Feels like something in my eye

    This usually does nor come on immediately. It happens when I am using the computer, and sometimes when driving, watching a video or reading for extended periods of time.
    My ophthalmologist has diagnosed dry eye and prescribed artificial tears, but I am skeptical. It is only in the left eye and only when I focus. I can eliminate the problem by wearing an eye patch. Can you imagine what my employer would say first day on the job? Ho, Ho and a Bottle of Rum!
    There is a test for dry eye called the Schirmer test, among others. Might want to take this to rule it out. Don't know if there is a test for eye muscle fatigue, which is more what I suspect. Another physician (not an ophthalmologist) suggested the possibility of a nerve (leading to the eye) problem which could be detected by an MRI, if nothing else makes sense.
    Has anyone experienced this? If in the affirmative, what was your diagnosis and how did you get rid of the problem?
    I am thinking disability and/or workers comp (computer vision syndrome - CVS). Anyone would be crazy not to avoid additional pain, which could morph into permanent, 24-hour pain for the remainder of one's life. This might be worse than going blind.

[Omorgan]

Same here.  It started after I had cataract surgery a few months ago.  The doctor gave me Acular LS eye drops for the discomfort but could only use them for 4 days.  Going back for followup w/doc Monday.

My discomfort is similar to when I first put in contact lens.  Will follow your post.

[nilo2007]

I started noticing the discomfort in my left eye about 3 days after having laser surgery.  The "something in my eye" usually goes away eventually but while I am experiencing the discomfort, I am ready to pull my eye out.  I dig things into my eyelid, trying to make it go away.  This is a slow means of torture to say the least.  This last bout is leading to insanity so I am going to try to get into see an eye specialist again.  The last time I saw him he pulled the eyelid back and wasn't able to find anything.  The eye was good for almost 1/2 year from that time.  I sympathize with anyone experiencing this discomfort and I can only hope that there is a cure.  I also notice that prolonged staring into the computer at excel sheets, etc. has initiated the problem.  If anyone has any help for me I would be glad to hear from you.

[kg17]

Look up previous posts on dry eye on this forum.  All the info. is excellent.

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

FourEyes  You do not need to jump into a $1200 MRI. It is much easier, more productive and quicker to just get a second opinion if you are not satisfied with your Eye MDs diagnosis. You might see a neuro-ophthalmologist.  Find one at www.aao.org

JCH III MD

[nychellay]

I thought I was the only one. I had cataract surgery when I was a baby and I am 25 years old, still dealing with the same issue. When I went to two different doctors, they pretty much treated me as if I didn't know what I was talking about, said there was nothing wrong, gave me eye drops, sent me home, and I felt like my visits were in vain. money wasted obviously, nothing helps!
I even looked in the mirror, stuck my finger in my eye, but no matter what, still feels like something is on my eye. Every time I blink, it hurts, and I just want to cry.

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

-

[Leaaa]

same problem here, even in my left eye.  Started back in November and I thought maybe something got behind my eye, like a cat hair or something... but it is now close to February.  It is a rarity that I go through the day without having a problem.  If it is not a nagging little something, it is a crying please get out of my eye kind of thing.  My patience is getting thin..

I have a doctors appointment in two weeks.  I'm hoping for a fast solution.

I wish some of the above posters would write a follow-up to know if they've found what it was and what they had to do  To solve it.

[ciarrap]

Has anyone found out what this problem is? I have the same issue with my left ye which started a month ago, it comes and it goes. but i just noticed it usually is worse when i am at work and looking at the ocmputer. when i'm relaxed, it goes away. i get little styes in my eyes once in a while but i don't think it is what causes this feeling.

[IQueenK2312]

Mine is in my left eye too. It seems to get REALLY irritated at work and in places that have bright lights. It almost feels like I am being poked in the far corner of my eye.

[quilter94]

my dr told me the after cataract surgery that i had a floater. the spot
appears to be a greasy film. it is driving me crazy. i have been to 2 drs and both said the same. has anyone had this problem?

[bigbeau]

i have the same problem but it is in my right eye it starts off like a light irratation and gets worse and worse and before you know it im rubbing my eye left right and centre to kill it id like to know what it is and how to get rid of it because to be honest its bugging the *** off me ( could it do with anythind to do with computers as i spend 9hrs a day working on a computer as my job ) please help me get rid of this befor i pull my eye out lol

[Joyce132]

I had cataract surgery 4 weeks ago. I find putting on sunglasses while on the computer helps with the "something in the eye"feeling ,and the floaters. I also wear my sunglasses where there is bright light or bright sun. Distant vision has improved, reading demands glasses.

