Pain

[annieweed]

Dear All
I am looking for some help
I was diagnosed with slight Keratoconus with a local opticians last year. I was prescribed a pair of glasses, which have help a great deal with my sight.


But in the last 7 months I have started to experience great pain in my eyes, which never stops. I managed to get and appointment at a local hospital with a consultant and explained all my symptoms, I hate bright lights either sunshine and night driving – headlights, feeling balanced – I trip up for no reason, really bad heavy headaches, stabbing eye pain, blurred vision, earache - I could go on. All I got from the consultant was ‘ Why are you here the steepest of your corneas is not very much’

I have been prescribed some eye drops to use during the day and ointment for use at night. They do not ease the pain and still wake 2/3 times a night- I get up and put more ointment and more parcetomol is I want some sleep

I take parcetomol when I want the pain to ease but it never takes it completely away

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Annie

[Andrew MacLean]

Annie

Welcome to the forum.

Have you been to see your ophthalmologist about your sore eyes or just your GP. With symptoms like the ones you describe I made my way directly to the eye hospital and they sorted things out for me without too much trouble.

All the best

Andrew

[Anne Klepacz]

Hello Annie and welcome to the forum,
Some of the symptoms you describe like sensitivity to bright lights are common with KC. But it's more unusual to have constant pain with the condition. From what you say, you've already been to your local hospital. But you're always entitled to a second opinion. Is there another hospital with a large eye department and corneal specialists that your GP could refer you to? The steepness of the cornea isn't always an indicator of how much KC will affect an individual. Keratoconus can sometimes affect the back of the cornea rather than the front but still cause distortions in vision.
I hope you can get some answers.
Anne

[Lynn White]

Annie,

It is very very difficult to pass judgement and suggest reasons for pain through a forum like this as we really do not have all your back history. I presume if you explained all your symptoms to your ophthalmologist and he commented that your KC is not that bad, then in his opinion the symptoms are not caused by the Keratoconus. Can you tell us anything else he said? You also do not mention any discussions you have had about this with your GP.

You do have to remember that if you have keratoconus, a) it does not mean that all eye related symptoms are related to your KC and thus b) your symptoms may be due to something else entirely such as migraines or neuralgia.

If the ophthalmologist has ruled out KC as a reason for these symptoms, you need to go back to your GP and explain that KC has been eliminated as a cause of your symptoms. You also need to investigate yourself to see what helps to relieve your symptoms. For example, does wearing sunglasses reduce the pain? Is it worse in dry atmospheres and better outdoors or no different? What kind of blurred vision, how long does it last, does the blurriness get worse with the headache... etc etc.

Really with this number of symptoms you need to follow it up with your GP


Lynn