Recurrent Red Eye Cycle

Hello, I was hoping someone could give me a little advice with a problem I'm having.

For about the past 3 month my right eye has been bloodshot/red the majority of the day  between between my iris and my nose.  The odd thing if, when I wake up in the morning it is perfectly fine and then gets progressively worse throughout the day.  Upon going to sleep at night, the aforementioned area is completely red (you can see dark red veins, and then the surrounding area is a lighter shade of red).  Then I'll go to sleep and the cycle will repeat ad nauseam.

I went to the optometrist and she diagnosed me with episcleritis and prescribed me with dexamethasone eye drops (0.1%) for a three week regimen.  However, the day after I was done with the drops the redness came right back.

When the eye starts getting red I get a gritty feeling in the corner of that eye which I usually relieve by using artificial tears (not a vasoconstrictor).  While this helps with the discomfort, it does nothing for the redness.

I have an opthamologist appointment, but it's not for another 4 months (the joys of only having one opthamologist in a city of 200k), so any help or advice you could give me in the meantime would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

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

Where do you live? Hard to imagine only one Eye MD in a city that size.

Your problem may well be episcleritis as it has a tendency to come back or become chronic (like tennis elbow). Also episcleritis can be associated with systemic disease such as collagen vascular disease like rheumatoid arthritis, or gout or certain gastrointestional diseases.

Keep your appointment. you can also go to www.aao.org and look for an Eye MD near you that might see you sooner.

JCH III MD