Tweet
First of all, I wanted to extend a big "thank you" to everyone that contributes to this site. Having this website has helped me make it through some of my more difficult, depressing days.
Last summer is the time when my problems began. My left eye became bloodshot in the inside corner and wouldn't go away. People kept asking me "what is wrong with your eye"? My eye doctor said it was just irritated and sent me on my way with Lotemax.
Well, the Lotemax burned going in and actually made my redness worse. The doctor pulled me off Lotemax and we just started hitting the artificial tears, hard (systane ultra), also, I stopped wearing my contacts.
After a few weeks on the drops, there was no change. In fact the redness started popping up all over my eye. After going over the environment (no ceiling fans, getting a humidifier, etc) and having my regular doc run all the autoimmune tests and thyroid tests (all negative), my eye doctor gave me Restasis. Oh, I was also doing warm compresses at this point.
I was afraid to take the Restasis because of all the redness and inflammation I already had, so I got a second opinion. The second doc wanted to put lower plugs in on the first day of the appointment (but we didn't) He told me uppers would be next and probably cauterization down the road. I was familiar with all these things (from the info on this site) but thought it was a little aggressive on the first appointment. He sent me home with Zaditor (said he saw signs of allergy under my lids), told me to put in artificial tears every 2-4 hours (even if I felt I didn't need them) and an oinment at night. He also had me tape my eyes shut.
After about two weeks of Zaditor, preservative free artificial tears, warm compresses, and ointment at night, I was no better. My eyes were quite red and they burned throughout the day.
Like some others on this site, I got so depressed about the way I looked, that I became a hermit and basically spent a lot of time inside. I never wanted to go out in public. This whole rollercoaster ride seemed to come on so quickly, and no one was actually explaining "why" this was happening.
The only saving grace was that I could actually "hide" my red eyes behind my glasses because my prescription is so strong, my eyes look tiny behind the lens.
On to another doctor for a third opinion. This time I flew out to New York to see Dr. Latkany. He was fantastic. He was so patient and listened to my whole story. He was very understanding, and talking to him made me feel so much better about my situation.
He diagnosed me with rosacea. He told me to stop all artificial tears, Zaditor and nightime ointment. He asked me not to put eye cream or lotion of any kind on my face (I had stopped using eye cream, but was still using lotion). He told me that the heat from the shower was all he wanted me to use and he showed me the right way to do the eyelid hygiene (I wasn't pressing nearly hard enough) Finally, he told me to put cold packs on my eyes 4-5 times a day.
It is just over a week since I saw Dr. Latkany. I don't miss the artificial tears. In fact, my eyes feel so much better now that I am not putting anything in them. The cold packs have reduced the redness quite a bit. I am still a bit bloodshot (pinkish) and sometimes it gets a little more red. But it is definitely better than it was. I am trying to keep a log of triggers (sun, alcohol, certain shampoos, etc) so I know what I should be avoiding.
I feel better just understanding "why" and hopefully I can continue to manage this and minimize the flare-ups and inflammation.
Thank you again for this wonderful website and community.
Last summer is the time when my problems began. My left eye became bloodshot in the inside corner and wouldn't go away. People kept asking me "what is wrong with your eye"? My eye doctor said it was just irritated and sent me on my way with Lotemax.
Well, the Lotemax burned going in and actually made my redness worse. The doctor pulled me off Lotemax and we just started hitting the artificial tears, hard (systane ultra), also, I stopped wearing my contacts.
After a few weeks on the drops, there was no change. In fact the redness started popping up all over my eye. After going over the environment (no ceiling fans, getting a humidifier, etc) and having my regular doc run all the autoimmune tests and thyroid tests (all negative), my eye doctor gave me Restasis. Oh, I was also doing warm compresses at this point.
I was afraid to take the Restasis because of all the redness and inflammation I already had, so I got a second opinion. The second doc wanted to put lower plugs in on the first day of the appointment (but we didn't) He told me uppers would be next and probably cauterization down the road. I was familiar with all these things (from the info on this site) but thought it was a little aggressive on the first appointment. He sent me home with Zaditor (said he saw signs of allergy under my lids), told me to put in artificial tears every 2-4 hours (even if I felt I didn't need them) and an oinment at night. He also had me tape my eyes shut.
After about two weeks of Zaditor, preservative free artificial tears, warm compresses, and ointment at night, I was no better. My eyes were quite red and they burned throughout the day.
Like some others on this site, I got so depressed about the way I looked, that I became a hermit and basically spent a lot of time inside. I never wanted to go out in public. This whole rollercoaster ride seemed to come on so quickly, and no one was actually explaining "why" this was happening.
The only saving grace was that I could actually "hide" my red eyes behind my glasses because my prescription is so strong, my eyes look tiny behind the lens.
On to another doctor for a third opinion. This time I flew out to New York to see Dr. Latkany. He was fantastic. He was so patient and listened to my whole story. He was very understanding, and talking to him made me feel so much better about my situation.
He diagnosed me with rosacea. He told me to stop all artificial tears, Zaditor and nightime ointment. He asked me not to put eye cream or lotion of any kind on my face (I had stopped using eye cream, but was still using lotion). He told me that the heat from the shower was all he wanted me to use and he showed me the right way to do the eyelid hygiene (I wasn't pressing nearly hard enough) Finally, he told me to put cold packs on my eyes 4-5 times a day.
It is just over a week since I saw Dr. Latkany. I don't miss the artificial tears. In fact, my eyes feel so much better now that I am not putting anything in them. The cold packs have reduced the redness quite a bit. I am still a bit bloodshot (pinkish) and sometimes it gets a little more red. But it is definitely better than it was. I am trying to keep a log of triggers (sun, alcohol, certain shampoos, etc) so I know what I should be avoiding.
I feel better just understanding "why" and hopefully I can continue to manage this and minimize the flare-ups and inflammation.
Thank you again for this wonderful website and community.
Comment