[Joyce132]

I had cataract surgery 4 weeks ago. I find putting on sunglasses while on the computer helps with the "something in the eye"feeling ,and the floaters. I also wear my sunglasses where there is bright light or bright sun. Distant vision has improved, reading demands glasses.

[Rhiannon0103]

wow this is crazy after reading all of that it feels like there is no hope, i've had it for about 2 months now and it is driving me crazy, when i look really close sometimes it looks like that film that covers your whole eye it is not covering all of it, sometimes it gets on my pupil and it gets blurry, after awhile it will get off the pupil but i have stuck my fingers in my eyes repeatedly and i cant get it to move its like goo and shoots back to right where it was, if i dont fix it soon i might be without a eye from messing with it all of the time..

[Angie6944]

I usually have a feeling of something in my eye but there never is something actually in it, Its sensetive to light but it isnt red or irritating while i have a contact in my eye. its happened before but stopped after the first day. I just ordered glasses today so i dont always have to keep my contacts in. Your eyesight is very important but is very frustrating when you dont always have the solution.

[Barb856]

Same problem here since April, also in left eye.  It doesn't hurt much but does feel like there is something in my eye most of the time, and the vision does get blurry in that eye, and I also have the "film" that drops in front of my eye.  My eye doc also said "dry eyes" and gave me artificial tears to use 3 times per day, and it doesn't help!  I also got new glasses, which didn't help.  I have not had any type of eye surgery, though.  This does get worse when driving or using computer.  Blinking doesn't help either.  It is getting REALLY annoying.  Would love to hear if anyone else has found a solution...

[sstri]

Wall of text beneath is just my eye history, some backing to my current problem and topic of this post.

I was lucky enough to have been born with my right eye (as my mother put it when I asked her) "crushed with pus coming out". The "professionals" call it "Amblyopia" while everyone else calls it "lazy eye". She then said when I was 2 my right eye suddenly went "boz-eyed" (out of alignment). This was fixed with surgery. At least I think it was but aren't convinced, i'm sure when I look in the mirror the bad eye is still off slightly. This lazy eye of mine is a real slacker, my left eye does all of the work. Although vision in my left eye is not 100% the images from it are far superior to what's given by the right eye. Right eye closed: read all the text on WindowsXP screen - everything! Close left eye: All text is a blur, can't read a damn thing! Result of this: my brain has never learned to use both eyes together and found it's better to ignore or "suppress" the images from the right eye.
My best hope to fix this is "vision therapy". Basically force the brain to take notice of the right eye. They do this by blocking or blurring the good eye. I'm still screwed though because as "professionals" say this therapy isn't very effective beyond ages of 7 (brain has already decided how it wants to use eyes). Just great...-> :( I haven't and probably never will be able to use both eyes at the same time without double vision. Try real hard, switch between both eyes real fast and focus on a single object. My left eye sends good images of object, right eye sends crappy blurred image of object. Result: I see two of the very same object at the same time, the good and bad image layered on top of each other. They call this "double vision" and it's no way to perceive the world around you! It's a real mind f***.

As I type my right eye (the lazy crap one) is intensely irritating me. It constantly feels as though there is an object/lump under one or both eyelids. This started 4 days ago after a long hard day at college (IT student). Although I use computers everyday of the week for at least 4-6 hours (on average) and my eyes get pretty run down I never experienced problems that last as long as this.

The constant irritation and lazy eye attributed blur goes up 2 fold when I use a computer for 10+ minutes and 10 fold when I use the computer with my glasses on. When it goes bloodshot red (tomato style) it begins to water to point it looks like I am crying with one eye and the pain dulls down a bit but it's always there.

I get plenty of sleep and even stayed of the computer for 2 days straight that weekend I first experienced the pain. Rest eyes till irritation drops to a minimum then look at a computer for 5 minutes, it's back up 2 fold. Blinking 100+ times a minute, no help. Throw water in the eye, no help. Rub it, no help, makes it more irritated. I constantly imagine their being a piece of sleep being embedded in the eyelid or rolling around scraping against the eyeball. (sleep is that weird solid green stuff you rub away when waking from hours of being, no idea why it's called that)

I also imagine it being an eyelash jammed under the lid scratching away at the eye. The problem with these causes is that I have looked under the lid as best I can and threw water in there and blinked rapidly and rubbed for the past three days and the problem persists.

