Red Blood Vessels on Pinguecula of eye

[margesang101]

Hi,
I have a pinguecula on both corners of my eyes. For almost a year now, I have experienced a cluster of red blood vessels on the surface of the pinguecula on one side of one eye only. This bothers me because it is always very red and I often get asked if something is wrong with my eye! I have went to a couple eye doctors and my last one I visited gave me some steroid drops which worked and shrunk the blood vessels but they came back about an hour or two later. I then a couple months ago opted for surgery to help remove the blood vessels permanently. My opthamologist basically removed and cauterized the cluster of blood vessels and didn't promise that they wouldn't come back, but there was a good chance so I opted for it. After the surgery, the cluster was almost gone - there was a very tiny spot of red that stayed after the bruising but my eye didn't look that red anymore and I felt comfortable with it. Note, I am a contact wearer also. Recently I have noticed that more red blood vessels seem to be forming in the same spot on the pinguecula and I am getting worried that it will go back to what it was before the surgery. Can anyone help in explaining how this happens? How it can be prevented, and how to get rid of it forever? Is wearing contacts aggrevating it more? Would Lasik surgery help? PLEASE HELP!! Thank you!

[SANDRA617]

I've had a pinguecula in my right eye since 1990, and it has spread now to the cornea of my eye. Durring Desert Storm my unit was downloading our truck when I was struck in the right eye with a box weighing aprox 60 lbs. I saw a bright flash of light and instant pain. Needless to say I've dealt with this for years and I'm constanly told it's cosmetic. I've been having pain surges thru my eye throughout the day and constant watering of my eye. Night time is a very big problem for me to see. I'm constantly closing my eye when I drive in the daytime due to pain and watering in my eye. Is there something else wrong with my eye?

[mostino]

Hi,

I am not sure if i have a pinguecula or some other eye disease. I have been wearing contacts for a number of years now and noticed a number of blood vessels appearing in my eye. To prevent this  i recently switched from normal hydrogel lenses to clarity silicon hydrogel lenses to allow more oxygen to my cornea. After a couple of days of wearing the new contacts i noticed severe discomfort (burning / foreign object sensation in eye) and went to see an opthamologist. They put florescein in my eye and told me i had a corneal abrasion and to not to wear my contacts for a number of days. I immediately switched to glasses, which i have been wearing for about a month, however my eyes have not improved. I went skiing last week and wore sunglasses but the wind would severely irritate my eye causing a red irritated glassy like area on the nasal side of my eye next to my iris. I thought i initially had an eye infection so went to the optician and she prescribed antibiotic eye drops. I used these for about 5 days and they appear to have not worked either. I am now home and can only use the computer for just a few minutes when my eye starts to hurt again (feels like its burning / gritty ) . I never used to have problems with dry eye only after hours of computer use, now if i read a magazine my eye starts hurting after just minutes, please advise?  

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

You may have borderline dry eyes. When doing computer work, watching TV or movie the blink rate diminishes. Try using artifical tears before computer long session and while doing computer work every 15 minutes look up refocus across room and blind 5-7 times to remoisten your cornea and relax your focus muscle.

JCH MD

[margesang101]

Thanks for the follow up to my question John.
I also recently noticed.....the other night I was on the computer for a long period of time while wearing glasses - when i looked at my eyes at the end of the night my eyes were very red - especially the one where I had the cluster removed. it was all over the white of my eye - like red veins and the little blood vessel on the penguicula looked a little inflamed as well. Do you think it could be strain on my eyes from being on the computer? Is this normal?

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

You know I was thinking there was something really unusual about your problem until I got to the part about the contact lens.  YEAH contact lens cause pinguecula in some patients, contact lens causes blood vessls on the sclera to dilate and increase in size and number and contact lens causes blood vessels to grown over the cornea (neovasculization).

I would tell  a patient of mine to either accept the blood vessels or stop wearing contacts. Not much mystery here. If you are a candidate for lasik you might consider that.

JCH MD