question

[kim]

i am male, 24 yrs old and have been experiencing itching, irritation, light sensitivity on sunny days, grittiness and more symptoms which only appear to be getting worse.

My doctor in the Uk has diagnosed me with dry eye and blepharitis but this is only after hearing about the symptoms. I am not convinced that anyone can make a diagnosis without any checks.

But in the meantime I would like to try eyedrops. The ones prescribed made my eyes sting and I did not like the greasy feel of it.

Which ones can I try?

and more specifically how do I obtain the help I need?

It seems that the NHS do the bare minimum here in the UK they do not take patients seriously and I certainly cannot afford private care.

This makes it more frustrating, at least if I had a proper diagnosis and instructions on how to deal with it I would know whats happening.

[kim]

Is there anyone here who might be able to give a more accurate diagnosis?

The problem is, I have all kinds of symptoms. Occasional pin sized flash of light which lasts a split second. These tend to happen also when i move my eyeball from one extreme to another.

The other physical symptom is that whenevr I get up in the morning my eyes are more redder around the white bit. There is also a red spot on the inner corner of each eye, on the pink 'dot'.

I would like to find out what these indicate...

[kitty]

No one should ever ask for or provide a diagnosis online. I suggest you post in the UK forum where you might find greater assistance in getting the kind of examination and treatment that you need. I suggest you start trying over the counter drops and see which one feels best in your mind. Give it up to a month for each drop. You might also try the treatments for blepharitis discussed here http://www.dryeyezone.com/encyclopedia/blepharitis.html. I wish you the best.

[calli66]

The flash of light is produced when the vitreous layer "tugs" on the retina, causing the photoreceptors to "fire." This may be a sign of something more serious---either vitreous detachment or retinal detachment. So it's definitely something you want to see a doctor about. They should dilate your eyes and do a complete examination of your retina. It is pretty normal, though, to see the little flash when you turn your eyes to the extreme one way or the other. If you notice the flashes with just normal eye movement, or if you suddenly have more "floaters" (the spidery-looking stuff that floats in front of your vision), or ESPECIALLY, if you see a "rain of little black dots" in your field of vision, go immediately to emergency care.

I'm not a doctor, but the increased redness is probably inflammation and irritation from the blepharitis. Search the posts on this forum and the "Dry Eye Encyclopedia" here for more information. Unpreserved drops (single dose) are usually better than preserved ones (depends on what preservative is used). If your eyes are very dry, any drop will sting and burn at first. You might want to try one of the gels for nighttime, and use warm compresses and lid cleaning/massage to help improve the blepharitis.

Calli

[cherrybrandy]

hello kim..

Hello kim i too live in the uk and have posterior blepharitis..Im having treatment every 3 months in newcastle.I want you to know that i can sympathise greatly with how you feel as when i go to the eye hospital they give me a drop to try?and it for me never works..But hang in there as we are all different and also you have youth on your side.I was advised the most important part of the blepharitis treatment is the hot cloths and eyelid massage.Take care..cb.

[eva b]

hello Kim,

sorry to hear you're feeling so rough - and I do understand about the problems we face here in the UK with the NHS.

Whereabouts do you live?

Can you not ask your GP for a referral to an opthalmologist at your local hospital? If you are in or near London, you could actually take yourself to casualty at Moorfields or the Western Eye Hospital - they have walk-in clinics, otherwise, outside London I think you need a GP referral.

I can't imagine your GP refusing you that?

good luck, and keep us posted

[kim]

hello Kim,

sorry to hear you're feeling so rough - and I do understand about the problems we face here in the UK with the NHS.

Whereabouts do you live?

Can you not ask your GP for a referral to an opthalmologist at your local hospital? If you are in or near London, you could actually take yourself to casualty at Moorfields or the Western Eye Hospital - they have walk-in clinics, otherwise, outside London I think you need a GP referral.

I can't imagine your GP refusing you that?

good luck, and keep us posted

I have asked for a referral unfortunately I missed one appointment but mind you, they never pick up when I call the number.

But this is my point, I do not believe that even a referral will help. I have a condition called tinnitus which is also incurable and I was referred to a specialist more than once and each time they could not help me. I felt I was insulted by the whole experience.

I have no reason to believe things will be better with my eye problem.

I went to moorfields by the way, and I believe that the drops they put in to dilate my pupils may have even caused my photophobia I suffer from now!

I feel like they ought to be held accountable. and no, they did not find anything wrong whatsoever. This was several months ago and now symptoms are even worse.

[kim]

I am in London area by the way

[calli66]

Kim,

The eyedrops used to dilate the pupil are very irritating to those of us with dry eyes, but it's pretty unlikely they caused photophobia. The effect would not last months--more like a few days, at most. Those dilating drops are necessary for examination of the retina. If the retina is torn or damaged, that definitely can lead to blindness if not dealt with right away. So don't be afraid to get those drops every now and then---we all have to go through it---but it has to be done.

But like Lucy said, dry eyes don't usually cause you to go blind.

Tinnitus is a different matter than your dry eyes---there may be underlying reasons for both, such as inflammation.

Your eyes probably feel worse now than a few months ago because the blepharitis has gotten worse. Even if you got a current diagnosis, you still have to do home treatments, warm compresses, etc. in addition to any drops or medications you get. There's no quick way to cure it, but it does get better.

Most of us here get better gradually, by learning about the conditions we have, reading about what works for other people, trying just about everything we can get our hands on, figuring out what works for today, this week, this month. Then when things change, we re-think our strategies and try again. Good doctors can be a big help, but they're not the total answer.

Calli

[rubyslippers]

Yes, tinnitus is incurable, but your brain may adapt over time. Mine was very severe and I hardly notice it anymore. You MUST see an otolaryngologist to make sure you are not losing your hearing at the same time. Tinnitus is often the first symptom of progressive hearing loss. In the last 6 years I am mostly deaf in one ear and completely in the other. I have an implant and function quite well with that and a hearing aide. Please get to the bottom of it. You need to know exactly why you have tinnitus at your age. BTW, mine had nothing to do with my dry eyes, but rather to a disease that affects only the ears.

[kim]

Yes, tinnitus is incurable, but your brain may adapt over time. Mine was very severe and I hardly notice it anymore. You MUST see an otolaryngologist to make sure you are not losing your hearing at the same time. Tinnitus is often the first symptom of progressive hearing loss. In the last 6 years I am mostly deaf in one ear and completely in the other. I have an implant and function quite well with that and a hearing aide. Please get to the bottom of it. You need to know exactly why you have tinnitus at your age. BTW, mine had nothing to do with my dry eyes, but rather to a disease that affects only the ears.

Nobody knows why tinitus happens or how. Where have you read tht it is often a sign of progressive hearing loss?

Thats certainly not what I have read.