Returned Home Today and So Did the Red Eye

[Aaron77]

Went out of town to see an opthamologist about my post lasik problems with eye pain and dry eye. Had three days of real nice white eyes, now I'm back home and the right eye is blood shot and in pain again after a few hrs on the computer.

The doc I saw could not explain the eye pain I've been feeling, he did a schirmers test and it showed 20mm in the right and 15mm in the left so I appear to be producing a good amount of tears. He did not however do a TBUT test. I did have one done locally with an optometrist a week ago and it showed 3-4 secs right eye and 5-6 secs left eye. Because of the earlier TBUT scores I asked the opthamologist to put punctal plugs in just to try them out. I had a bit of sensation in the punctal area but the eyes felt great, I thought I might be closer to beating this thing. Now I'm back home and the pain and redness is back, what a bummer!

Looks like I still have much work ahead of me to try and get this thing figured out. I'll visit my local optometrist here again this week to see if the plugs have made a difference in my TBUT. If the TBUT is much higher maybe my problem is more than just dry eyes and I have to look for some other type of explaination for the pain and redness. Its weird because I really don't notice my left eye at all, the main problem for me right now is the right eye.

[sazy123]

TBH, if you have 20mm and 15mm and a low TBUT you shouldnt need puntual plugs and they probably wont help that much, you may feel an initial improvement-due to more wetness but it doesnt last (i found anyway), and if theres inflammation/allergies they could just add to it. Do you have MGD?

You could have allergies if you eyes werent red when you were out of your house for a few days then you got back and you got the redness, maybe dust?

[Lucy]

Aaron, it takes more than a few days to know your benefits from plugs. I'm just cautioning about removing them too quickly and not giving them a chance to work. It happens all the time. If they really hurt or are in the wrong way etc..see the dr.

Also Aaron, you are not very far out from Lasik. Time is on your side. Good luck and keep us posted. We care. Lucy

[odydnas]

Aaron, both Sazy and Lucy make good points.

First, schirmers and TBUTs fluctuate, so don't rely heavily on these one set of scores. You may need to have it done several times to get a clear idea.

Secondly, a low TBUT can indicate MGD. Ask your optometrist to check your meibomian glands. Be aware that many docs are not good at this and will incorrectly say that your meibomian glands look great when they are not.

Sazy is right in that plugs really don't help anyone with good schirmers and bad TBUT, but at the same time Lucy is right that you need to give the plugs a chance. It can take a couple weeks to see an effect. But if it's the plugs causing you pain (infection, etc) then you see to see a doc asap. If it's just your usual pain, give the plugs a chance.

It would also be a good idea to get checked for allergies that may be aggravating your problem. Having problems only at one area and not at another usual signals allergies. Or, it could simply be that the place you traveled to is especially humid and clean, and the place you live is dry and polluted, and that aggravates your problems at home. But I definitely wouldn't rule out allergies.

Good luck!

[msienkiewicz]

I love how you say the doc could not explain the pain I was having. Every doc I have seen has said the same. It is very frustrating. I decided to wait a bit on plugs; although, I haven't ruled them out. I want to make sure that the inflammation is completely gone first so as not to trap it on the eyes and make things worse. I have only been on restasis three months so I will wait a few months more to see if there is any more improvement. I started putting one drop in each eye at night as directed and then taking one drop and rubbing it into the eyelid margins as I did the azasite. I figure it may take down some of the inflammation if it gets in there and help the glands (MGD). The azasite burned and dried me out. I should have trusted my own judgement and stopped it.

Well anyway, it's worth a try; I figure it can't hurt. It is unpreserved.
I learned a valuable lesson to trust my own judgement when it comes to my eyes.

Melissa

[Aaron77]

Getting Checked for Allergies?

How does one usually go about getting checked for allergies that would be effecting the eyes?

The thought that a virus or bacterial infection in the eye could be causing some of my issues is also something I'd like to get checked out, any tests for this?

[Aaron77]

I think the climate change had a big impact on my eyes but I think what made them look so white was the fact that I also droped some alphagan P for the first time that weekend - I did'nt drop it again until tonight and the eye I put it in got noticeably whiter right away. No redness under the Alphagan P eyelid either. I do notice a bit of agitation in that eye though after putting in the drops a 1/2 hr ago.