's having a better day today. From all the posts I've read, it seems that almost everyone here has been having a difficult time lately.

posted 05-05-2003 10:33 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by iChrisi:
I'll have to consider switching. The problem is that I take minocycline for acne, which it's working great for. I've taken doxycycline, and that has done nothing for me.

---

The few weeks that I took doxycycline for acne (before I developed a chest rash and had to stop) my skin was fantastic! Not only didn't I break out, but the texture changed too. My pores completely disappeared and I developed skin like a baby's. I really thought it was a miracle! I was crushed when I had to discontinue it. My dermatologist said I was the first person she ever saw who was allergic. La la la, story of my life.

posted 05-05-2003 12:43 PM            

So I got there and the one guy that took me back and took my whole history down didn't impress me. It was going fine until he mentioned that "if you can't wear contacts, have you ever considered LASIK?" Well yes, of course...but I'm not going to do LASIK with this condition. But the fact that he mentioned that just annoyed me. Anyway, I wasn't there to see him, so I finally got to see the doctor.

The doctor just didn't come across as friendly to me. Not for any particular reason...I just didn't get that vibe.

He told me that I'd have this for the rest of my life, which I already knew. He said to keep up with the lid scrubs and warm compresses, and to try adding massaging the eyelids afterwards. He said punctal plugs may help, but there's no guarantee. He also mentioned that it tends to flare up and then I might go a few years without it, only to have it flare up again. I knew all of that already, so I didn't gain much from this visit.

The one thing he said that surprised me (and I'd be interested in hearing some reactons about this one) was if I ever considered using any vasoconstricters such as Naphcon A or Visine to get rid of the redness I told him I had wanted to, but I haven't used them because my understanding is that over time they can make dry eye problems worse. He said they're fine to use periodically, or even daily if I don't mind using them once or twice every day. I'm thinking that might help with the redness, but won't that make the dryess worse over time? That statement completely shocked me. Is he right and I've just misunderstood everything I've read?

Anyway, surprising I'm actually going back on May 19 for the punctal plugs since this place at least accepts my insurance. I'll see how that works out, but I don't know if I'll keep going to this place afterwards. The last optometrist I saw was at least very friendly and very willing to help me and spend all the time with me I needed.

He also said to keep on the minocycline. I forgot to ask about Restasis, because I was still just put off that I didn't feel he was very friently and in shock about telling me it'd be fine to use Visine every day.

I was hoping for better!

posted 05-05-2003 04:05 PM            

As for the lid massage, I was always told that was an important component of keeping the blepharitis under control. After your warm water compresses, press really hard along the base of your lashes. The idea is to squeeze out any thickened oils clogging the glands. When I do it, I can see little dots of oil on the inner lids.

I don't know if the Visine is a good idea or not. Hopefully someone will have an opinion on that.

Sorry your appointment didn't go better. I have one tomorrow, and I'm sure it will be a waste of time.

posted 05-05-2003 05:04 PM            

Some things I forgot to mention about my appointment. He put in some drops and then said "these will help reverse the dilation." Following that, he said "huh..he dind't dilate your eyes much." In actuality, they didn't dilate my eyes at all. Why's he putting in drops that I don't need?

When I left, my eyes were completely red for several hours. It was much worse than I've seen them before. Anyway, earlier I said that my eyes were doing pretty well today. Going to this doctor ruined all of that...ever since then my eyes have felt awful. I can't walk down this hallway at work without having to close my eyes...it stings too much.

I don't even know if I'm going to keep the appointment for the punctal plugs. I can't find much information on it, but from what I can find, it doesn't sound as if the punctal plugs are going to help much in this scenerio, if at all. I guess it couldn't hurt though.

I'm very discouraged with doctors right now. I'm probably going to end up going back to the optometrist I was last seeing, at least for a little while, just because I was most comfortable there. I didn't expect any new information or miracle cures...I'm well aware that it doesn't exist. If I keep up with trying new doctors at this pace, by this time next year I'm going to have to move just to gain a new selection.

