If there is nothing in my eye why does it feel like it constantly?

[tiff]

My optho co firms there is nothing in my eye or on my lid, but it feels like it and its driving me crazy. It feels like something is rubbing when I blink, but all the time in general, too. I have dry eyes and a very fast tear-break up time, but this rubbing sensation is new and I don't know what to do about it. Thanks.

[Guest]

I've had sensations that sound like what you describe in the past... usually when my eyes are drier than usual, often due to irritating them by working, using the computer too much, drafts or whatever.

Anyhow, the only way I can get rid of it is to totally baby my eyes... do everything possible to avoid drying activities, or keep them to an absolute minimum (ex. maybe at work you have no choice but to use the computer, but can stay away from it at home)... plus, get lots of sleep (it rests your eyes, right?). Hopefully after a few days of that, your eyes will feel improved.

[farmgirl]

My eyes have been great the last few months, however yesterday I developed an irritation of the eyelid in the eye that bothers me the least. I have been putting more drops in of late as I was getting a lot of burning. After I developed the sore eye lid I also got that gritty sensation (in the worst eye) like there was something in my eye. I know from past experience that my corneas are showing signs of dryness when this happens. I did what Saag suggested and babied them. I plugged all the holes in the vents of my Wiley's, wore them all day inside and out and tried to put as few drops as possible in them. What I have concluded is happening is that I am developing a sensitivity to my favorite drops...sigh. This leaves me with no choice but to go back to preserved drops until I return to Canada at the end of winter.

I think I have been overusing the drops to compensate for the burning but that the burning is from a sensitivity to the drops and the cycle is making me worse. The moral of this story is: 1) I agree whole heartedly with SAAg and her advice and 2) make sure the sensation is not coming about as a result of inflammation due to sensitivity from the drops of gels that you are putting in your eyes.

[jenny2008]

my right eye has been so bad with burning * forgeign body sensation... i hate that feeling-that something is in it but its not... i broke down past 2 days and used refresh pm ointment.. it did help although i hate using ointments in fear they clog my glands..but i go to the doc in a week or so so i will find out then since im only using ontment in one eye....i guess it does help???

[Colin P]

Unless i mis-understand the question?.
Simple explanation really, (had it myself) your tear film is getting a dry spot, due to it breaking up for whatever reason? oil, mucus, aqueas defficincy, whatever the cause? the 3 ingrediants create a healthy tearfilm that works as it should. Ours/mine/yours aint doing and dry spots emerge where the tearfilm is not covering the eye surface properly as it should, an ebrasion occurs where the eye lid is repeatedly rubbling on the dry spot as you blink. This is the fastest healing part of the body fortunatly, and in normal circumstances should take under an hour to heal an abrasion naturaly. What was happening to me, was i would go to bed with the full-on ebrasion wake up in the morning and it had gone, however, not had chance to heal well enough, as it was a big ebrasion, and this would kick-off again later in the day again as my lids opening and shutting set it off again. My record is 4 days! Yes i had that foreign object feeling for a full 4 days!.
And yeah i was going insane also- i now know how prometheus must have felt up on mount Kaukasos .
They do eventually heal but try and look after your eyes so the healing process can work faster..

[abbygirl]

I have had this foreign body sensation too..almost like an eyelash is in my eye. I had it last week after going along time without. I thought I was over that!! Mine lasted longer than usual..about 6 hours and I did go to bed with it which scared me to death so I kept waking up to put drops in. In the am I was OK. Really baby your eye! I was using a drop of Refresh Sensitive and a drop of Celluvisc because I couldn't stand that feeling! Whenever the pain returned I put a drop on. That worked for me. Good luck!

[Rebecca Petris]

Great ideas from everybody about possible explanations and things to look out for.

Might sound a little drastic but sometimes when there is a persistent dry spot, patching it for awhile could give it a better chance to heal up. Also possibly patching or taping that lid shut overnight.

