Red eyes for about four days

[Laurie29]

On Sunday I got 2 red eyes. I have been recovering from an attack of pityriasis rosea plus a URTI. My eyes were red, a bit stingy, and itchy except I was not sure if the itch was from my eye or the pityriasis.

Monday eyes were still red although a little improved.

Tuesday more improvement but I still made an appointment to see my doctor.

Appointment on Wednesday and my red eyes were definitely starting to return to normal. Some slight redness remained.

The doctor examined my eyes with a slit lamp and also used yellow drops to check my cornea. She told me that my optic nerve, cornea, etc were all fine. She then said it was a benign condition called scleritis/episcleritis and that it would resolve on its own, she said it was related to my infection, but that I could use some eye drops she prescribed if I wanted to speed the recovery process. I asked if there was a need to return to her and she said not at all. It would mend itself without the need of a return visit. But my eyes were recovering even more by the time I got back home and by Thursday they were 90% back to normal. So I made another appointment and this time another Gp at the same clinic saw me. He carefully examined my eyes and said there was nothing wrong with the sclera or episclera. I asked him to reexamine to be sure. He did so. He stressed the sclera was normal. He said what I had was a rapidly resolving conjunctivits.

Could it have been scleritis or does scleritis resolve itself in a few days without treatment? Basically my red eyes are now back to as white as they always are. The condition lasted just four days and was improving after the second day.

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

1. I cannot tell you what the problem is.
2. Dry eyes, allergy, or inflammation will make the blood vessels dilate and easy to see.
3. There is nothing that will make the blood vessels go away and never come back but with treatment the blood vessels may not have blood in them and thus not visible.
4. No there is no plastic surgery to get rid of the veins.

JCH MD

[sadd00]

One more question, is there is plastic surgery to clear all the blood vessel. Thank a lots Dr. John.

[sadd00]

Hi Dr. John, can u tell me  what was wrong with my eyes, both of my eyes had a lots of blood vessel, dry in the morning, and sentitive to light. I've seen ophthalmologist three times already, but I my eyes didn't get any better, even worse, now I see some yellow creamy spot, and gray-black spot pigment in my eyes,I'm so scare. I've been taking Doxycycline hyclate for a month, and eyes drop for dry eye. He ask me if I want steroid eye drop for 2 week. I know steroid cause burry vision. Is steroid really help, will it clear all blood vessel, and the blood vessel would never come back again?

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

Next eye problem see a highly respected Eye MD ophthalmologist.

JCH MD

[Laurie29]

I think I am confusing the slit lamp with the small microscope the GPs were holding to examine my eyes. I have just seen images of the slit lamp biomicroscope on google and they did not use that. Both doctors used the old fashioned hand held little light.

I had no very bad eye pain. I have now made an appointment with an eye doctor at a local eye clinic to try to get a more concrete diagnosis. I was unhappy with the scleritis diagnosis particularly because wishing me well as I was sent off with the words I would not need to return does not fit with anything I read about scleritis. My eyeballs are now 99% white again but I do intend to see that eye doctor next week.

I also doubt the scleritis/episcleritis diagnosis because the 2nd GP said he would not charge me for the 2nd visit (unheard of in private practice) and to completely ignore the first diagnosis. To not charge for a visit where I live is amost unique.

Many thanks for your response.

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

I was a general practitioner for two years before going into ophthalmology. You cannot tell from GP tools about iritis, epsicleritis, etc without the slit lamp biomicroscope.

SO I would believe the eye doctor.

Episcleritis and scleritis are NOT the same. Scleritis is rare and very painful.  Episcleritis is like bursitis or tendonitis. It can go away by itself but is usually treated with mild steroid drops.

JCH MD