Is your appointment with a new doctor or one you've already seen? Good luck with it. But I can see why you're sure it'll be a waste of time...it seems most are.

posted 05-05-2003 05:35 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by iChrisi:

I started the minocycline in mid-January. I developed these eye problems in mid-January as well.

---

Eeek! And you don't think there is a connection? I started taking antibiotics for acne in mid-February and my eye problems started mid-February. Coincidence in both our caes?? Hmmmmm.

The specialist I'm seeing tomorrow is the same guy I saw three weeks ago who couldn't find anything wrong with my eyes. He's a SPECIALIST for Pete's sake. I'm in agony right now (after having two good days), but, of course, NOTHING IS WRONG. I'm not even sure why I'm going back. On Thursday I'm seeing a "top gun" at U of M. I pray she can tell me something.

posted 05-05-2003 05:46 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by iChrisi:
I'm going to try massaging the eyelids. That hasn't been mentioned to me before by any of my previous eye doctors. I did know about it though...just never tried it.

Some things I forgot to mention about my appointment. He put in some drops and then said "these will help reverse the dilation." Following that, he said "huh..he dind't dilate your eyes much." In actuality, they didn't dilate my eyes at all. Why's he putting in drops that I don't need?

When I left, my eyes were completely red for several hours. It was much worse than I've seen them before. Anyway, earlier I said that my eyes were doing pretty well today. Going to this doctor ruined all of that...ever since then my eyes have felt awful. I can't walk down this hallway at work without having to close my eyes...it stings too much.

---

Concerning the use of Visine, or another vasoconstrictor to decrease the redness in your eyes, it usually is ok to use them once a day, maybe twice a day. The constricting medication in Visine doesn't cause dryness in the eyes, but the preservatives will. Especially if the drops are used quite frequently.

So, the doctor put dilation reversal drops in your eyes and you weren't even dilated??? What a moron. Judging by your complaints and symptoms afterwards, it sounds like he used Rev-Eyes (dapiprazole). This drug WILL DEFINATELY cause redness, dryness, and irritation for almost an hour after it is instilled. Did he at least put an artificial tear in your eyes BEFORE using the Rev-Eyes??? That should be done for patient comfort.

I think you should go back to your original doctor since you felt comfortable with him and he was willing to spend some time with you. I don't think the punctal plugs are going to help much in your case.

posted 05-05-2003 06:13 PM            

I think there's an obvious connection here: The use of the antibiotics.

Tetracylines work by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis. As a side effect, tetracyclines decrease the fatty acid content of sebum. Sebum is secreted by your meibomian glands on/in you eyelids. If the fatty acid content of the sebum is decreased, it will negatively effect the QUALITY of the lipid tear layer of the eyes and eyelid margin....resulting in irritation, dryness, stinging, etc...

I think this is possibly a cause for the irritation, burning sensation of the eyelids you're both experiencing. There may also be a possible mild allergic reaction playing a role in this too.

posted 05-05-2003 06:50 PM            

I started taking it again, but perhaps I should go back off of it. I know, the timing would point to the antibiotics. I guess I assumed it wasn't the cause since there wasn't improvement when I went off of it for a few weeks and that it's used to help with clogged oil glands (plus maybe a little bit of denial since it's working for what I take it for). But your explanation makes sense, and maybe there is even an allergic reaction to it.

Donna...you're off of your antibiotic now, right? How long has it been and how long did you take it for?

posted 05-05-2003 08:04 PM            

What I'm wondering now is that if both Donna's and my eye problems are a result of an adverse reaction to the antibiotics, which seem to be reasonable assumptions, will it ever get better?

In any case, I'm likely going to cancel the May 19 appointment for punctal plugs. I don't see the point in having those inserted. I guess I'll try stopping the minocycline as well.

posted 05-05-2003 11:03 PM            

I am sorry to hear that you didn't get everything that you needed out of your appointment. Hearing everyone's stories about bad doctors really makes me realize just how UNIQUE my ophthalmologist really is. I mean, I have always known that he is unique because he goes way above and beyond for his patients. He'll do just about anything to make a diagnosis and give a patient the correct treatment. But now I realize that the number one reason that he is unique is because he's COMPETENT!! Why is it that competency has become such a unique attribute in the medical profession?