[jenny2008]

Tiff -how are you doing?? do u still have that feeling in your eye??? i do right now in my right eye.. i think its just dryness.of course speakw/ ur doc... i was always so against ointment because i wsa told it couldpossibly clog my glands ....but when my eye is so dry its worth it in a way..otherwise i cant function..

i was able to go to dinner the other night and enjoy a movie at home because i put ontment in--of course i still felt there was something in my eye but it helped..i used it for a few days and now im better. this eye still has some of that feeling and is dry but better..keep us posted..

[tiff]

Thanks, everyone. Yes, I still have this feeling in my eye and it's been over a month now. It's driving me crazy. My doctor just said there is nothing in it and prescribed me bromfenac sodium drops to help the feeling go away. I've not filled the script yet because the online info. I'm reading doesn't look very favorable. Also, I truly feel as though my eye is not smooth in that area. I know it sounds odd, but there is a small spot near my iris that reflects light differently when you look at it from a certain angle. Is it possible to have a bump on your cornea? I'm using Systane gel at night, but it's not helping. Formerly I was using Refresh pm. So, to recap: might my eye be bumpy in that area? Do gel or ointment drops really clog glands?

[Rebecca Petris]

. Is it possible to have a bump on your cornea?

Sure, plenty of possibilities, microcysts, maybe the beginnings of a pinguecula, and I don't know what all else. However it seems to me very unlikely that anything of that nature would not be seen or identified by a doctor looking for it (although entirely possible they see a small irregularity they don't mention because they don't believe it could cause significant pain/symptoms). So not sure what to say....

I remember a member here who had a longstanding persistent painful spot in her eye. It was hard to pin down a cause. I think she even tried amniotic membrane & resurfacing but I don't remember whether that helpd. Me, I'd be be really assertive with the doctor to pin down whether they see any kind of irregularity there at all and if so what it could be... if not, just baby, baby, babying the eye for awhile....

[Guest]

if not, just baby, baby, babying the eye for awhile....

Agreed! And maybe I ought to clarify what babying might entail...

1) The obvious: staying off the computer, not watching TV (you can always just listen to your fave shows with your eyes shut and a cool compress)
2) Wear goggles, even at home, and even when out and about shopping or running errands (Wiley's are great for that... I wear mine at work if need be since sometimes even my custom moisture chambers don't quite cut it... especially in winter when the air is crazy dry)
3) Rest your eyes as much as possible - you can listen to audiobooks with your eyes shut in your downtime, or chat on the phone with eyes shut, listen to music etc
4) Don't do stuff that makes you stare (ex. chopping vegies, anything that makes you concentrate too much... can't totally avoid this, but you'd be amazed at how much you can cut down)
5) Don't cook stuff that makes fumes (ex. frying stuff) as sometimes that can add to an already irritated eye - I've found using the slow-cooker to be the most eye-friendly way to cook
6) Humidify your environment - go crazy with humidifiers if you have to... will be worth it to feel better!
7) Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night - all that shut-eye can help the eye to heal up quicker

Lastly, if the above measures aren't helping within a few days, maybe your doctor could prescribe you a short course of steroid drops to heal things up faster.

Fingers crossed for you!

[tiff]

I tried and tried, but cannot get a good photo of it. Basically when I look at it from a certain angle in the right light one small area near my iris catches light and reflects it when the rest of my eye does not, which is what leads me to believe that it protrudes from the rest of the eye surface. Should I be concerned?

[indrep]

This is just a thought. Something to discuss on next visit.
The meibomian glands secrete "microsphericals" as well as lipids. These microsphericals act as spacers/ballbearings between the lids and globe. Without these the lids act literally as windshield wipers scraping everything off the cornea. This could include damaged epithelial cells. So at first the discomfort/pain was only felt with blinking now as more damage is done the discomfort/pain is more constant.

[abbygirl]

indrep..what you said about microshericals is interesting. Is it possible that this could also cause pain in the upper portion of the eyeball right about where the eyeball goes into the eyesocket? The weird part is my pain almost always hits me early am..like this morning at 6am Can't figure it out!!

[indrep]

abby,
The morning issue usually describes MGD. Inflamed lids in contact with ocular surface all night creates extreme discomfort upon waking. MGD also affects the production and secretion of the microsphericals.