Bandage lenses that are worn 24/7?

[mgshutterbug]

I recently went to a new ophthalmologist. The cornea in one eye had numerous abrasions and erosions. She said I would need to use a bandage lens 24/7 for 7 weeks. I had never had a bandage lens before; I had seen references to bandage lenses in forum but had not noticed how long someone wears them. The ophth said that the cornea would not heal because of the severe dry eye w/o the bandage lens worn for that time period.

Has anyone here ever worn a bandage lens 24/7? If so, for how many days/weeks?

So far, every morning when I wake up, it's like I have a new erosion - everything is super blurry (for instance, I can't see what I'm typing with my left eye), there's considerable pain, photophobia, burning. i.e., my eye feels awful, and I keep wondering if the lens is all shriveled up in the morning and injuring the cornea when I open my eyes and blink. Until I flood it with drops for hours, the vision remains very blurry, eye painful. I went back to the ophth the day after the lens was inserted because of the blurriness and pain, and she said the bandage lens looked just fine. It sure doesn't feel that way!

I'm going to call her tomorrow and report the problems I continue to have - considering she said I'd have to wear this BL 24 hrs x 7 weeks, I have considerable concerns...

[Hopeful2]

Oh I am so sorry you are going through all these eye difficulties. I really don't know much about bandage lenses, so I really can't help.

I know that some people here eith RCEs have been helped by using muro 128 ointment. . . sorry if this is something you already know about.

Have you considered seeing someone at a hospital associated with an eye clinic? Do your eyes seem worse off since you have started with the lenses? In any case, it might be worthwhile to get a second opinion.

[liz56]

Hi, mgshutterbug.

I had a bad bout with erosions a few years ago, and I never tried the BCL solution, but I know some who have with success and others who were frustrated, because they felt like the erosions were happening under the BCL. Some can be put in before bedtime and not used through most of the day, and some can be used for days or weeks on end. I think it is good that you will go to the doctor, and, really, the sooner the better. It may be that there is something else they can try or that there is a way to use the BCL more effectively in your situation.

I wish you the best. Erosions are the worst pain I ever had.

--Liz

[mgshutterbug]

Thanks Liz and Hopeful. I appreciate your responses greatly. Hopeful, I'm unable to use Muro 128 ointment with the bandage contact lens because it will "goop" the lens up. I do normally treat erosions with Muro 128 ointment at night, or even during the day, depending on how bad the erosions are. Then I use Muro drops 4x/d. But since I can't use the ointment, it just feels like I'm getting erosions under the BCL. My eye is bone dry most of the time, but in the morning upon awakening, the symptoms are the absolute worst. I'm pretty sure that the cornea is just getting more and more damaged. It sure burns/hurts/spiking pain with light now that I'm wearing the BCL. It hurt alot before having the lens inserted too, but it feels even worse now. Liz, I'm glad to hear that some have met with success with the BCL. I'm just generally frustrated overall with my eyes, and my rate of recuperation from the shoulder surgery. That has been abysmally slow, very painful, and now looks like it will stretch out to a year, at the rate I'm going. I just am at the end of my rope. But I will definitely call the ophtho tomorrow, and ask to come in. Again. Costs me $35 each time to see her, and I already went in the day after I had it put in because of the pain and decreased level of vision. She said the lens looked fine. She told me to use alot more non preservative drops along with the Restasis and Muro. But I can't use the ointment in the eye with the BCL because that would "goop" up the lens. But without ointment, the BCL gets bone dry. How can this be helping me? I have been patched for 3 days in the past after a huge erosion stretching across my entire pupil. It took a very very long time to heal after that one. It was at least 5 months, maybe 7, I can't remember, before the corneal pressure declined to normal and my acuity improved significantly. I sure hope that this one is not going to follow suit.

Maria

[mgshutterbug]

Went to ophth today w/emergency appt. Couldn't tolerate pain any longer, and not being able to see in the a.m. in eye w/BCL. My ophth thoroughly examined my eyes, and said I still need to have BCL for another 6 wks. But she said she'd try a different make of BCL, the AcuVue Oasis. That one is much more comfortable on my eye. She said unfortunately, it w/need to be replaced every 7-10days, and I'll have to come in for that. That's why she had prescribed the other make lens first. She also said that I could use a gel like Systane in my L eye that has the BCL w/o hurting it. My eyes have been very itchy as well. She said I have alot of debris on edge of lids and on lashes. So she said to use OcuSoft Plus eyelid cleanser, because you don't have to rinse cleanser off. She doesn't want me getting alot of water in my eye while washing off cleanser. And, of course, I am to use warm compresses (my rice baggy) before cleansing the eyes, so hopefully some of the Meibomian glands will open, plus it'll be easier to get debris out of lashes and off eyelid edge.

That's the state of things at the present. Thanks you all for your responses, I so much appreciate them.

[liz56]

I'm glad that you sought help and changed your BCL. I hope that the new kind is working better for you!

Thank you for the update.

--Liz

[mgshutterbug]

The Oasis BCL is not drying out as much as the first BCL brand did. And this one is much more comfortable during the day, I don't constantly feel it. Today I had the new Oasis BCL put in. My doc said the cornea is healing, but still very fragile. She said that I need to wear the BCL for another 2-3 weeks. That's better than 4-5 more weeks. My eyes continue to be so dry, so painful, and the vision is slightly improved, but not back to what it was before I started again with the RCEs 4 weeks ago. My ophth recommended that I wear the tranquil eyes night goggles to try to keep moisture in the eye and BCL. I will try that again tonite. It's just such a pain - I have to use a bipap machine with full face mask and headgear, a chin strap because my mouth falls open, and now the goggles too. It's a bit much. But if it keeps my eye and BCL from drying out so much, it'll be worth it.

Maria