Feels like something in eye

Hello,
For about a week now, I've been feeling like something is in my eye, although there definitely is not.  It feels like it's getting worse instead of better, and I had some very minor discharge this morning from my eye (not a lot, like it would be with pinkeye).  And the eye doesn't seem any redder than usual.

Some background:  I'm a 40 yo female, extremely myopic, have had floaters for many years.  Lately, this particular eye has seemed worse with my vision (hazy/blurry), but not all the time.  Colors seem a little muted in this eye, and the floaters are bigger.  Had an eye exam in May, including dilation, that did not find anything.

Should I be concerned about this?  Give it a few more days?

Thanks for your help.
Kim

[Joan M Pernoud, MD]

Dear Kim,

Could be dry eyes with the humidity in the indoor air decreasing with furnaces on. Could try some artificial tears for that four times a day. Thera tears mild or Genteal mild are good drops among others.

Or, sometimes foreign bodies get in the eye and get stuck under the upper eyelid and can really only be seen by the ophthalmologist when the eyelid is "flipped".

Or, sometimes powdery particulate stuff gets in the eye little by little and superficially embeds causing these symptoms. The particles are too small to actually feel them when they land on your eye. Often when an environment has dusty particles or even if make-up powder is applied with eyes open.

Start with buying some eyewash and ask someone to gently rinse your eye out with it while you are laying back and holding a clothe around your eye to absorb the rinsing eyewash. It can take several weeks for these all to finally slough off the surface. Another help for this is bland eye ointment at night which can be bought over the counter.

If this does not help after several attempts, better check in with your local eye MD ophthalmologist. See aao.org. for the doctor finder. This is a medical problem so medical insurance should apply.

[Kim703]

So, I went to the eye MD on Tuesday morning, and there was nothing detected in or on the eye or eyelid.  They gave me lots of drops for dry eyes, but they aren't doing anything to help.  My eye now hurts when moving it, and felt like maybe had some sinus pressure, so I went to the family MD today, got a prescription for antibiotics, but this feels definitely different.  My vision is definitely worse in this eye, and colors are "washed out".  

Personally, I think I should go for another opinion.  What do you think?

More background:  I've been getting tested for autoimmune diseases (RA, lupus, thyroid) as I've been having joint pain and fatigue for several months.  So far, nothing has come up except a borderline ANA, some high CRP, but nothing else significant.  I really feel like this may be related and I'm actually worried about optic neuritis.  Could this be a possibility?

Thanks for your help.