Red Bloodshot Eyes.. Need Help!!

[Franklin1987]

Hi all,

I have been reading through this site and found it very useful.

I am after some help with my eyes as i dont really know what else to do.

Im 24 years old and have suffered bloodshot eyes for as long as i can remember, from early high school (13 years of age)

I always get comments saying "whats wrong with your eyes" "are you stoned" etc. Its getting to a point where my self esteem is reducing and i dont want to go out.

Working in an office at a computer all day, i have reduced the brightness of my computer to try and avoid any unessesary strain to my eyes.

I rececently went to see an eye specialist about 2 weeks ago, and he advised my to stop using the drops i was using... Yes i was using clear eyes. I stopped it for a couple of weeks but had to use it for the past 2 days as i couldnt be seen at work with my eyes looking so red.

I have tried using natural eye drops "Refresh" as directed by the eye specialist. which seem to help slightly but not much of an effect.

I live in Australia and i want to try FreshKote but i cannot find anywhere that it is available.

I am on holidays in 1 weeks time and i plan to quit the clear eyes then as i will be able to stay out of site for a while.

I know i need to give up the clear eyes, but i just need some advice on what to do from then. I cant stand the sight of my eyes during the day.

Any tips or things you can let me know would be great.

[poppy]

Well a short course of FML (mild steroid drops) would probably clear up the redness, however in time the redness would come back. You might get weeks or more of relief though.

Of course steroids can have serious side effects, but using a mild steroid occasionally probably wouldn't be any worse than using clear eyes every day. The problem is eye doctors aren't usually keen to prescribe steroids long term because of the side effects.

I would also try cold compresses for the redness. I find the tranquileyes goggles (sold in the dry eye shop) good for cold compresses if you soak the pads in water in the freezer for 20 minutes.

It might also be that the long term use of the clear eyes is making your eyes even more irritated and giving you even more redness when the effect wears off. Going cold turkey for a while might help things.

[PotatoCakes]

I found this online:

"Decongestant eye drops containing naphazoline, tetrahydrozoline or phenylephrine relieve redness and discomfort by constricting the superficial blood vessels of the eyes. But what consumers don't know is that the more you use these products, the more sensitive and redder your eyes will be.

Dr. Charles N.S. Soparkar and his colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston said that frequent use of OTC eye drops may harm the eyes. In the journal "Archives of Ophthalmology", they reported that 70 people who had been using non-prescription eyewashes daily for three years developed acute and chronic forms of conjunctivitis marked by eye inflammation, discomfort, and discharge. In some, these symptoms persisted up to 24 weeks after the subjects stopped using the eye drops."

From http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Eye-Dr...Eyes&id=800268

The sooner you stop using Clear Eyes, the sooner / more likely your eyes will return to normal.
Cold compresses (per PP) are a great idea. You can also use green tea bags.

Once your eyes begin to recover from the longterm use of Clear Eyes, then you can start addressing the underlying cause of your redness, if there is one.

In the meantime, does your computer have an anti-glare screen? That might help some. Also try positioning it a bit lower so your eyes are slightly closed when you look at the screen. If you have to, set a timer to remind you to close your eyes for a period of time (this might be a good time to apply some Refresh Plus or other preservative-free drop, if necessary). When you apply drops (NOT Clear Eyes or Visine), close your eyes for 2 minutes (I know, it seems like an eternity) so the drops don't evaporate immediately and have time to properly moisturize your eyes.

The cold compresses will probably help with the redness more than the preservative free drops at this point but if you have dryness you'll need to address that with p-f drops for comfort. Your eyes are addicted to Clear Eyes and the only way to combat the overuse is to quit using them.

Good luck and i'm sorry you're having to deal with this. i wish they would ban products like Visine and Clear Eyes. The majority of people don't know they can cause problems. It's odd, prescription drug ads require all sorts of disclaimers but products like Visine and Clear Eyes require none in their ads.

[Franklin1987]

Hello,

So it is almost two years on and my eyes have not improved.

