stubborn bacterial eye infection

[Parramatta]

Hello, I have had a sore eye with a lot of pus for 3 weeks now. Started on different type of eye

drops yesterday, as first ones haven't cleared up the infection. Has anyone else had the same

problem?

[Newdawn Administrator]

Yes I have a similar recurring problem parramatta. You may need oral antibiotics as well as the drops. It took a hefty dose of penicillin to clear mine (and fusilic acid gel drops).

I sympathise...they're miserable things!

Newdawn

[Parramatta in reply to Newdawn]

Thank you Newdawn for your advice. I was wondering whether my G.P.

would offer oral antibiotics. It really is a painful condition. Did you feel

generally unwell when you had the problem?

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to Parramatta]

Yes I actually developed a higher temperature which made me consult the GP. It really should be settling after 3 weeks so I'd suggest you make an appointment to see your doctor. The infection had spread to my lacrimal gland under the eye which can be very nasty if not caught quickly.

Hope you get sorted soon parramatta.

Newdawn

[CLLCalifornia-USA]

Parramatta,

I had the same thing in August and it was dreadful. My GP sent me to an ophthalmologist. She put me on antibiotics both oral and drops. She also recommended warm compresses as often as was possible. It took a second dose of stronger antibiotics to finally clear it up, along with a spray called Avenova. Avenova is a daily lid and lash spray. Either spray it on a cotton pad, or directly on the skin and lashes and wipe dry. I think the warm compresses help better than anything. It sure is miserable. Sorry you have to deal with this annoyance.

Kind regards,

Sally

[Newdawn Administrator]

I'm waiting to see an Opthamologist but there's a 4-5 month waiting list on the NHS in our area

Newdawn

[Parramatta in reply to Newdawn]

That's an awful long time Newdawn. I hope things are ok with you while

you have the wait.

[momof12]

I had this problem in both eyes. It was HORRIBLE. I had to goto the doctor and they prescribed 2 meds. My general doctor did it for me

[Parramatta]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I have just come home from seeing G.P.

and there is a slight improvement since obtaining different drops on Monday

but no offer of any oral antibiotics. He said to keep an eye on it (excuse the pun)

and if not happy come back.

[CLLCalifornia-USA]

Did your doctor recommend warm compresses? The warm compresses really helped draw out the infection. Once I increased the warm compresses daily, I did see a difference. Best of luck. It is miserable to deal with.

[Parramatta in reply to CLLCalifornia-USA]

No he didn't California, thank you for the tip, I will start immediately!

[fieldmeadow]

Given your cll status I am surprised you have not been offered antibiotics.

I developed an eye infection following my first round of FCR when my neuts were extremely low. I had a slightly raised temperature and as a result was admitted to hospital and given intravenous antibiotics. It was suggested that the stronger intravenous stuff was to help prevent the infection from spreading.

Maybe because my resistance was very low at this point (which could have resulted in progressive complications) the doctor erred on the side of caution. I remained in hospital for 10 days.

Had I been in the early stages of cll a hospital stay would probably not have been required but I think I would still have insisted on oral antibiotics.

Hope your infection heals soon.

[Parramatta in reply to fieldmeadow]

Thank you for your reply fieldmeadow, I will try and get some oral

antibiotics today!

[Newdawn Administrator]

I agree with fieldmeadow on this.

It could be that your GP declined oral antibiotics because he saw some improvement with the drops but you really need to watch for continuing problems.

I'd also advise anyone to buy a digital thermometer and learn what your temp normally runs at because we are all a little different. I know it's unusual for me to go over 36.4 so 37.4 was a spike for me. Others run routinely at 37 and sometimes a little higher.

Hope it clears soon parramatta but 3 weeks is a long time for eye infections.

Newdawn

[Parramatta in reply to Newdawn]

Thank you again Newdawn for your imput and your interest!

[kathypawpaw]

Dear Parramatta,

Some simple things that work really well for me are rinsing the eye with Bausche & Lomb Advanced eye relief wash. Do not touch the container to your eye.

Also steroids help a lot with eye infection but doctors are sometimes reluctant to prescribe them. Sounds like you may need a combination antibiotic/steroid to clear up the infection. I would get to the eye doctor pronto if you haven't already.

Another good over the counter eye cleansing tool is eye lid scrub which gently cleans the lid. Three weeks seems like a long time. If you have not responded to your eye doctors RX I would go back to see him again. You eyes are very precious.

[Parramatta in reply to kathypawpaw]

Thank you so much for your advice kathypawpaw, I am willing to try

anything!

[kathypawpaw in reply to Parramatta]

Good luck. I had similar issues. The RX should knock it out in a day or two if it is strong enough. In the US the doctor gave me a combination ointment that went directly into the eye and it worked rather quickly. Nothing more annoying then something going on with your eyes. Also if you wear contacts be sure to use a gentle high quality solution like Bio True. Daily super clean care of contacts and hand washing. You can't be too careful around your eyes. Remove all makeup at night. CLL is a game changer.

Kathy

[Marlene9 in reply to kathypawpaw]

I was able to stop the infection with brand new mini- single-use vials of eye drops by GenTeal Tears. Older bottles of various eye drops did not work. Do not touch your eyes with the vials. As the eye was itchy, it was difficult not to rub it, BUT KEEP HANDS AWAY. [I believe previous rubbing contributed to the infection.] I also tried to keep skin around the eye as sterile as possible by gentle washing with soap and water, and carefully cleaning skin above and below eye with Q-tip moistened with alcohol. Make sure that swab is not dripping with alcohol, and be very careful not to touch inner rim or get any alcohol into your eye. I think the cleaning helped, but the single-use vials had the greatest effect.

[MsLockYourPosts Passed Volunteer]

I would certainly push for an appointment with an eye specialist unless you have seen a dramatic improvement with your current meds. Three weeks is just too long for this to go on without improvement. I learned the hard way to become an aggressive patient when doctors were not paying attention to infections.

[Lola69]

I am battling this since yesterday

[akajeanie1]

my doctor gave me erythromycin eye cream.