Being an IT student requires you spend vast amounts of your day looking at a computer screen. Braille/voice recognition etc doesn't compensate for the human eye. I value my vision more than any other sense, i'd rather lose a leg or an arm than an eye and believe I couldn't go on living without my eyesight.

I have had conjunctivitis once and know this is not a return. Last time the eyelid blew up like a balloon, tear ducts worked constantly to give off bacteria filled tears and later put out yellow pus. This time it is just the irritation, no balloon eyelid or bacteria spreading tears.

I have made this post in the hopes that those also experiencing my peril have found solutions and can help find a cure.

This is not a nuisance, it is a prolonged torture.

[andybiotic]

I am having the same problem, ALSO on my left eye... went to see an overcharged eye doctor, send me home with hardly any examination. Went to see my optometrist who is more helpful than the eye doctor! he said noticed a oily lump (which i found on the net and it is called chalazion?) in the top left of my upper eyelid which "maybe" the cause. Honestly, I noticed it to but I felt uncomfortable before I notice it so I was kinda skeptical... he also sees that the surface of my inner eyelid is "bumpy", its something call mild Blepharitis, I think... anyway, he had to flip my eyelid and looked at it with his machine in order to see it. I, myself have never notice it on my own... none the least, he gave me some steroid eyedrop and tell me to compress my eye with warm water. The eyedrop wasnt that good but the warm compression seems to relieve it slightly. My eye was feeling uncomfortable for months now and only in the past 2 -3 day I actually start doing nothing else BUT compressing my eye with warm-slightly hot washcloth and the little white oily chalazion lump may have faded away slight. The feeling is slightly better. I hope it isn not just my imagination and my optimistic nature.... Anyway DONT try to pop it like a pimple if you have one too... I TRIED, and for hours I flip open my eyelid and I actually got a pretty good position at popping it but it never pop out, its like it is flat and the fact that the skin there is TOO smooth to get a decent "grip". I ended up damaging the skin around it and was more uncomfortable for a day or two but it quickly heals... I thought I could force it out despite the cost because I know that the eyelid recovers very fast, and I am not actually doing anything to the eyeball anyway so i am safe. It was very difficult and it didnt work at the end... My last advice is: warm - slight hot compression CONSTANTLY and CONSISTENTLY for a few days and see.... I am still doing it now on my third day... we will see....

I too hope someone will find a definite solution..... Cheers

[andybiotic]

I am having the same problem, ALSO on my left eye... went to see an overcharged eye doctor, send me home with hardly any examination. Went to see my optometrist who is more helpful than the eye doctor! he said noticed a oily lump (which i found on the net and it is called chalazion?) in the top left of my upper eyelid which "maybe" the cause. Honestly, I noticed it to but I felt uncomfortable before I notice it so I was kinda skeptical... he also sees that the surface of my inner eyelid is "bumpy", its something call mild Blepharitis, I think... anyway, he had to flip my eyelid and looked at it with his machine in order to see it. I, myself have never notice it on my own... none the least, he gave me some steroid eyedrop and tell me to compress my eye with warm water. The eyedrop wasnt that good but the warm compression seems to relieve it slightly. My eye was feeling uncomfortable for months now and only in the past 2 -3 day I actually start doing nothing else BUT compressing my eye with warm-slightly hot washcloth and the little white oily chalazion lump may have faded away slight. The feeling is slightly better. I hope it isn not just my imagination and my optimistic nature.... Anyway DONT try to pop it like a pimple if you have one too... I TRIED, and for hours I flip open my eyelid and I actually got a pretty good position at popping it but it never pop out, its like it is flat and the fact that the skin there is TOO smooth to get a decent "grip". I ended up damaging the skin around it and was more uncomfortable for a day or two but it quickly heals... I thought I could force it out despite the cost because I know that the eyelid recovers very fast, and I am not actually doing anything to the eyeball anyway so i am safe. It was very difficult and it didnt work at the end... My last advice is: warm - slight hot compression CONSTANTLY and CONSISTENTLY for a few days and see.... I am still doing it now on my third day... we will see....

