Dry eye and CT scan

[robinzb]

Hi, everyone.

I have been having this full feeling on my neck or almost a year. my ENT doctor told me i got a bump in that area, so its better to have a CT scan to see whats going on.

but I heard radiactive stuff would worsen DES, is it true? am i supposed to have the CT scan or i shall ask for ultrasound instead? any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

[Dotanne]

Hi Robinzb
I have had a CT scan for the ENT specialist a while ago and also just last week I had an MRI and my eyes have been no different. I gooped up before the MRI because they say it is air conditioned and I thought it would be good therapy to goop up and lie with my eyes shut while all the noise etc went on for nearly an hour!!!! No after effects at all. My eyes were all the better to go shopping with afterwards!! And I went and bought some plants!!
I hope you can sort out the source of your problem. I get neck ache which I am told it is from muscles tensing up from dry eyes and face pain/discomfort.

[robinzb]

Thank you, Dotanne

One doctor used to prescribe anti-histamine to me for eye allergy, which is harmful to DES, so now im very careful abt this medical exmination and treatment.

MRI is not X-ray thing, so it probably wont do any harm to tear glands. but CT is radioactive examination, thats why im kinda scared of it~~

[Eli]

I could be mistaken, but when "radiation" is mentioned as a cause of dry eye, I believe they mean radiation therapy which is used to treat certain cancers. The total dosage would be much higher than what you would receive from a diagnostic x-ray. Check with your doc just to be sure, but I imagine you'll be fine! Also, just as a point of clarification, x-ray machines are not "radioactive" per se. They use very high voltage to create a brief pulse of x-ray energy. Once you turn the current off, the whole machine is totally harmless, there is no residual "radiation" whatsoever.

[Lucy]

could be mistaken, but when "radiation" is mentioned as a cause of dry eye, I believe they mean radiation therapy which is used to treat certain cancers. The total dosage would be much higher than what you would receive from a diagnostic x-ray

Eli~I think you are correct with this statement.

I've had two MRI's over a period of 7-8 years and do not think there was any harm from the MRI (to my eyes). (Yes, the MRI included the eye area.)

Lucy

[robinzb]

Thank you, Lucy and Eli. i've already done the CT scan. i felt ok with it.it should be ok, i guess