Now about the Punctal Plugs. I think that they can't hurt. Why not try them? If you don't like them, they are extremely simple to remove. Even if they don't help tremendously, if they help preserve just the tiniest bit of your own tears, it is worth it. I'll try to find you some information on them, maybe with pictures. I am surprised that the oculartimes website is not back up and running yet. I have got tons of ophthalmology websites bookmarked. I'll see what I can find. And if this dr thinks that the plugs will help you, WHY ON EARTH is he making you wait until May 19th? If he had the right size plugs in the office and you decided to have it done, he could have done it right there on the spot. It takes no more than 30 seconds per eye. Numb the eye with drops, pop the plugs in, look to make sure they are in properly, and be on your way. This dr sounds very strange to me. If you didn't get a good vibe from him then definitely don't go back. I usually recommend going to an ophthalmologist for problems like yours, but if you are comfortable with your optometrist and feel that you are getting better care there than anywhere else, then by all means, go back to the optometrist. Can the optometrist refer you to a good ophthalmologist? (if that is what you want.) Also, if you decide you want the plugs, can the optometrist do it?

posted 05-06-2003 08:48 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by iChrisi:

What I'm wondering now is that if both Donna's and my eye problems are a result of an adverse reaction to the antibiotics, which seem to be reasonable assumptions, will it ever get better?

---

That's what I'd like to know. I can't find anything in the literature to support a connection between the two (although, granted, I'm limited to what can be found online) and every doctor I've been to has dismissed a connection. Wouldn't even consider the possibility, I should say. I started taking Zithromax in February. Prior to this my eyes were fine and I was happily wearing my contacts as I had for the past 28 years. I took the initial 5 day dose, then I took one dose every three days. Zithromax is tissue-based, so you don't need to take it every day. The first 5 days I was fine, but every three days my eyelids hurt a little. It would go away, so I shrugged it off, but after the third time it didn't go away and my face started burning too. Doesn't this sound like an allergic reaction? I stopped the Zithromax, but the burning didn't go away. After a week I saw an ophthalmologist who barely looked at me and said I had blepharitis. And then he prescribed Tobradex, which is half antibiotic, in the same family as Zithromax. And he insisted I keep using it, even though I told him it wasn't working. Arghhh. Sooooo if I started off with an allergic reaction, I just perpetuated it for weeks. And my sore lids and clogged glands didn't start until after I was on the Tobradex for a few weeks.

Anyway, I've been off everything (except lid scrubs and warm compresses) for three weeks now in my right eye. I was using Pred Forte in my left eye, but it didn't help. I was so psyched because I had terrific days on the weekend, and thought I was getting better. And then yesterday was a horrific day. I couldn't even sleep last night because my lids hurt so much.

So what's the answer? I can't get an eye doctor to consider the antibiotic connection, so I don't have an informed opinion as to whether or not this will go away. I'll bring it up with the specialist again today. He's the one who said I don't even have blepharitis, or anything else for that matter... so then why is my theory so far-fetched? It's better than anything he came up with (which is a big fat nothing).

posted 05-06-2003 10:32 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by purple2067:
And somebody in the office actually mentioned LASIK to you? Did that person know that you were there for a dry eye problem?

---

That person did know I was there for blepharitis and dry eye symptoms. That place does LASIK, so perhaps he was trying to "sell" it to me, since I can't wear contacts anytime soon, if ever. But yeah, when he mentioned that I was completely surprised. He had to ask me twice actually because the first time I didn't even respond...I didn't know what to say to that!

You know, all these doctors have these web sites that make them sound like the greatest doctors in the world. But yet it's so hard to find one that really takes the time to help and go through all possibilities and try different treatments. And then they do stupid things like using reverse dilation drops when they didn't even dilate the eyes. Couldn't he have at least warned me that my eyes would be very red and burn constantly afterwards for awhile? My eyes don't recover from that very quickly! I wasn't feeling "normal" (for me) until just before I went to sleep last night.

quote:

---

And if this dr thinks that the plugs will help you, WHY ON EARTH is he making you wait until May 19th?

