constant red eyes

About 5 years ago I tried wearing contacts but I had a bad reaction and the whites of my eyes became swollen and red and I had to go the the emergency room.  I have not worn contacts since but my eyes remained red.  I have been diagnosted from conjunctivitis to staff infections.  I have been prescribed anibiotic ointments, steroid ointments and steroid eye drops.  I have seen optometrist, opthamalogist (from 3 different health care providers) and gone to an eye clinic (Doheny Eye Center).  There has only been temporary relief, nothing permanent.

My eyes are still currently red, sensitive to the light, dry and there is some type of fluid at the bottom of my iris that is making my vision foggy.  I am currently taking a steroid eye drop, I know I'm not suppose to be taking it for long but as soon as I stop everything comes back.  I put a hot compress on my eyes every night before I go to bed and sometimes in the morning.  My eyes have also become very dry when I'm sleeping.  I keep rewetting drops next to my bed and sleep with an eye mask but nothing helps.

Any suggestions on what I can do next?  I'm hoping someone has heard of these symptoms before and there's some type of relief.

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

Use the search feature and read about threatment of dry eyes and blepharitis. Talk to your "best" ophthalmologist about a trial of 3-4 months on a tetracycline antibiotic and 4-6 months on restasis.

JCH MD