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Sclera. stain/ sensitivity after using castor oil in eyes

I put a drop of castor oil in my eyes for a while, to help moisten them. I had no problems until one might, when it burned one eye and caused some inflammation and goop. It cleared up in a day, but that eye is still  sensitive, and ever since then I have signs of sceral thinning in that eye. Does this sound like something that would be respond to cortisol drops, or have I done irreversible damage? It's been about six weeks. I am 42 and have chrnic Lyme Disease.Thanks!
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If you have symptoms of persistent dry eyes, you should go to ophthalmologist who can evaluate the possible cause and prescribe remedies or treatment plans that will SAFELY treat the dryness.  It may or may not be related to your chronic Lyme Disease.

Although castor oil may be safe to ingest orally, that doesn't mean it is safe to put in the eye.  Cells on the surface of the eye are extremely delicate and sensitive.  Castor oil or bacteria or other contaminants in the castor oil might not be a problem in the digestive tract, where stomach acid and natural flora in the gut can overwhelm any problematic ingredients.  The human eye does not have these defenses.

In a toxicology study of castor oil, the International Journal of Toxicology has this to say about castor oil use in the human eye:

"The instillation of a castor oil solution into the eyes of nine patients resulted in mild and transient discomfort and minor epithelial changes. In another study involving 100 patients, the instillation of castor oil produced corneal epithelial cell death and continuity breaks in the epithelium."

Personally, I would not want to put anything in my eye that could kill off epithelial cells, which are the outermost protective layer of the cornea.  An ophthalmologist specializing in 'anterior' or front of eye issues can evaluate your corneas, to make sure you don't need special drops or other treatment to heal any damage.

Going forward, you may find some safe alternatives to try for Lyme-disease-related dry eye from fellow sufferers, in addition to asking the ophthalmologist.  Here are an example discussion:

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showthread.php?9499-Dry-Eyes-and-Lyme-Disease

Lastly, chronic Lyme Disease can cause other ocular manifestations, according to this article in Medscape:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1202521-overview#aw2aab6b5

Because these potential ocular complications of Lyme need evaluation and treatment by an ophthalmologist, please do as Dr. Oyakawa suggests and go see one.  Good luck!

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711220 tn?1251891127
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You need to see an ophthalmologist.  It seems strange that it cause  no problems at first and then a problem later.

Dr.O.
Helpful - 0
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