Herpes in eye?

[kaoticblue87]

Basically, I am not sure if I have herpes or not. It started with showing a few "sores" at the tip of my tongue. Over the course of three months, the third time the sores showed up on my tongue, my gums got swollen as well as my tongue. That same day near bedtime, my eyes would BURN whenever they would get wet and were inflammed as well. I thought I had herpes and had spread it to my eyes while I was putting my contacts on after I had my fingers inside my mouth to look at my gums and after I had washed them. I went to the eye Dr two days after this happened, and she told me she did not see anything that resemed lesions or herpes inside of my eyes but that there were two dry spots. She gave me an antibiotic to put on it but I later found out it was expired so I stopped after 4-5 days. That same day, I was also tested for herpes for both types and both types came back negative after getting tested after 9/10 weeks.

It went away after 10 days, and my gums calmed down after 8. Though, the sores at the tip kept reappearing throughout the month of Feb. My eye "infection" came back and lasted two days, so I figured it was my contacts. I went to the eye dr a third time who told me again there was nothing in my eyes that resembled herpes though I had a bacteria infection on my eyelids that was causing crusting that the dr told me it was normal. Now, the eye "infection" came back and is red and has not gone away for three days. I stopped wearing my contacts until I figure out what this is but right now I am super confused on what this could be.

Also, I will mention too that I have ulcerative colitis, which I have read that it can cause sores in the mouth to occur as well as inflammation and pain with the eyes.
1. How would I know that my colits has caused this and that my eyes aren't herpes?
2. If I did have herpes in my eyes, wouldn't I be in severe pain to where I can not open them or want to keep them open? That is what the eye dr told me, and I have not had to do that. I guess I am just looking for reassurance that what I have going on with me is related to my colitis rather than it being herpes. =/
3. Is there anything else that could be affecting my mouth that I could have transmitted to my eyes?

[kaoticblue87]

Yeah, I went to them three times and each time they pretty much told me it wasn't herpes but they didn't let me know what else could be. Is there a test they could do to see if my ulcerative colitis is causing the problems? They put the dye in my eyes to see if it was herpes twice, and said nothing came up.

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

This type of problem can only be helped by an eye exam by a Ophthalmologist Eye MD.  Find an Eye MD at www.aao.org near you

JCH MD