Recurrent Corneal Erosion

Originally Posted by Freidi34

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

Originally Posted by Evie4

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.

Originally Posted by CSG

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.

Originally Posted by annammas62

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...

Originally Posted by annammas62

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?