I have gone cold turkey on the clear eyes for about 6 months with very limited use the year before.

Running out of options here.

I have had surgery to cauterize my blood vessels, as directed by my eye doctor but that did not change it.

been prescribed mild sterioids but that didnt help either

I am seing a Homeopath this week to see if that can help then to chinese acupunture after that

Any other suggestions or ways to reduce the redness and get over the rebound hyperemia would be so helpful!

[saralynn143]

Have you talked to your eye doctor about scleral contact lenses? They hold a pool of moisture directly on the eye all day. I have dry eye due to nerve damage on the left side so that eye does not blink. Now that I wear the lens the eye looks and feels so much better, whether or not the lens is in.

[Franklin1987]

I have not spoken about scleral contact lenses. Have actually googled it a bit and some negative reviews.

Have you suffered from red eyes?

My eyes do not actually hurt not feel dry at all. They just appear bloodshot, i think now is the worst i have seen them.

I understand that it takes time to recover from the overuse of Clear eyes.

BUT can anyone give me some advice to mask the everyday bloodshot, so i can feel comfortable and confident in public again????

Help!!!

[Franklin1987]

Would anyone suggest this?

http://www.nativeremedies.com/produc...on-relief.html

Or has anyone tried this?

[Faith1989]

hey franklin,
i also suffer from the same thing you do, bloodshot eyes from visine. I used to use visine for over two years every single day! My eyes would get kind of red in the morning so i would put some in and would be fine. The day i quit, my eyes got really mad and angry..this has lasted about two years and they still hurt. My doctor said i have "mild" MGD and maybe allergies? Pataday helps me for about 5-6 hours but makes my eyes a little dry. I am also using serum drops (100%) and feel it also helps.

Do the doctors say there is anything wrong with your eyes? You are lucky there is no pain involved, but i get the cosmetic aspect.. i used to be a makeup artist..

[Franklin1987]

Yes if only i would have known not to use those stupid drops in the past. Looking back, i didnt really need them but on the odd day where i hadnt slept much my eyes would be slightly red. Then i would use it, then it went from there. I know you can understand my frustration.

I have tried all drops etc.

Been prescribed medication for allergies etc.

Nothing has worked

The doctors have said they do not know what else to do and i just have to live with it as my eyes are fine and healthy, they just look red.

My only option here now is for natural ways (homeopathy and acupuncture). I am starting these now but this will take some time. At least 3 months until i see any effect.

Anyone else in the same situation? And tried anything different to me that has worked?

Faith - Are those drops you are using a vaso contrictor?

[Franklin1987]

This is what my eyes look like, more red on my left eye then my right

[Faith1989]

It looks more like allergies to me than anything else...have u looked into this? i am no doctor but have you tried an ocular antihistimine? what about cyclosporine?

[Faith1989]

sorry didnt read the first message! as a last resort, maybe try a diet with no gluten or dairy.. some people find their eyes clear up with more clean natural foods.

i totally know exactly what u are going through, except i feel dryness and some pain. My right eye is way worse than my left. The left one has some permanent veins but not much, the right one has one permanent vein then others that come and go depending on how dry my eyes are. I am allergic to pollen and trees so summer is worse for me. if you wanna talk, private message me. it sucks because i used to love how i looked, now not so much... just because of the damn redness!

[Franklin1987]

Really? do you think it could just be alergies? My doctor percribed me doxy... somthing for alergies. Mild antibiotic to treat it but after a few months of it, nothing changed

I haven tried changing diet also..

As i said before the natural therepy is my last option. Seeing the Homeopath again next week and starting a 12 week course of acupuncture in a few weeks. Expensive but its a price to pay

[Franklin1987]

Has anyone used Optrex Actimist spray to treat Constant red and dry eyes.

Also is there any rebound or negative effect on using this product?

[Faith1989]

If it says on the packaging "reduces redness" I would stay away. Just an opinion though, maybe ask a doctor?