Feeling sorry for myself

[Efabear]

Hello. I have had a severe allergic reaction to one or more of my drops. I've been stable on them all for some weeks/months. It started with itchy eyes and got gradually worse and now my eyes are mega sore, bloodshot and the skin around them and spreading down my cheeks ( as they water ++) puffy, intensely itchy, cracked and flaky. Eye casualty prescribed antihistamine drops, antibiotics and lubricants. All preservative free. However I woke the next day with the swelling and puffiness spread to my whole face. It's no exageration to say I wouldn't need make up to feature in The Addams family.! Another trip to casualty yesterday saw then stopping all drops and prescribing preservative free steroids, but there is as yet no improvement and if anything my lips and face are even more swollen. Due back to eye casualty on Mon, and will head to A&E if swelling compromises my breathing, but its going to be a tough weekend as I am so uncomfortable and my vision is super blurry. I tried cold compresses but these dry and crack my skin even more and I use cetraban ointment, but I am scared to use it too often or other creams, lest my skin reacts badly. Any suggestions for coping strategies gratefully received. Thank you

[Sunshine88888888]

Oh bless you, sounds awful. I have never experienced a reaction as serious as what you are experiencing. I really hope you are not on your own as it must be so worrying. Really wish I had some useful advice, please let us know how you get on

[Efabear in reply to Sunshine88888888]

Thank you. I think I've run my hubby ragged with it all but he's been super supportive and things have improved, thankfully

[Hidden]

That sounds awful. I feel so sorry for you. I would gladly throw all the drops out of the window and do wish that ophthalmologists weren't so blinkered about their side effects.

[Efabear in reply to Hidden]

I agree. My consultant was very dismissive when I said my eyes were itchy. Yes compared to going blind a bit of itchyness sounds tolerable but it's not so easy living with it constantly. Thank you for your kind good wishes

[Engima]

Sorry to hear about your eyes and the allergic reaction. Mine sometimes feel very itchy when my hayfever is bad, but it soon passes. Unfortunately have no advice on what you can do to help your eyes, hope they start to get better very soon and you get some answers and constructive help tomorrow. As Stone93 says it would be great if we could throw away all our eye drops, but alas that will not help us in the long run. x

[Efabear in reply to Engima]

Indeed it would be good to get rid of drops but a necessary evil. Thank you for your kind message. Really helps to hear from others with the disease.

[fayreland]

I'm so sorry to read about your problems - sending you get well soon wishes. I too had a horrific reaction to my glaucoma eyedrops within 2 days of starting to use them. I went back to the ophthalmologist and he merely told me to stop using the drops and come back and see him in 6 months. It has taken 3 months for my eyes and the skin around them to settle down and I just have to pray that my glaucoma hasn't got worse. I did some googling and discovered Blephaclean wipes - they have really helped. I also used herbal tea bags soaked in warm water - camomile were the best - placed on each eyelid. Aloe vera ointment has helped soothe the damaged skin around the eyes. Do hope you feel better soon x

[Efabear in reply to fayreland]

Thank you so much. So sorry you have had the same problem. This is the second time for me but this time has been 100 x worse. Those tips are really helpful. I have som blephaclean wipes. Swelling have settled after 111 Dr prescribed stronger oral antihistamines and steroid drops are helping thankfully, although skin still cracked and sore. At eye casualty now as need to work out next steps. If you are worried go back and ask them to check your pressures. There are lots of other options for treatment. We're your drops preservative free? Take care and thanks so much

[ffranny]

Dont worry I had exactly the same, it seemed to be with the beta blocker drops. I had to stop taking them. The hospital wouldnt believe how bad it was until I got an optician to write to them once she saw how it had been just as you describe. I am now on preservative free monoprost only.

[Astilbe]

I had a severe allergic reaction to Cosopt a couple of years ago. It was the Dorzolamide part of it (it contains Timolol and Dorzolamide). After a few weeks on it my eye rims and surrounding skin became inflamed with weeping sores all round my eyes. It was when all the clinics were closed due to pandemic. I had to keep using them because nobody would change them. Not the emergency eye clinic, nor my GP.. I had to send photos of them to my GP and she contacted the consultant but never had a reply. When eventually I was put on a different drop they gradually got better over a period of a couple of months.

[Efabear in reply to Astilbe]

Sounds horrendous. The effects of lockdown on people's lives are far reaching and largely unknown. I can't believe they thought it was okay to leave you like that COVID or no COVID. I'm still off all drops with pressures gradually increasing, but physically and emotionally I feel my old self. Who knew what impact this treatment has on our lives!? I've got a pre op assessment on Tue, but surgery isn't for another month. I'm hoping this will be the impetus for them to give me an urgent date for surgery, rather than waste time reintroducing drops, only to stop them again and revise my regime post surgery. Fingers crossed

[Astilbe in reply to Efabear]

Thanks Efabear, good luck with your assessment and hope you don't have to wait too long for surgery. I have had a presserflo shunt and a trabulectomy in the last year. The trab went ok but the presserflo shunt has and is causing me a shedload of problems unfortunately, plus it didn't work for me.