Ophthalmologist keep telling me my eyes are healthy, but they aren't.

[Kathy925]

I cannot figure out what's going on with my eyes. I've went to 4 ophthalmologist, and they all tell me that my eyes are healthy and don't need corrective lenses. They don't understand why my vision is so poor.

Here is some information on myself:
- Female
- 25 years old
- 115 lbs.
- No previous eye disorder, 20/20 vision
- Good health
- Lived in Bellingham WA when symptoms started
- Currently live in Los Angeles.

When the symptoms started, I thought it was just a side effect from stress and anxiety. At that time, my house had a Hobo Spider infestation, I was being interviewed for graduate school and I was planning my move to California. The symptoms were (from what I remember):
- Red Eyes lasted for 3 days (that i used OTC drops for)
- Blurred/ shadowed vision that was severly worse at night
- Dry eyes when I woke up (as if I left my eyes open all night)
- My right eye had it worse than my left.

My symptoms now are:
- Severly dry eyes in the morning
- Terrible light sensitivity
- Poor Vision: Can't read street signs unless I'm standing directly in front of it, shadowed vision, seems like I have a "dreamy/hazy" filter on my lens
- Feel disoriented
- Eyes feel very strained, tired and heavy after 2 hours of continuous use on one task.
- Occasional sharp pain in the back of my eye
- Headaches in the back of my head and temples.

If you have ANY idea that I can suggest to my ophthalmologist, please post. It's been 3 months since I can see clearly. It's been taxing on my life I feel like depressed sometimes. I really would like my life back.

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

First, you need to be sure you saw 4 MD-ophthalmologists, not optometrists.

Second, all your physical symptoms and vision changes are consistent with Dry Eye Syndrome.  It is likely that the combination of stress and the relocation decompensated an underlying problem.  When your pupils are larger at night, the visual irregularities caused by unhealthy eyes are much greater.

I don't know why you would wear plano contact lenses unless they were colored contact lenses.  Sleeping in contacts is a no-no.

Go to www.dryeyezone.com to find excellent community forums for practical advice.  Go to the 'dry eye yellow pages' link to find a doctor near you who is truly interested in dry eye.  You can also call the lady who runs the Dry Eye Zone for a recommendation in the LA area.

[Kathy925]

I would also like to add that I used to wear plano contact lenses, and found myself leaving them in when I slept. However, if there were any damage, I'm sure the 4 ophthalmologist would have found something, right?

[Kathy925]

A while back, I suspected it was dry eyes so I bought non-preservative tears. They do make my sight less blurry but the shadow vision still exist.

The ophthalmologists were in fact all ophthalmologists. I even went to USC's Doheny Eye Care and they couldn't find anything wrong.

But thanks for your help so far. I'll continue with the artificial tears.  

[12Stepper]

The dry eye syndrome might have more to do with the condition than one would think. The array of symptoms is quite diverse. I felt like I was crying all the time and was diagnosed with a type of blepharitis which causes chronic dry eyes. The site listed might be worth checking out, though I can't understand why 4 doctors can't figure out what's the matter. I think there's still a lot unknown about dry eyes. A wet hot compress over the eyes followed by massage of the lids (instructions for blepharitis) has been helpful for me. TheraTears 4x a day plus Celluvisc 1% carboxymethyl cellulose at night are recommended by my research. Omega 3 fatty acids (flax seed oil and fish oil) are also shown to be useful. I hope you find the help you need. All the best, Linn

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

Well just because you went to some big fancy place doesn't mean they know everything.  If these docs truly found nothing wrong with your eyes, then the remaining diagnosis is "crazy patient".  Are you making all these symptoms up for attention?  Are they getting better as your stress gets better?  If yes, call it a somatic conversion reaction and work on   your stress level.  If it's real, I would still recommend the Dry Eye Zone.  You will meet other patients who were told nothing was wrong.