Will the redness in my eyes ever go away?

[frigo]

Hello , I am a girl from belgium and i suffer from burning,sensitive red eyes all the time. It has become so bad that i cant drive my car or come outside my house. I went to several eye docs. and they say they can not help me.
They give me eyedrops systane and other brands but they do not help.
I am depressed because i have no life . I work in a nailsalon where there is a lot of dust.
should i quit my job? And what else can i do?
restasis is not available here in belgium .
Will the red eyes ever go AWAY ??????

I hope i recieve an answer . Thank u

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

I agree, I strongly suspect it could have something to do with your job with all those nasty chemicals in the air.  Try to see if you can find an ophthalmologist that will truly listen to you and try some different types of treatments such as allergy drops, a trial of steroid drops possibly under close supervision or even punctal plugs or oral supplements like flax and fish oil.  See if you can restasis from another country even over the internet if your ophthalamolgist will supervise your treatment.  Just some ideas.  Don't give up, you just need to find a doctor that will listen to you and work with you and stay away from smoke and chemicals and extensive computer work, all of which will irritate your eyes.

MJK MD

[yarrow]

When you are on vacation or away from the salon for several days in a row, do you notice that your eyes are better?  There are LOTS of potential eye irritants in a nail salon.

[yarrow]

I have sent you a private message regarding contact.

Yarrow

[frigo]

No , there is no history of thyroid diseases in my family and i also had my bloodwork tested for reuma. Nothing wrong with it they say. I think its weird because she said i do not have dry eyes and even my eyelidmargins look fine she said that only the eyeball is very red. However she saw one dry spot on each eye on the superior part of the conjunctiva but at first she had no idea what it could be . When i left the room she said " something pops up in my mind " she wrote on a piece of paper SLK "look in to it" this may be the answer. that could explain the gritty feeling i have and it is right on the place where the dry spots are. But why did most of the doctors diagnose me with meibom gland disfunction. I really dont understand that.

is there maybe another place i can contact you more private? This is becoming a very long discussion here:-)


ciao

[yarrow]

Congratulations, frigo, on finding someone with an interest in your condition!  I suppose you have googled superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis?  Is there any history of thyroid problems in your family?

In any case, I would recommend sticking with this doctor and asking her to work with you.  I think that in general physicians are pressed for time, and often a difficult and chronic case, but one that is not life-threatening, is frustrating for them, simply because there are only 24 hours in a day.  But if you can find one doctor with just enough interest and time, he/she will go to the ends of the earth for you.

[frigo]

i wanted to let you know that i called dr beata mazur but she is specialized in cataract and macula degeneration ; i went to see a new doc today and she suspects i have superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis???? ok lets see if this time she can help :-)

bye bye

[yarrow]

Frigo,  when I searched for the names of opthalmologists in Belgium, her name came up in the context of the challenging diploma exam in Paris.  You can read more about her by putting this into your google search box:

               EBO online beata mazur

And if you type this into your google search box,

                 forum ocular rosacea

quite a number of discussion forums will be available to you.

[frigo]

Hi, no she is not that doctor but i have never heard of Beata Mazur . How come you found her? I really thank u for providing me with this information because no doctor has been able to answer me like you do . I will google Beata Mazur and visit the forum ocular rosacea.

Thank u so much :-)

[yarrow]

Just two more suggestions, and I hope they help.  

1. If you google the terms "forum ocular rosacea" you will find quite a number of specific boards where this condition as well as others such as meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye are discussed.  Perhaps some of the members will also be more familiar with medical options in Belgium.

2.  Beata Mazur, a Belgian ophthalmologist, won some acclaim due to her outstanding performance in the European Board of Ophthalmology Diploma exams give in Paris last year.  Judging from the news stories, she appears to be a youngish woman who might be 'up' on the newest information regarding various eye conditions.  Unless she is the doctor you saw who didn't know what you had, it might be worth searching for her.

[frigo]

i went to 7 eye docs. The last one i visited 4 times.
She sent me home with the words I dont know for sure . you might have to lurn to live with this. I know every eye disease there is and the cures. The problem is they dont help
and no one even cares about it . no doc suggests more agressive treatment . the docs. In Belgium have little experience i guess. Thats why i'm on an american website right now.

I will take your advice and i thank you very much
my best regards

[yarrow]

frigo, since you don't have a firm diagnosis, I don't think anyone here has enough information to tell you if your eye redness will go away.  After all, no one here has examined you.

It does sound to me as though there are too many doctors involved, though I don't know exactly how many you have been to.  If the problem is as severe as you describe it, you need to find ONE sympathetic doctor, as Dr. Kutryb says.  Personally, I would suggest you print out his advice, take a copy back to the doctor who thought you might have ocular rosacea, tell her your eye pain is ruining your life and you need help!  If she does not know what to do, ask her to refer you to the finest specialist she knows of.

I would also suggest that you do a google search and really, really learn something about ocular rosacea, which sounds like a real possibility.  The more YOU know, the better the questions you can ask.  And speaking of questions, it's always a good idea to write out a list of questions before your appointment with a doctor.  That way you won't forget anything you really wanted to ask.

[frigo]

No the problem is that she cant tell me what it is. It could be ocular rosacea but she wasnt convinced so she gave me those pills in case that it would be rosacea. An other doctor told me that the meibom glands didnt work and an other doctor said it was severe dry eye. But they send me home with no explanation and i have so many questions.
I used minhavez( visine) for a long time .A jear ago i stopped using them
I am so worried that the red eyes wont go away and i have to live like this forever .
I do not sleep or eat anymore and i feel ugly as hell lately .
After i have cried my eyes burn even more and if the redness wont go away then there is no other option .

The only question right now is if the redness will go away. Because it is really bad.
Thank u for your time.

[yarrow]

Ah, you had not mentioned earlier that you have been diagnosed with ocular rosacea!  That's different.

If you have been given this diagnosis by a reliable doctor, then you need to be referred to a specialist in rosacea so that your treatment for this lifelong condition can be managed properly.  I am sure that there are such specialists in Belgium.  In addition, there are online support groups for rosacea and ocular rosacea, which will help you a great deal to learn about the disorder. I have the feeling you have not read much about it.

Certainly,  your current job is not helping your eyes, but quitting the job and hoping for 'eye whitening surgery' are not going to be the answer.  Learn about your condition (there is a lot of info available), and find one good rosacea specialist who will see you frequently and will work with you on a continuing basis. Your eyes will be much happier.

[frigo]

thank u for your comment. It is difficult to quit because all my money goes to doctors. But i think i am going to do it.

[frigo]

Thank you for your answer. I am taking antibiotics called mino 50 for ocular rosacea and fish oil and flaxseed oil supp.The reason i didn't quit my job is because i went to visit my family in Italy for three weeks my eyes became worse. I couldn't leave my house . So i thought it had nothing to do with chemicals. They have tested me for allergies , viral or bacterial problems , all negative. i am driving everybody crazy at home.
I am with my back against the wall and the doctors say that punctum plugs wont help me ....
I heard about eye whitening surgery . Is it safe???
Thank u :-)