Chronic red eyes

[pattioo]

I have had chronic red  eyes now for about two months. I have sought medical help from 2 opthamologists ...had my eyes dilated....from this they found i have a  over growth of blood vessels...a   spot that i have had for two years and there has been no change....tested for dry eyes which was negative. i have been and three different steriod drops....allergy drops with  great strides made with all of this. i haven't worn my contacts.....have stopped all drops over the counter and prescibed........and was told i could have some sort of Blephartis...possible  ocular roseca...and maybe my contacts were not fitted right.  How long can i expect to have this..... and should i seek more medical advise from another opthamologists......i also tested negative for dry eyes.

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

1. You can cause chronic redness by prolonged use of Visine like products however after 4-6 weeks off of the drops the eye should return to normal. It doesn't cause permanent redness.
2. Its important to know if you have acne roseacea. If the Eye MD can't tell if you do or not see a dermatologist.
3. Lots of long clinical experience makes me feel at least a borderline dry eye is contributing to your problems.

JCH MD

[pattioo]

Thank you for the info but i still have a few questions that i would highly appreciate a answer to. For the past few years i have  used a over the counter eye drop (allergy) to take away the redness. Which it did but in my own opinion i thnk this also may have either  caused  the problem i have or added to it. The doctor that said I MAY have  ocular rosesca said he wasn't sure if it was that or just over use of my contacts which again i  haven't worn in weks. Again thr main question i have is if the over the counter drops  could have caused the chronic red eyes and will just need time to clear up.
Thank you  for any feedback you can give

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

At your age with these symptoms I would forget contacts and yes these are often chronic problems that one CONTROLS rather than CURES.

Blepharitis and ocular allergy can all cause this but sometimes dry eyes is very hard to diagnosis and if your problem persisted then it would probably be worth a 4 month trial of restasis.

JCH MD