Newbie to an opthamologist next week: What should I ask?

[foggyrain]

My eyes have been red for the past few months. I already had one red veins, but now you can see multiple red veins and general redness. I occasionally use vasoconstrictors (though I have now stopped), but even they don't really help.
I've never had pollen allergies and have never worn glasses/contacts or had LASIK.

My eyes redder a after I put on makeup and a few hours before I go to sleep; not sure if that's because I put on makeup or because of the AC or what. About a month ago, I left an apartment with a lot of mold,but that hasn't made my eyes less red. I also get a little stuffy at night too. I also have rosacea i.e. flushing/redness all around my face. Laser hasn't helped.

So I don't know if this is allergic conjunctivitis or ocular rosacaa or what.

I'm seeing Dr Latkany nexdt week. I've noticed that if you come in knowing nothing they sometimes just give you the first line solution i.e. Doxy , lid scrubs etc and then move onto the next person. I'm cash paying for this, so I'm hoping to get as much out of this as possible.

Can anyone help me with what questions I should ask? Are there any specific tests/things he should be looking at?

Thanks in advance!

[farmgirl]

Hi Foggy: I understand that Latkany is one of the best dry eye doctors so I think that you will just have to trust that he will do a proper and thorough exam and go with what he recommends. The best you can do is explain exactly what you outlined in your post.

This whole dry eye business is a process and you will probably not figure out what works for you right off the bat anyhow. Most of us have tried this and that and the next thing until we find what does and does not work for us....sadly there is not one fix. I would be very happy if I was seeing Dr Latkany for my first trip, you are very lucky.....cheers...F/G

[MGD1701]

Hi Foggyrain

I share the same view as farmgirl. Indeed you are lucky - I have read all positive things about Dr Latkany in the form.
The better/more info you provide him, the better he could help you. Such as (family) medical history, diet etc.


rosacaa - often links to demodex. So good to ask him to check this too.

make-up: be careful with contents, mostly are harmful for eyes. More info - read my posting
http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...-care-products

It would be great if you could share with us your experience for the visit so we could also learn something. Good luck!

[farmgirl]

Good advice MGD. I cannot put anything near my eyes and if you do get an allergic reaction it doesn't usually go away in a few hours, it can take days of red burning eyes. If I so much as get shampoo on my right eyelid it will get red and really sore for about 3 days. Every now and again if my eyes are behaving I can tolerate a bit of eyeliner but eye makeup is pretty much off the table for me now.

[foggyrain]

Hi Foggyrain

I share the same view as farmgirl. Indeed you are lucky - I have read all positive things about Dr Latkany in the form.
The better/more info you provide him, the better he could help you. Such as (family) medical history, diet etc.

If you have MGD, good to ask HOW to massage - normally he does but maybe only if you ask.
It is very important but hard to master - especially the pressure and how can you monitor it.
I can NOT see my thick oil secrets (from lower glands) when I massage but I can see oil drops from uppers with 20-zoom mirror.

MGD1701, What kind of massage are you talking about? Do you mean with a warm compress? Thank you!

[MGD1701]

Hi Foggyrain
The massage is after the warm compress.

Some doctors even do not recommend massage as it is risky if do improperly - they prefer you do in-office expression by trained professional (recent studies show it is very effective/safe).

[foggyrain]

Hi Foggyrain
The massage is after the warm compress. It is important to get ride of old/bad oil otherwise it will block glands, what I have read recently - sadly not early as none of 13 doctors told me - only one dr showed me under my request.

Some doctors even do not recommend massage as it is risky if do improperly - they prefer you do in-office expression by trained professional (recently studies show it is very effective/safe). But it is NOT available in the country I live. Very frustrating!

MGD, thanks for the details. Sorry it is not available in your country. When you talk about in-office massage by at trained professional, are you talking about a doctor or nurse or what? How often does it need to be done?

[MGD1701]

In-office expression, yes, done by a nurse or doctor.
how often? Depends on the oil status. Some like toothpaste, then should be more intensive. Normally 1-3 times/month, then reduce.Many people mentioned here that they all felt super helpful when their doctor expressed their glands.

[Faith1989]

Please let us know what the doctor says!