Blurred vision, ocular rosacea?

I have been having trouble with my right eye for going on two months now.  The first time I really noticed anything, I was reading and things started getting blurry.  I thought I was just getting tired so I quit reading for the night but continued to have problems the next day.  It had only been a year since I'd had my eyes examined but I called my optometrist and scheduled an appointment.  He ran me through the basic tests, plus a retinal scan, tried to correct my vision with stronger lenses (but it didn't help) and basically said it was probably because I was getting older and this sometimes happens.  I had been to see a 3D movie that week and we thought this might have contributed to the problem.  He said he saw no swelling behind my eye that would indicate any other kind of problem.

After another week or so of this, I made an appointment with an opthalmologist.  She barely listened to what I said, did no tests on my eyes, and took a glance in them and said I had dry eyes and recommended some over the counter gel.  She also gave me tobramycin and dexamethasone ophthalmic suspension USP to put in my left eye because of a stye that I have.  The stye has been there for quite awhile.  My regular doctor gave me some antibiotics for it when I went for a check up but it didn't go away completely.  I have an online friend who is a dermatologist and she had told me back when I first got the stye that sometimes they are caused by ocular rosacea.  The opthalmologist that I visited said that I had ocular rosacea but gave me nothing by way of treatment unless you count the eye drops.

I have made an appointment with another opthalmologist but couldn't get in until May 18.  My eye doesn't bother me a lot unless I'm using it but I work in front of a computer all day.  It seems as though the eye has trouble focusing, like there's a film across it that if I could get it out of the way, I could see fine.  If I have to strain my eye a lot it makes me nauseous.  I wear glasses but they have very little prescription in them.  For a few days I went without them and my eye seemed better but now it's bothering me again.

I guess my main concern is that it's being caused by something that could really damage my eye if I don't get it seen about soon.  Does this sound like ocular rosacea or something I should be more concerned about?  I guess I'm just not sure which doctor I should be going to.

Thank you!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

If you have rosacea you should be under the care of a dermatologist, it can an often does affect the eye. Often special cleaners (Occusoft foam eyelid cleaner, TheraTears SteriLid foam eyelid cleaner both over the counter) are necessary to keep the lids clear.

If you vision blurs for just a few seconds it could be dry eye and/or blepharitis. However if you have a central blind spot that stays for minutes to half an hour or more it could be a TIA indicating poor circulation to the eye.

Only an exam can tell and I think getting the second opinion from an another ophthalmologist is a good idea.

JCH MD

[shaney2002]

The vision in my right eye is blurry most of the day but I don't have a blind spot.  So, you don't think waiting until May 18 is too long to have this seen about?  I can't get an appointment with my dermatologist until July.

Thank you!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

It's only going to get worse from here on in with waits thanks to the passed healthcare legislation. I can't comment on how safe it is to wait.

JCH MD