Left eye problems

[nikki2975]

Morning everyone,

I woke up yesterday morning struggling to open my left eye when i did there was a tingling sensation like when you first wake up in the morning and your eyes are adjusting. I also felt like there was something in my eye and at first i was pulling eye lashes out but was still feeling like something was in my eye and nothing was there and the lashes stopped coming. this went on all day although getting easier as the day went on.

I've woke up this morning and it seems to have gotten worse.  haven't been able to open my eye in the last 40 minutes and every time i try the tingling sensation comes back and closes my eye and seems stronger when closed.  both my eyes are watering and i have red lines on the whites of both my eyes.

I've never had this before and i'm wondering if it's to do with my Thyroid or if it's something else?

Thanks, Nikki

[cjrsquared]

I think it unlikely to be your thyroid. I would make an emergency GP appointment or failing that attend a and e, you may have a scratched cornea, or an infection in your left eye or something else. Eye sight is precious and delay can be dangerous. Good luck. 

[eeng]

I don't think it's a thyroid problem. I would go and see either a doctor or a good optician who can have a good look and see what is going on.

[nikki2975]

Thank you both....I went to the opticians and they sent me over to the pharmacist counter. It is an infection but it's not turned into conjunctivitis yet so as I struggle with eye drops she said to put a cool compress on my eye and wait for a couple of days and see if that helps. Fingers crossed it does as I can't put anything near my eye and there is no one who can do it for me. 

[linlow in reply to nikki2975]

Don't they do optrex any more!!  You used to be able to pick up an eye bath (the size of an egg cup) with a bottle of solution. Pour some in, tip your head down, press the bath against your eye and tip back - so much easier than trying to drip tiny drops into your eye from a hand that you can't see!!

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to linlow]

I've heard you can close your eyes, drip the drops into the corner of your eye then when you open your eye the drops will just run in.

[nikki2975 in reply to linlow]

They do but it's an infection so its eye drops that i need!

[linlow in reply to nikki2975]

you could try putting the drops on a sterile dressing (or a clean finger tip) and pressing that against your closed eye and then blinking the moisture into place.

[nikki2975 in reply to linlow]

I've finally done my first drop but only about half of it went in my eye the rest of it rolled down my cheek...do i need to do another one as my doctor told me to only put in one 4 times a day? 

[linlow in reply to nikki2975]

if you are doing it 4 x a day I wouldn't worry.

have you got something like an old medicine cup that you could cut the bottom off?  That would form a tube big enough to fit over your eye. Then you could use it as a guide to get the drops in the right place.

[nikki2975 in reply to linlow]

No i don't I only have tablets, I'll just have to try and aim better i guess.

[linlow in reply to nikki2975]

OK another way to do it is to shake any liquid off the outside of the dropper and get it into position whilst looking in the mirror.  Then when you tip your head back all you have to do is open your eye and squeeze.

I haven't got a clue why they haven't found a better way of administering drops in all the years they have been making them.  So many people have trouble hitting the spot!!

Anyway, good luck

[nikki2975 in reply to linlow]

Thank you. 

Just did my first drop of today and most of it went in just a little bit that spilled over.  

My eye seems worse since my first lot last night. does that mean it's working and how long till it starts working?  

I'm currently taking chloramphenicol.

[linlow in reply to nikki2975]

It would be the weekend wouldn't it!!

Chloramphenicol works well so is often prescribed as a 'first-choice treatment' for a bacterial infection.  It is usually used over a 5 day period. The infection may or may not clear completely within this period but should continue to do so after application has ceased. It is equally possible that, until the active ingredients get on top of it, the infection might worsen - thus might account for increased redness.

However not everything works for every person in the same way and some people do get a contrary reaction. patient.info/medicine/chlor...

I can't see what you are looking at so you have to consider carefully whether the nature of the infection is changing (not just 'getting worse' but actually changing).  If it is just a little more bloodshot wait a while.  If there is any swelling stop using the drops.  It is not necessary to panic but get yourself back to the doctor as soon as you can.  Doh! I just realised it's Saturday so the chemist will be open - give it a couple of hours and if you are still concerned you could nip down and check with the pharmacist.  That would put your mind at rest.

Remember this is my opinion not medical advice.

[nikki2975 in reply to linlow]

Thank you for your help. 

The redness appears to be the same and i haven't noticed any swelling it's just more that my eyes are struggling to stay open more than they were before the drops last night and when they are open it's not as long. 

[linlow in reply to nikki2975]

maybe they just feel more comfortable that way. maybe it keeps them more moist. maybe, whatever the active ingredients are, there is some tranquillising effect that is relaxing the muscle. so long as it doesn't hurt and you aren't driving a car I wouldn't worry.

[nikki2975 in reply to linlow]

It's more that work aren't happy with me. I work with food but i didn't go in yesterday and probably won't today because of my eye's closing and blurring so much but I start at a new store on Wednesday and it doesn't look good that i'm off. Since i started in January i have been off with the flu under doctors orders and my doctor said yesterday that if the infection is affecting your eyes functioning properly then that's a reason to be off but i'm worried about what there gonna say.

[linlow in reply to nikki2975]

Dilemma!

What I would do in the same position is nip down to the chemist and buy an eye patch (well I wouldn't really because I already have one in my first aid box).  Covering your eye means you don't have to constantly struggle against its preference to close.

Providing the sight in your other eye is adequate (and you are not driving) you'll be able to manage perfectly well - you might even glean some sympathy for being 'walking wounded'

[nikki2975 in reply to linlow]

The infection is only in one eye but when one wants to close the other does too and both are hard to open and blurry when trying

[linlow in reply to nikki2975]

that is normal behaviour, a reflexive action brought about by the musculature design and years of being used to a co-ordinated action. But if you cover the infected eye so that it remains closed that will free up your healthy eye to behave normally.  The blurriness comes from your brain trying to make sense of the information coming in, with your infected eye taken out of the equation and a single image to process you brain will 'see' normally again - problem solved.

The only difficulty you will have is adjusting to having no depth of vision - which is why you must not drive.