Diagnosis of RCE

[kitty]

Is RCE diagnosed by history, clinical findings or both? I have been experiencing what I believe are erosions. Most often they resolve within a few hours of waking, but lately the pain has been lasting longer. How can a doctor diagnose this if an erosion is not present when the doctor sees you? Also, are there any long term effects on the cornea from the erosions?

[liz56]

Dear Kitty,

It takes both a history and observation by a doctor. I had to have a severe ulcer develop before anyone was able to "see" it here in Michigan. My primary doctor did a florescent staining and documented it. It had healed significantly by the time I got to the ophthalmologist some six hours later. The second ophthalmologist I saw for the problem kept telling me that I was healed up about two weeks after starting Muro, and I felt like I was having erosions. I wound up getting attention by a total of seven doctors. Two of them were corneal specialists.

So, it is a really difficult condition to diagnose. I think that if you feel like you are having them, then see at least one really trained corneal specialist. That's no guarantee that you will get definitive answers. I had to see a second one.

Also, be sure to let them know all of you symptoms, such as if you are having tears / watering, redness, blurred vision, pain, a foreign-object feeling later after the pain subsides, and most problems coming in the mornings.

Good luck,
Liz

[Nimmykins]

I went to GPs two or three times before attending with an erosion in action, that's when I was sent straight to eye hospital and was eventually diagnosed.
It sounds like you've got the condition, it's just a case of having someone take a good look when you're in serious pain, to confirm it.