pink eye *UPDATE*....not good | Arthritis Information

 

so my eye was feeling kinda weird...went to the dr. he prescribed me antibiotic eye drops, told me i had pink eye, and an infection, and an allergic reaction to the infection. so he also prescribed me some zyrtec.

fastforward to friday morning, its only gotten like 10x worse. i can barely open my eye. it hurts. my whole right side of my face hurts. ive stopped using the eye drops. they dont seem to be working AT ALL. i called my drs. office today and the dr. is going to prescribe me somthing else, not sure what though.
whatever it is, it better actually work, cuz right now it feels like someone beat my face in.
you know when you have your eye open, you have that line on your eyelid? yeah, i dont have one of those lines right now. its all swollen.

i dont know if the zyrtec is working. its supposed to make my face stop hurting, i think. in which case i guess its not working at all either. ugh.
That sounds nasty.  Hope the new med clears it up.In a similar situation I would be contacting an opthomologist and make an 'emergency appointment' for today. Did you just go to your regular doctor or to an opthomologist? Sure doesn't sound like any pink eye I've heard of.....although I guess if you have an infection that changes things some. Still think an actual eye doctor would be best. Surprised your doctor didn't refer you.

I echo the sentiments above.. and if you don't have an opthamologist..... hit the ER.. ASAP.

Oh My Goodness! Without delay see an opthamologist or go to the ER. Sounds as though the doctor dropped the ball on this one. *Gentle Hugs* Are you seeing an opthalmologist?  And if you are, consider even opthalmologists can misdiagnosed.

In addition to RA, I have sjogren's syndrone.  One eye became red and irritated, the opthalmologist said it was just my dry eyes and to use over the counter drops.  It got worse and so painful, I couldn't sleep and had to take darvocet (and I have a high threshold for pain).  I was able to get in to see another opthalmologist recommended by my rheumatologist who diagnosed my eye problem as scleritis and prescribed steroid drops.

Is the white part of your eye red?  That was the case for me, plus the pain.

If you aren't seeing an opthalmologist try to get an emergency appt today.

Good luck, I hope you get your eye problem taken care of soon.
  Ditto all posts- hope you feel better soonPerhaps it's time to try something systemic; perhaps the eye drops aren't able to do their job because of all the irritation and inflammation?  Definitely call the doctor back if the new script doesn't start helping soon. Also talk to your pharmacist when you pick up the script - make sure you understand exactly how to use whatever med is being prescribed. Could you have something else in addition to the pink eye?  You just described how I felt when I got shingles.  It was along the eye and at first, I didn't have the sores.  It just felt like someone hit me on the side of the face. I won't even try to spell it!  And I agree with all the advice... go!  Don't mess with the eyes... go to the O! I was diagnosed with RA last July, but, like most folks, look back and had symptoms further back.  In the last year I had what I thought was pink eye twice- both in the left eye.  This last time it happened during a bad flare, and my regular doctor prescribed antibiotic drops.  My eye seemed to get worse (like yours).  I finally went in to see my opthamologist and he said it wasn't pink eye- it was the dry eye of Sjorgren's Syndrome made worse by an allergic reaction I was having to some ingredient in the drops.  I stopped the antibiotics, started Restasis, and my eyes have been happy since.  See your eye doctor ASAP.  Good luck!hey guys, unfortunately i was not able to see an ophthalmologist(sp) today. i was visiting my sick g-pa in dallas, and had to get back home to san antonio today. so unfortunately no time.
the new drops are working a little more. my eye isnt as swollen anymore. im going to call up some ophthalmologists tomorrow morning. have never been to one so i dont know if theyre open on saturdays. if not then definitely monday morning. i have a drs. appointment on monday afternoon with my regular doctor, as a follow up to my RA diagnosis.

my right eye is very red. its swollen, and im guessing very irritated. the left eye is fine. the drops the dr. prescribed me at first were: Gentamicin Sulfate Ophthalmic Solution USP, 0.3% (sterile)
and the new ones are: Neomycin and Polymyxin Hydrocortisone Ophthalmic Suspension, USP.

my face hurts on the right side from the outter tip of my eye all the way down to my jaw.
hopefully ill be able to get this over with soon.

thanks guys for all the input and suggestions.

Get to the dr. I have chronic iritis which is from the RA. But, I have also had preoribital celluitis-which can be quite serious. Obviously, I can't tell what is going on with you, but it sounds way more that pink eye.    I have also had keratitis. RA can really mess with eyes.....If it's still bad tomorrow, I would seriously consider going to the ER if you can't find an ophthalmologist to see on short notice.  A good ER doc should be able to either stabilize your condition until you get in to see a regular eye doc, or if he/she deems it an emergency that can't wait, they can call one in for a consult. Most all insurance plans will cover an ER visit for an acute eye condition, since loss of sight is a lifelong disability.  Do you have a regular optometrist you see for glasses/contacts?  Perhaps that office can direct you to a local ophthalmologist who can get you in on short notice. I concur with the suggestions of getting yourself to the ER. Don't mess with your beautiful eyes!!Thank you guys SOOOO MUCH!!

I took everyone's advice and made an early appointment with an ophthalmologist today.
He said I don't pink eye!! Im sure not many of you are surprised!
He said its a bacterial infection. He told me to stop using the drops prescribed by my doctor and to stop taking the allergy meds too.

He prescribed me three new things:
1. Ciprofloxacn (antibiotic)
2. Tobramycin and Dexamethason Ophthalmic Suspension (drops)
3. Neo/Poly/Dex Ointment

If you guys hadn't told me to go see the eye doctor I probably would just have stuck to my regular doctor, who told me I have pink eye.
He said, if i would have waited even a couple more days, I would have gotten some other thing (cant remember the name. it was a big complicated medical term). I do remember it was something-cellulitis.

So again, THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOO MUCH!!!
I really appreciate the input.
I'm glad you got in today.  Hope the new meds clear your infection up quickly.So glad you were able to see an opthamologist -- especially on a Saturday!

One doesn't want to delay getting eye problems taken care of -- our vision is too precious.

For those of us with RA, its good to have regular eye exams by an opthamologist.  Because of eye problems I've developed, I now have to have eye checkups every 6 months.

Hope with these new meds, your eye problem clears up real soon. Take care.




  
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com