Tweet
I have had dry eyes for years. I do warm compresses, have taken doxycycline on and off, tried Restasis and most recently Xiidra. I also take fish oil. The condition has been manageable for the most part.
In early February (almost 3 months ago), I woke up with a very red right eye. The redness was diffuse but more severe in the lower half of my eyeball. There was no real pain (nothing worse than the pain/discomfort of dry eyes).
It was bad enough that I went to see an optometrist on a Sunday at an eyeglass shop. The optometrist diagnosed an irritated dry eye and prescribed a steroid/antibiotic eye drop and also the Xiidra.
The steroid drop reduced the redness and I quit using it after about a week (as directed).
The redness would return periodically. Worse in the mornings. Only right eye.
I went back to my regular ophthalmology practice 3/31. That doctor also diagnosed an irritated dry eye and put me on Lotemax gel. This helped the redness but when I stopped using it the redness returned.
Yesterday, 4/27, the redness was really bad. I called the same practice and they fit me in same day. This time I saw the "head Dr", an attending (sorry, not sure of terminology). He asked me many questions, such as did I have an illness before this started, an infection anywhere in my body, checked my TSH prior lab results, felt my lymph nodes, asked if there was anything I was doing differently to my right eye (I wasn't).
He then proceeded to to a VERY thorough exam, pulling my lower lid down HARD, digging around. . . wait for it . . then pulled out a LARGE CLUMP OF DOG FUR from MY EYE.
This clump was about an inch long and the width of a blade of grass (in fact when I first saw it I thought it was a blade of grass). The Dr. examined it for some time using the slit lamp and concluded that it was indeed hair/fur. He then dug around in my eye some more and found a couple more hairs.
WHAT THE HELL!?! (yes I do have a dog). But how on EARTH could I have had such a large foreign body in my eye for almost three months?
More importantly, how did it get in there without me noticing?? And how can I prevent this from happening again?
I'm incredibly relieved. Also embarrassed - makes me look like a dirty person (I shower once a day, wash my face twice a day, vacuum my house, wash my bedding once a week).
Please, any insight would be much appreciated.
In early February (almost 3 months ago), I woke up with a very red right eye. The redness was diffuse but more severe in the lower half of my eyeball. There was no real pain (nothing worse than the pain/discomfort of dry eyes).
It was bad enough that I went to see an optometrist on a Sunday at an eyeglass shop. The optometrist diagnosed an irritated dry eye and prescribed a steroid/antibiotic eye drop and also the Xiidra.
The steroid drop reduced the redness and I quit using it after about a week (as directed).
The redness would return periodically. Worse in the mornings. Only right eye.
I went back to my regular ophthalmology practice 3/31. That doctor also diagnosed an irritated dry eye and put me on Lotemax gel. This helped the redness but when I stopped using it the redness returned.
Yesterday, 4/27, the redness was really bad. I called the same practice and they fit me in same day. This time I saw the "head Dr", an attending (sorry, not sure of terminology). He asked me many questions, such as did I have an illness before this started, an infection anywhere in my body, checked my TSH prior lab results, felt my lymph nodes, asked if there was anything I was doing differently to my right eye (I wasn't).
He then proceeded to to a VERY thorough exam, pulling my lower lid down HARD, digging around. . . wait for it . . then pulled out a LARGE CLUMP OF DOG FUR from MY EYE.
This clump was about an inch long and the width of a blade of grass (in fact when I first saw it I thought it was a blade of grass). The Dr. examined it for some time using the slit lamp and concluded that it was indeed hair/fur. He then dug around in my eye some more and found a couple more hairs.
WHAT THE HELL!?! (yes I do have a dog). But how on EARTH could I have had such a large foreign body in my eye for almost three months?
More importantly, how did it get in there without me noticing?? And how can I prevent this from happening again?
I'm incredibly relieved. Also embarrassed - makes me look like a dirty person (I shower once a day, wash my face twice a day, vacuum my house, wash my bedding once a week).
Please, any insight would be much appreciated.
Comment