I too hope someone will find a definite solution..... Cheers

[IDKDY]

I was in the car traveling for the "holidays" and 15 minutes close to my destination it felt like something got in my eye. I automatically started rubbing my eye like a dummy but than again it's only natural right? lol. I can feel somethiing in the corner of my eye and my whole eye is bloodshot red. I know it's not something bacterial like pink eye because my other eye would be just as bad by now trust me. There is little to now pain but only when there is slight pain it's from me trying to focus too hard i guess. It's a little bit blurry and is annoying as hell. My eye started draining out of nowhere like it's trying to clense itself. I was taught by a few docs in the family when i was younger that if you get something in your eye then close it and wait for it to tear up so that it can move to the bottom of your eyelid and will be easier and visible to remove plus rubbing it would only make it worse or push the debris elsewhere. I've tried that and still nothing (lol yes i know i was rubbing it when it first happened but that's only natural right?). I don't seem to have a lubricant problem because like i've already said it started draining out of nowhere. I've tried a good old fashion eye rinse with water and that didn't see to help. Is there some kind of otc drops that would help in a situation like this?
PS. it's in my right eye.

[fjack1415]

Had this for one morning and it was so bad it brought me to see an opthalmologist right away where I was living in Mexico.  She saw gouged cornea, but no debris to speak of.  I complainied also of adhesions when waking up in the morning.  With eyepatch and ointment the cornea healed within a week, but the problem with dry scratchy feeling eyes did not go away, and the doctor did not know what to make of it. I would be all right all day long, but when in bed and tired and the end of the day I would have the feeling of debris, or pimples of some sort, one in each eye.  Sometimes toward early morning, really scratchy, and it felt like incipient adhesions.  

Went to opthalmologist here in Alexandria, Va and he diagnosed problem as weakness in one of the three layers of cells protecting the cornea, weakness that can result in tearing of the structure.  He prescribed ointment at night (OTC) and lubricating eye drops (also OTC),.  I am 67, but problem can occur with much younger people.  If the therapy does not result in improvement, there is laser surgery to knit together the cellular layers.  

This was very reassuring as I was pretty scared over the whole thing.  I hope this helps some of you.

[TessaMarie_]

Im 16 years old this year and this has happened twice in December already! I wore my contacts out last night for my countdown party and it kinda hurt but not as much, when I took it out at 2am (8 hours use) it burned like ****!!!! My eye was all red and it was watering all I could think of was to get to bed.

Today I woke up and it's very very sensitive to light, as i type this my left eye (left eye only) is watering and i have no choicw but to keep it shut so im walking around with my right eye open but sometimes when I look at the TV with my right eye, my left eye starts to hurt.
They're not red, just painful.

Should I get it checked out??? please please help my parents are overseas and it's killing me.

[TessaMarie_]

I forgot to mention my left eye feels like theres glass or something inside whenever I blink hard or stare at a light source for too long.... sigh Please help!!! Happy new year to all of you too!

[junior58]

I have the same problem as a lot of you and I've had it since December.  Things keep getting into my right eye and migrating to the back.  It hurts when I'm looking at my computer screen or reading for too long.  It feels like something is poking my eye or creating pressure in the back.  

My ophthalmologist and optometrist said that I have problems with my oil glands so I've been using an eyelid cleaner (they are kind of like soapy wetnaps) to clean them once or twice a day.  I find that if I fill my eye with regular eye drops and move my eye around, it helps also.  

[susieagent99]

Today while walking the dog, we were playing off leash, I went down to pick up the ball, the dog come up and "poked" me in the eye with her nose (owww).....1/2 hour later I'm feeling like I've got something in my eye...I look, and there is a film covering the far left part of the eye, it's red, and a little uncomfortable.I've had this before..It takes a few days for it to go away..You might have rubbed your eye too long, that can bring it on. Sometimes the eyes itch, and you rub..and rub... next thing you know, your eye now hurts!

[puddles11]

I feel like there's something in my eyes - it comes and goes. I feel it most when I'm tired. At first I felt it only in my right eye, then now I feel it in my left one too. I went to see an optometrist a month ago, she said they're fine, it's just dry eyes. I'm not convinced. I'm really worried. I'm going to see another optometrist soon...

[smearedred]

Has anybody found any kind of solution, or reason to this eye irritation?

This has been going on with me for over 4 years, and it is my right eye. But like all of you I have had an eye surgery. I recently wen to the eye doctor again because now  I am getting frequent bad headaches and thought they were related. Again the doctor told me that everything looks fine and he cannot find anything wrong with my eyes. As a matter of fact he could not even tell I had, had eye surgery.

