Severe eye pain! Please help!

[TracyS]

When I was 17 I had a detached retina and ended up having 7 surgeries in total, none of which worked. That was 9 years ago. For the past 2 years I have had chronic eye pain, for which my eye doctor prescribes an anti-inflammatory. He says that because my eye has had so much trauma that it becomes dry and causes inflammation. Fine. What he doesn't seem to comprehend is that the pain never goes away, even after the eye drops. It's not a dry eye pain. It's a severe, unbearable pain that I simply can't tolerate anymore.

My question is this: is there an eye drop that is specifically for eye pain (not for dry eye, but for eye pain)? And if so, what is the name of it? I can't tolerate the pain anymore. It's affecting my life. I have to go around most of the day (everyday) with my eye shut because it's too painful to keep it open.

I don't know why my eye doctor wants to slap the "dry eye" sticker on me and call it a day. I've had severe eye trauma due to multiple surgeries! Of course I am going to have eye pain that isn't simply a dry eye condition.

I need some suggestions! It's not like I am trying to get vicodin or something, I just need the absolute strongest medication for severe chronic eye pain.

Thanks for your time and hope you can help me.
Tracy

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear TracyS,

I would recommend that you see your eyeMD and express yourself as you did here.  It is important to have your pain addressed.  

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California

[AnnaE]

You need help with that immediately. You can go to an ER tonight and get medication for pain relief.

Tomorrow, you can go to another md or to your current eye doctor and insist THAT A TREATMENT NEEDS TO BE FOUND BECAUSE YOU cannot live with this pain.

You can find a RETINOLOGIST or another opthalmologist at www.aao.org.

A doctor will also answer you here--I am a long time retina patient, not a doctor.

Please write back if you need more help.

AnnaE

[TracyS]

Thank you both for your time and responses.

Is there a pain medication specifically for eye pain? Or is regular pain medication prescribed? After having all the surgeries, I built up a tolerance to pain medication like percocet and mepergan.

I just want to know if there is an eye drop that will help with eye pain that is not related to dry eye...something that goes straight to the source?

Thanks again,
Tracy

[kg17]

I do not know the source of your pain is dry eye or not.  But I can tell you that I had terrible eye pain after two eye surgeries.  I didn't believe that dry eye was the cause, but when I had aggressive treatment for dry eye (Restasis, four punctal plugs, artificial tears every hour, and fish oil capsules) for six months, my pain eased quite a bit.

[ginmill01]

You need a new eye dr NOW!!  I just had my second eye surgery two days ago (corneal transplant, cataract, and removal of a contact lense).  When I went back to my Dr yesterday, he gave me some drops to help with the temporary pain.  I don't know what they are, just 'soothing drops'.  Believe me, if my Dr was as insensitive as yours seems, I would be outta there.  Dr Feldman (above) is correct.  Make yourself clear, and if you get no results, look in your local 'best of doctors' and find someone else.  A good, caring Dr is the only way you can get better.