dx with GPC, however have doubts. Help!

[calli4me]

I have had chronic eyelid swelling/pain for the past 7 months. My eyelid opens slower and has an extra fold on it. I went to see the eye doctor in January of this year and he said that I have GPC and gave me alamast and told me not to wear my contacts. However, this has not helped. My eyelid still swells up. I went back to the doctor in May and he gave me a 30-day supply of Dexamethasone eye drops. After a week or so on them i was able to have some relief. After the 30 days on this the doctor gave me elestat and said my eye looked much better. However, 2 weeks after discontinuing the Dexamethasone my eyelid has again started to swell and droop. I called the doctor and he gave me a prescription for Dexamethasone with 5 refills! I have not worn my contacts since January!

Should I be worried about the use of the steroid drops? The doctor checked my pressure 2 weeks after starting the drops and everything was normal, then checked it again after i was done with the steroids.

Do you think this is something else other than GPC?
I had an MRI done in December which all came back normal. All my blood work was normal as well.

Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated

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

Well if you have ptosis an oculoplastic surgeon is what you need. If you have GPC it might be worth asking your general ophthalmologist why not take opticrom instead of steroids.


One unusual complication of long term steroid use is ptosis.

JCH MD

[calli4me]

Thanks
I actually have gotten a second opinion and all that doctor did was refer me to an oculoplastic surgeon to get rid of the ptosis.

Is there a type of eye doctor I should be looking for? The one that diagnosed me was in comprehensive ophthalmology

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

Get a second opinion. The most common cause of GPC is contact lens wear and the treatment is usually to stop wearing contacts completely and go on opticrom (cromolyn) eye drops. If often takes 3-6 months for the problem to clearn. GPC is one of the major reasons many of people in our practice have lasik.

JCH MD