---

That's a good question, and one I was wondering myself. Why couldn't he do it right there? I don't know...he didn't impress me, nor did he seem very understanding. He did give me some line about how he has skin like mine and has to do lid scrubs as well, but that doesn't mean that he has the burning and red eyes, or even that he was being truthful. The first thing he said to me after examining me was also "you need to understand you'll have this for the rest of your life." I already knew that's very possible, if not very likely, but it didn't need to be the first thing said in that manner.

I always get the feeling from these opthalmologists that they have more important issues to deal with...like their LASIK patients.

My preference would be to find a great opthalmologist who is as understanding and willing to help as my optometrist. I'll be going back to the optometrist though because them actually being able to listen is the most important thing I think. I'll have to call the optometrist sometime soon and see what she say sabout punctal plugs and if I can be refered to someone else who can do them. I'd love for the optometrist to do it, but they don't accept my insurance. I have no problem paying for office visits for a doctor I actually like, but the punctal plugs are a little too much to pay up front.

If I was referred to an opthalmologist elsewhere, I wouldn't be surprised if it was to the guy I just saw. After looking at the web site for the office my optometrist works out of, the doctor I saw yesterday is listed as one (of many) co-managing physicians.

As for the possible connection between the antibiotics and these eye problems, when I went off of it for a few weeks it was actually due to the recommendation of my eye doctor. Both opthalmologist's I've seen have said "great, you're already on a tetracycline...that helps with the eyes." The optometrist did actually bring up that acne medications can have that effect on some people. My understanding however is that it takes about 5 days for minocycline to clear out of your system, so it was expected to have improved over the few weeks I was off of it. But maybe, if it changes something in the eyelids, it's not so quick to disappear. But like you I'm limited to what's online, and I can't find anything about any possible connections between any antibiotics and eyelid problems. I don't expect to find any real answers to our questions about if this will ever go away or not if caused by antibiotics.

Donna, I don't understand how one doctor can see blepharitis and the next see nothing wrong. I hope the doctor at U of M will help more, or at least confirm a diagnosis of blepharitis or something. At least then you'd know what's wrong, instead of being left to wonder who to believe.

posted 05-06-2003 01:19 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by iChrisi:
Donna, I don't understand how one doctor can see blepharitis and the next see nothing wrong. I hope the doctor at U of M will help more, or at least confirm a diagnosis of blepharitis or something. At least then you'd know what's wrong, instead of being left to wonder who to believe.

---

Well, I just got back from my appt., and it was as disappointing as I thought it would be. The specialist again couldn't find anything wrong. I asked, "Do I have blepharitis?" and I got a resounding NO. I told him the first ophthalmologist insisted that was my problem, and he said, "Well he's wrong." So who do you believe?

I brought up my antibiotic theory and he said he didn't want to say it's impossible, but he has never heard of anything like that happening.

I also mentioned that my eyelashes are still falling out at the rate of 5-10/day, and he said, "Oh, you have plenty of eyelashes!" and that I probably always lost that many. Oh c'mon now. I think I would know if every day for my whole life 10 eyelashes fell out. And this guy won an award last year for "Specialist of the Year"!

posted 05-06-2003 01:55 PM            

When a doctor can't physically find anything wrong, my understanding has been that most diagnoses are made from symptoms. Sometimes that's all doctors have to go on. I can't go back and read all of your prior posts right now, but if I remember correctly, you have the symptoms that point to blepharitis.

I don't know how a doctor can win "specialist of the year" when he can only tell he can't find anything wrong.

About the eyelashes, I would think you'd know if you were losing that many every day for your whole life. I was losing between 5-10 as well, except that's one thing that has improved significantly since I've done the warm compresses.

Maybe you'll have more luck on Thursday. You need to at least be diagnosed with something so you can find the right treatment. But I still say the diagnoses of blepharitis has to mean something, I would think.

posted 05-06-2003 05:01 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by iChrisi:

When a doctor can't physically find anything wrong, my understanding has been that most diagnoses are made from symptoms. Sometimes that's all doctors have to go on. I can't go back and read all of your prior posts right now, but if I remember correctly, you have the symptoms that point to blepharitis.

