Eye advice needed, holiday weekend, no docs till Tues

[BusyLizzy]

Any optometrists about?

I have a very quick question. Typically, this is a holiday weekend and therefore I cannot do what I usually do when I have queries, which is to ring and speak to one of the eye nurses in the hosp where they "deal with" my keratoconus/fit lenses.

I've had to stop wearing my Aquasil lens, as it's intolerable in the past few days. I'm repeatedly having to remove it, clean and reinsert it. Each time I do so, I notice fine filaments and sometimes small stringy mucus deposits, and quite often white dots.

I have been having pain in the eye, and my eye is sometimes dry at night-very gritty, hard to open, feeling like they're stuck to the eyelid. (I had a severe dry-eye problem earlier in the year and actual bare patch on the cornea). This morning the right eye was watery on waking.

Is this something that will clear up on its own?
Do I just avoid wearing the lens until the pain goes, and meanwhile use preservative-free Liquifilm drops?

Next question: does this sound like filamentary keratitis, and should I see a doctor on Tuesday after the weekend?

Some advice would be appreciated.


Lyndsey

[GarethB]

If it is a real problem, firstly just do not attempt to wear the lens. Just incase it is an eye infection. Last thing you want is for the eye to beat the infection, just for the lens to be put in and start over again, even if the lens has been thoroughly cleaned. My hospital advised if I have an infection or problem get down to eye casualty. If it is a weekend, go to the normal casualty and explain the situation and that you need the eye specialist. There will be one on call that will be able to see you.

My Hospital also give you new lenses if you have had an eye infection to help further reduce the infection returning.

Regards

Gareth

[BusyLizzy]

Thank you, Gareth.

I'm avoiding wearing the lens for a couple of days, using Liquifilm,
keeping to separate towels...

A certain family member who doesn't have KC and doesn't wear contact lenses (!) has been going around with a red, itchy eye all week. He's been bathing it periodically with salt water which seems to help a bit, but won't pop in to see the pharmacist or see the doc (looks and sounds alot like conjunctivitis). Won't heed any hints about how infectious that is or stop touching his eyes, then other objects around the house!!

I may have caught an infection from him.

Our local hospital no longer has a casualty unit-closed 18 months ago. Only option is to go through NHS direct. Hosp where I go for eye clinic is a two-hour journey away.

I'll give it a couple of days and ring the eye dept if it hasn't cleared.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

Lyndsey

[John Smith]

Hi Lyndsey,

I have to agree with Gareth's comments - certainly I'd get checked out before reinserting the lenses. It doesn't sound as if you have symptoms of conjunctivitis so that could be a red herring, but be sure to mention it when you're seen.

A point worth making though is that you shouldn't need to go to casualty at a hospital with an eye dept - I may be wrong, but I'd have hoped that all casualty units would have an ophthalmologist on-call.

[Lynn White]

Hi Lyndsey

It sounds like you could have a viral infection if the eye is watery on awakening. Bacterial conjunctivites would give you a very sticky eye in the morning. However, no-one can really say unless they look at your eye on a slit lamp !!

Yes you should leave the lens out and see someone on Tuesday morning.. if you went to any outpatients dept this weekend they would tell you that anyway!

Where are you located?? Just wondering as there isn't a Bank Holiday here in the UK!!

Lynn

[BusyLizzy]

Thanks for all your input.

I'm in Scotland, where it's the September weekend, and almost everything has ground to a halt until Tueday morning.

The eye in question is fine today.
A little dry, painful and watery this morning, but fine since.
I've even managed to wear the lens for a few hours with no problems at all.

If I have any more discomfort I'll contact the nurses in the eye clinic/my hosp optician on Tuesday.
I'm wondering whether Minims preserv-free artificial tears are longer lasting than the Liquifilm I've been using, and if the GP would prescribe them...I guess I won't know until I ask!

Thanks again for your help.

Lyndsey

[Lynn White]

The preservative free minims are probably hypromeelose which is the same as Liquifilm just without the preservative. They may feel better simply becasue there IS no preservative! You should be able to get them on prescription.

Sounds more like you had a real dry eye scenario going on there!

Lynn