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Persistent eye redness--retinal surgery 13 months ago

My main concern is persistent eye redness despite the fact that my retinal surgery was 13 months ago. I was not prepared for this lingering side effect and am very concerned. I had a spontaneous retinal detachment in my right eye: had scleral buckle, vitrectomy, gas bubble, the works. The redness is primarily on the side of the incision and gets very red on a daily basis. I'm accustomed to my vision since my dominant eye has compensated quite a bit but am only 27 years old and am having difficulties coping with the cosmetic side effects and want to know if this scleral redness is permanent. I had a vitreous hemorrhage and a hyphema so was prepared for a the blood vessels to take a long time to heal but not to this extent. I have talked to my opthamologist and retinal specialist about it and they do not seem too concerned and am getting frustrated. I have tried artificial tears and it has helped some but not much. Are vasoconstrictors available and are they safe for long-term use? Any help would be extremely appreciated.
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Avatar universal
Your eye will stay red no matter what drops you put in it.  It will get somewhat better---over time.  Your docs are not concerned because they knew this up front.  

Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
You seem to be absolutely correct.  :)
Helpful - 0
233488 tn?1310693103
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
One of our most knowledgable and faithful posters here JodieJ had a similiar problem and it was ultimately found to be a suture that had eroded to the surface and was hard to see but the cause of the problem.

Your problem is not unusual. Ask the retina MD and your personal ophthalmologist to check for exposed suture, eroding retina hardware, ask them to flip the upper eyelid and check for problems there.

Try regular artifical tears 3-4 times/day for a couple of weeks to see if that helps. Blink or Soothe are good choices. Use of murine and visine like products often just make it worse due to rebound redness.


If all else fails ask about use of restasis as over 4-6 months it not only produces a better tear but reduces inflammation on the surface of the eye without the possible effects of long term steroid drops.

JCH MD
Helpful - 0
203589 tn?1267475170
yes vasoconstrictors are available otc, most commonly known to people as "Visine" (although there are other "red-eye relief" drops available). However, they often cause rebound redness, so it's really not a good permanent option.

I would try different artificial tears and using them more frequently.
Helpful - 0

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