Maybe you'll have more luck on Thursday. You need to at least be diagnosed with something so you can find the right treatment. But I still say the diagnoses of blepharitis has to mean something, I would think.

---

I'm going to repost what I posted before:

Tetracylines work by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis. As a side effect, tetracyclines decrease the fatty acid content of sebum. Sebum is secreted by your meibomian glands on/in you eyelids. If the fatty acid content of the sebum is decreased, it will negatively effect the QUALITY of the lipid tear layer of the eyes and eyelid margin....resulting in irritation, dryness, stinging, etc...

I think this is possibly a cause for the irritation, burning sensation of the eyelids you're both experiencing. There may also be a possible mild allergic reaction playing a role in this too.

I'm starting to firmly believe that the use of the antibiotics is the source of the lid discomfort/irritation you're both experiencing. It is a result of the decreased fatty acid content of the sebum, AND/OR an adverse, mild allergic reaction to the antibiotic.

The absence of any signs of blepharitis by the 'specialist' leads me to believe that Donna DOES NOT have blepharitis. I think the first specialist she saw used this diagnosis for lack of a better or more definative diagnosis.

The definition of blepharitis is a simple and straight foward one: inflammation of the eyelid(s). Blepharitis is quite difficult to diagnose soley on symptomotology. There usually has to be much redness, pain, flaking, etc of the eyelids to confirm the diagnosis along with a thorough history.

This is what I would do for treatment:
1. Cool or warm compresses as needed, whichever yields the most relief.
2. Unpreserved artificial tears...Thera Tears recommended.
3. Unpreserved bland ophthalmic ointment at night or even during the day if cosmesis isn't a concern.
4. Dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil (again, Thera Tears Nutrition recommended).
5. Plenty of distilled drinking water during the day.
6.)I would also discontinue any lid scrubs, medicated ointment, or medicated drops. The scrubs may be too abrasive/traumatic to the delicate eye lids and making things more irritated. The medications may be too irritating as well...preservatives and all.
7.)Wait. If there was an adverse rxn to the antibiotics, time will help get things back to normal.

HTH

posted 05-06-2003 05:46 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by iChrisi:

I wasn't diagnosed with blepharitis until my third eye doctor. I had two visits to my first doctor, probably about 10 to my second, and then was finally diagnosed with blepharitis on the 4th visit to the third doctor. Like you said, signs of blepharitis are visible. I had the flaking eyelashes, loss of eyelashes, red eyelids, and clogged meibomian glands. The only thing is my eyelids don't burn...just my eyes. Any guesses as to why it would take so long for doctors to come up with this diagnosis?

---

It shouldn't have taken that many doctor's visits to come up with the diagnosis. Especially if you said you DO have the signs of blepharitis...flaking, redness, clogged glands. I guess I don't really have an explanation as to why it took so long to come up with that diagnosis.

I read that the first doctor prescribed Tobradex for one of your eyes...? Right? Then another prescribed Tobradex, Ocuflox, and Pred Forte...? Right? None of those medications are commonly used as a 'front line' for the treatment of blepharitis.

I may be getting you and Donna confused (some of these posts are so long, I go cross eyed and get dizzy spells trying to read them )but one of you, or both of you, started experiencing discomfort upon using a tetracycline derivative...right? So there has to be some sort of connection there. I'm sticking with the fatty acid/sebum 'hypothesis'.

posted 05-06-2003 05:49 PM            

I took doxycycline for a few weeks in Dec-January, but my problem started when I was on an erythromycin. Can I assume it does the same thing as a tetracycline, since it was prescribed for acne?

I haven't used anything (at least in my right eye) for three weeks. I actually had some improvement over the weekend, but yesterday and today were horrible. Why? I mean, if the theory that this is related to antibiotics is correct, wouldn't it be expected to slowly get better as the antibiotic left my tissues (or whatever was going on)?

