A & E visit

[LouiseBenj]

Hi,

I got an RGP lens last week, Ive found it very uncomfortable and quite painful to put in/take out. At the weekend I put my lens in and immediately was in a great deal of pain. It took me a while to get the lens out as I could barely open my eye. I went to the A&E where they discovered that I have a corneal ulcer. Its alot less painful right now and I'm going back to hospital this week.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? does this mean that I am intolerant to lenses? I have been cleaning it really well and only had it in for a couple of hours a day.

Also, when I was at the hospital, the doctor had me look through a piece of plastic with lots of little tiny holes in it, ive done this before and i am always able to read some of the letters on the chart, this is impossible with my normal vision. Does anyone know what this plastic thing is called and why it works?

[GarethB]

Hi Louise,

Not had a corneal ulcer myself, but from the others who have, if it is captured early then the effects are rapidly reversed.

This does not mean you are lens intolerant and if you have only had the lens a couple of days, the ulcer may have already been starting which is why there was a lot of discomfort anyway. The lens could have just been the last straw. Of course this is just supposition.

The best person to say if you are lens intolerant is at the hospital.

The plastic you looked through were pinhole specs. Not very good at explaining things in simple terms, I will end up banging on about wavelengths of light and light refraction.

Others here can explain better than I.

[Sweet]

Louise,

Hey there! I have had a few ulcers along the way, in my case caused by overwearing my lenses. A scratch though when putting lenses in can sometimes sadly lead to an ulcer. If caught early enough though and drops used it can heal nicely if you leave your lenses out!

Pinhole spectacles work by blocking out the peripheral rays of light and only letting in rays which pass through the centre of the cornea so correcting any refractive problems with the lens or cornea. Anyone who needs glasses or contact lenses should be able to see better with them but it will not help any retina problems.

So basically it is showing you the best you may be able to get! Hope that helps!

[Anne Klepacz]

Louise, I've been wearing contact lenses for years and got a corneal ulcer a few years ago (seems to have been caused by a bit of grit that got under the lens and which I didn't manage to remove quickly enough). It healed itself within a week during which I had to leave the lens out and, touch wood, it's never happened again. So it's really bad luck that you've had that experience right at the beginning, but as Gareth says, it doesn't mean you're contact lens intolerant. Good luck!
Anne

[Andrew MacLean]

I have ahd a load of ulcers. do not even try to wear your lens until it has completely healed. You may be left with scarrring that will prevent your sight from recovering, but only time will tell.

I like the little pinhole test. It is supposed to show the extent to which your eye is capable of seeing with correction.

Andrew