Can excessive burning eyes cause corneal damage?

[HYPERHEAD]

Hi all,

Sometimes I get really burning eyes when my eyes are really bad , but I was wondering if this burning can actually cause any corneal damage Over time?

Also to let you all know I have arranged a optholomogist referral for next week and am booking a dermatologist this week. Also I got some promising results with coconut oil to reduce redness and swelling of the lids

Thanks

Mario

[PotatoCakes]

I would guess the burning is a symptom of dryness or damage but not necessarily the cause.
You need lubrication (tears) between your eye and your eyelid in order to prevent damage. Without lubrication, it's a bit like sandpaper every time you open / close your eyes. If you rub your arm continuously for a long period of time, without lubrication (lotion, oil, etc), eventually your arm will start to feel like it's burning because you're slowly rubbing a fraction of skin off. If you do it long enough, you'll see abrasions. I would think the eye is similar but much more delicate than your arm.

I could be wrong, of course, and inflammation, etc certainly can cause damage on its own with other things so anything is possible.

[littlemermaid]

I was wondering if this burning can actually cause any corneal damage Over time?

Yes, Hypes, it will, if untreated. Also chronic untreated surface inflammation (for the worst scenario for people with infection and countries with no help, corneal melt). LM is well controlled but still has punctate epithelial lesions, painful dry patches of cornea surface burnt by MG infection, and sub-epithelial damage from chronic inflammation. People here have corneal erosions and things we haven't experienced yet they can tell you about.

We are lucky to have docs. I'm encouraging you to get treatment! As soon as you have seen that ophthalmologist, post up and let us know

[Jenn1]

Hyper, do your eyes produce tears or is only your mei glands affected along with bleph? The others are right.

[HYPERHEAD]

Hi

I have booked the optholomogist for next week

When you say do I produce tears, do you mean if I cry or stand by onions..i was by onions the other day and my eyes did water badly.

The only thing that bothers me is that I'm so hypersensitive to most meds like antibiotics,preservatives ,etc. It worries me a bit that my body would react badly to oral antibiotics if they were prescribed I find that many drops work at first then I start getting side effects , like eye burning,headaches,eye pain,slight dizziness .

I have been hating the greasy dry eye lately and feeling very tired still

Only the shower now gives me some relief thank god

[poppy]

Absolutely it can cause corneal damage, and even corneal ulcer.

Doctors often won't tell you whether you have corneal involvement - as they want to trivialise your problem and get rid of you - you may need to either ask directly or read their letters to find out if your cornea is getting damaged. One thing you can ask is if you have any punctate keratitis which is common with dry eye.

[Jenn1]

Hi

I have booked the optholomogist for next week

When you say do I produce tears, do you mean if I cry or stand by onions..i was by onions the other day and my eyes did water badly.

The only thing that bothers me is that I'm so hypersensitive to most meds like antibiotics,preservatives ,etc. It worries me a bit that my body would react badly to oral antibiotics if they were prescribed I find that many drops work at first then I start getting side effects , like eye burning,headaches,eye pain,slight dizziness .

I have been hating the greasy dry eye lately and feeling very tired still

Only the shower now gives me some relief thank god

I meant if your aqueous (lacrimal gland) is ok. Agree with the drops bit.

[HYPERHEAD]

I hope my lacrimal gland is ok , but I will know soon after the optholomogist appointment

Surely you would only get corneal damage in extreme cases of inflammation and dryness, also how could you tell if you starting to get corneal damage ? Would your eyes be in pain or Red etc....

[spmcc]

I have booked the optholomogist for next week

It's a good idea to prepare for your doctor's appointment by reading Rebecca's resource on how to get a diagnosis.

She mentions the OSDI (Ocular Surface Disease Index). This questionnaire helps you explain to the doctor what is going on.

I think it's very important to fill out the OSDI prior to every appointment. I write my main concerns on the back - including info on my eyes, lids AND vision. I make a note of whether my signs/symptoms are worse or better at different times of the day (or any other peculiarities).

Just as an example: eyes are gritty, burning, light-sensitive; much worse in the morning - feel better and vision improves as the day goes on; if I blink a lot, there is a foreign-object sensation; lids are red, swollen, crusty, itchy; etc.

I write the dates when the symptoms began and if/how they changed.

I have a list of treatments I've tried, when I started, how often I used/did them, and how I reacted.

I date the form, then make a copy for my files. The original goes with me to my appointment and into the doctor's file.

[littlemermaid]

All excellent, essential advice.

History: As Spmcc, meticulously, plus eye surface + eyelid margin + retina photos (£10 from high street chain optometrists, ask for email .jpg). Difficult otherwise to give fast, concise detailed history when nervous, which is exactly what docs need to work on.

Feedback: Unfortunately what Poppy describes has been true for us a few times after unsuccessful treatment inc hiding info on eye surface damage: cover-up, ignorance, not feeling responsible, rushing, carelessness, arrogance, high-handedness. Depends who you get.

Also, if they don't describe to you what they are seeing as they examine you, it can be time wasted, esp if write-up is poor or non-existent. We've puzzled over illegible notes and drawings with the follow-up doc. Amazingly, they forget basic stuff like checking meibomian glands or forming a view on the tear film or even checking the intraocular pressure. We've even had some pretty rubbish vision checks eg can you see that poster over there? Or 'Your vision is so improved from last month!' (new glasses...) So Keep Asking what they can see, what they are checking and testing, to forge a fruitful relationship.

Doc school day 1 = look confident even when you're clueless, try to cope on your own without irritating the consultant, don't be seen looking things up on your iPhone (I'd rather they would), and, if you don't know, act superior. It requires great humility and self-confidence to confer, esp if you're a boss. To know this is empowering for the patient who has Dryeyezone and Dryeyetalk to read up about symptoms and current treatments.

Go in with your typed-up history and list of questions or they may set the agenda based on what's easy. Or the old classics, 'come back in 3m/6m - we'll hope it/you/me has gone away by then' or 'I won't embarrass myself by attempting dermatology, endocrinology, immunology, ENT or neuro, but hesitate to refer'.

It worries me a bit that my body would react badly to oral antibiotics

Flag this up as Point no.1. It worries me a lot but treatment can be tailored. Describe exactly what happened with antibacterial eyedrops, any other drug reactions.

(LM reacted to tetracycline (headache, vision disturbance, confusion), stopped taking it, resolved in 3 days. However, it left her with chronic intracranial hypertension on top of all the other joy. The odds are slim but obviously it happens, and more likely to someone with a dodgy immune system. If you react to anything, stop the course, immediately return to the prescribing doc. Search in Google. That's how we knew to self-refer urgently to A&E on drug reaction - GP 'take painkiller' and ophth 'check IOP', no good on symptoms. Also 'drug reaction' is a queue-jumper keyword - head for A&E with 24/7 eye clinic cover and get them to check the optic nerve head for papilloedema, avoid lumber puncture for CSF pressure without neuro-ophth advice.)

This does not prevent looking after the eyes (LM uses preservative-free drops, inc topical antibacterials to control inflammation, same principle as oral). Hope you're feeling empowered. Ophth are good at allergy. Hope you like your team!

[Lacrima]

I meant if your aqueous (lacrimal gland) is ok. Agree with the drops bit.

Hi Jenn, How would the opthalmologist test if the lacrimal gland is ok?

[Jenn1]

Hi Jenn, How would the opthalmologist test if the lacrimal gland is ok?

They need to test your tear film and from that they can establish if there are any problems or not using various tests they do.