Also, why could the specialist not have seen anything? My husband commented that my eyelids look "bruised" although the doctor said there was no redness, swelling, flaking, or debris. He did admit a couple of my glands were clogged, but he said there was no way to get rid of them unless I rubbed them off with a Q-tip (?) What? I was sitting in his chair in a significant amount of pain while he told me "everything looked good." Ugh!

posted 05-06-2003 07:45 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by qwerty75:
It shouldn't have taken that many doctor's visits to come up with the diagnosis. Especially if you said you DO have the signs of blepharitis...flaking, redness, clogged glands. I guess I don't really have an explanation as to why it took so long to come up with that diagnosis.

---

Then I'll go with my theory that they were just incompetent. I forgot to add that my eyelids do itch, and it's worse in the corners. The type of blepharitis I have is actually angular blepharitis. Can't find too much on that specifically though, except that it affects the corners of the eyelids, which is where the inflammation is at it's worse according to my doctor.

quote:

---

I read that the first doctor prescribed Tobradex for one of your eyes...? Right? Then another prescribed Tobradex, Ocuflox, and Pred Forte...? Right? None of those medications are commonly used as a 'front line' for the treatment of blepharitis.

---

Right. First it was Tobradex in my left eye only, because he insisted my right eye was fine twice despite being terribly uncomfortable. I was told it was conjunctivitis in my left eye. Then the second one agreed with the conjunctivitis diagnosis and prescribed all three of those drops for both eyes, because the ulcer had developed apparently out of nowhere.

I'm the one that went on the tetracycline derivative as well.

I'm liking the antibiotic theory. I hate this guessing though. I wish I hadn't started wearing contacts in early January, even though I only wore them for two weeks until these problems started. That would at least take one possible cause away. But I haven't read anything about contact lens use causing blepharitis, so I'm not sure if there's any possible link there.

posted 05-07-2003 12:08 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by DonnaDe:
He did admit a couple of my glands were clogged, but he said there was no way to get rid of them unless I rubbed them off with a Q-tip (?)

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So am I to understand that it is possible to rub the clogged glands off with a q-tip? That makes absolutely no sense to me!

Even if he meant that you should use a q-tip to massage your oil glands, that would still be odd. I try to avoid poking myself in the eyes with q-tips!

posted 05-07-2003 12:22 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by DonnaDe:

Elyse, I wish I still lived on SI... I would definitely see your guy. Does he ever do email consultations (for a fee)? I'm guessing not, but I'm getting desperate here! I wish someone whould just listen to me, or care enough to try to solve the problem.

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I can barely even get him to respond to MY emails! I don't think he has the time to do email consultations. He hardly even has the time to read mine and get back to me. I used to be able to get in touch with him at the drop of a hat, but his practice has picked up a lot since moving to the new office, so even though he is always around, it is much more difficult to get in touch with him. I sent him an email last week about my eyes, asking him about using an allergy drop. But I am not sure if he even got it, because he never wrote back. If I wasn't going to be seeing him tomorrow I would write him again or I would call him. I loved it when I could get in touch with him 24/7 by his cell phone (I can still get him in an absolute emergency) but now it has become harder. But at the same time I'm very glad for him that his practice has picked up. It means he'll be around for a while! I partially have myself to blame for his being so busy though... if I'd just keep my mouth shut and not tell anybody about him he would have time to return my emails! But I want him to have a thriving practice.

I will mention the email consultation thing to him tomorrow and see what he says. I really doubt it though.

You know, there is another way to get the opinions of some really good ophthalmologists.... you have to pay for it though. I'm not going to post the actual web address on here because it will get removed, but I'll tell you to go to yahoo and do a search for AskPhysicians. (or just add a dotcom after the name!)
I found this website and I posted my questions there and they are the ones who mentioned Dr. Terry O'Brien in Maryland. Once I brought up his name to my dr, he totally agreed. My dr also said that he knows some of the drs who post on the site. (one of them was his senior resident!)

So maybe that will help you. Ask them for a referral to a really good dr in your area.

I hope this doesn't get removed before you see it.

Good luck with your appointment at U of M.

Elyse

posted 05-07-2003 09:27 AM            

Elyse, Donna...how are you both doing today?