A previous eye doctor had told me that they mucus under my eyelid was thick and prescribed me Alrex.

[Simon345]

It seems that most people have slightly different experienced linked by the same feeling of being poked in the eye.  I have had several sinus operations but still suffer from sinus problems. Every few months, I get a feeling of being poked in the eye (as some have described like grit or something is in the eye) its has been going on for 10 years at least. I went to the optometrist last week and she went oh yeah you have complained about this before - everytime I go in the hope someone does something.  When I have the feeling the muscles around my eye also twitch but I am not sure if it is me starting this as it is sooo stressful to have the feeling.  At the visit the optometrist checked for infection, none was present but she said I had a quick tear drop break-up rate and some blockages of the oil glands and like elsewhere i was sent on my way with artificial tears and the guidance to place warm compresses on the eye - which do work she also and suggested that as I work at a computer it might also be eye strain.  I have a very slight stigma in my left eye (rugby ball shape) but I suspect that it is sinuses causing the problems and in some way pressure is being placed on a nerve and this is also maybe starting the twitching. It is so distracting that I find it difficult to work and get stressed.  I am siting at work debating whether to leave and go the Optometrist but I also hate the feeling of wasting peoples time and money on something which will be hard to diagnose and probably when they start the feeling will clear up for a period - the period they do the tests probably

[FergalEmmanuel]

It is possible that you have a mild scratch to the cornea. Usually the cornea will heal itself within 24-48 hours. If it does not seem any better over the next day, or becomes worse, see the eye doctor.

[Tulio12]

Idk what kind of coincidence this but I always feel like there is something in my eye,My LEFT EYE just like all if you..i read somewhere that I may have a sty under the eyelid ..but now I wanna knOw if acts up whenever I focus forr long periods of time ..there is medication u can take for it but idk what they are..sorry

[Pinky_and_The_Brain]

have you attempted using que tips helped me a little though I have quite similiar symptoms

[korikill]

I believe this is caused by unknown allergy. Have any of you tried taking benadryl 3 x a day for 7 days?
I think it occurs in the left eye most because most are right-handed, working on a computer so the right hand is holding the mouse and eye fatigue means you rub sub-consciously with the left hand. Since it is harder to rub the right eye with the left hand, the left eye gets rubbed more, and allergens from the keyboard can irritate the eye, left being affected more.
This happens to me often, and I first get a CLEAN HOT washcloth and use it as a compress on the eye, wiping it clean very gently.
I take my benadryl, and withing a few minutes I get relief.
This is my hypothesis.
I hope all of you have found relief by now, and if not, try this. It just might help.
Corie

[Rani62]

My mom had cataract surgery on both eyes, 3 months ago. Even after 2 weeks she feeling some discomfort in one eye, which continues till date.
The discomfort as explained by her is, feeling of eyeball floating in water, water accumulation on the corner, something sticking on the eyeball. The docs do not find anything unusual. But she has a very uneasy feeling. Some days the trouble is more. She has continuously been using tear drops under the advice of the doctors, in vain. Is there a solution to this?

[shortieedeen]

i have the same problem! as long as i am wearing my contacts i don't have the pain or irritation but the second i remover them it's right back! do you have any ideas on what it could be? i've only had this problem for like 3 days now but it's driving me crazy! i can't wear my contacts all the time just during the day so at night when i take them out and wear my glasses it starts right that very second! i love any advice you could give!
            thanks, April

[goingblind20]

what can i put in my eye for pain to go awy dros
***@****

[Kenzie_the_Loli]

This started awhile back, and I'm getting it again.
It feels like when I blink, that there is something in the outer corner of my eye. It hurts, and my vision blurs in that eye constantly now. But, it's happening only at night. Both of my eyes get extremely itchy and irritated, like I'm having an allergic reaction. But, I've taken Benadryl and it doesn't help. I might also add I'm on two medicines that I take every day for my allergies. At first, when I felt this- I ignored it. But, I turned on my light and that seemed to help. When I lay down, my eyes water over the top and it seems like I'm crying with no emotion. I wake up with extremely crusted eyes. Rubbing the eye only makes it worse, and irritates it more. I'm completely at a loss of what to do. All I can think of is to compress it with a warm bag of rice, or cool it to ease the itching with a cool washcloth which helps a bit. But, I'm afraid that neither will work. I guess you can't judge it before you try it.