are these steroid drops going to help my eye?

Question

last year my optho told me i had cornea conjunctivitis and he gave me some steroids and told me after a couple of weeks that i could wear my contacts again. and now i have experienced extreme light sensitivity, and redness and an area of my vision is blurred. my optho (who was different from the other one) told me to not wear my contacts for a whole month. and then i came back and he gave me some steroids and said to see me in 3 weeks. i felt kinda iffy about switching doctors. so i decided i would see my original doctor in 3 weeks instead since he knows my history and my cornea conjunctivitis i had last year. but my question is i have been off contacts for a whole month and half and my eyes still feel just as bad as when i first took out my contacts! i model so it is very hard to not wear my contacts. does any body know what this could mean and why it is taking so long to fix it?

Answer 1

Hi, Sorry you sound like you had a bad case of viral conjuncitivitis. Sometimes Steroid eye drops are used in this case of conjuncitivitis as the swelling of the cornea can cause bulging and bubbling and damage the cornea.
Imagine the cornea as cling film over the eye. If stretched and damaged, it creases and scars when it goes back on the eye and this distorts light and blurs the vision. It can take over a year for the cornea to improve.

Lubricating eye drops can help. COntact lenses should be fine to wear and may actually help to give higher vision clarity as they assist to stop the scattering of light and lubricate the eye.

SOmetimes the cornea will not mend totally. Scarring can be lasting. Hence the need for cornea transplants. But, corneas do mend, but it takes time.

You mention that you have redness still. were you checked at the time for iritis? iritis can cause photophobia, pain, blurring and is often confused with conjunctivitis.

Answer 2

The white of the eye and the inner surfaces of the lids are covered by a transparent membrane called the conjunctiva. Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva. There are two main types of conjunctivitis – allergic and infective. Allergic conjunctivitis happens when the immune system of your body attacks something that is not really harmful, such as pollen or make-up, and causes inflammation. Infective conjunctivitis is caused by viruses or bacteria infecting your eye. The immune system fights it, causing swelling. Infection is the most common cause of conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis caused by an infection usually clears up on its own after a few days. Conjunctivitis is sometimes called pink eye because the blood vessels in the eye are irritated and become enlarged, making the eye look red or pink. Conjunctivitis is most commonly caused by infection. Almost any germ, whether a bacterium or a virus, may be responsible. Some are more dangerous than others. The common cold can cause conjunctivitis, spreading from the mouth and nose to the eyes, but this is usually far less severe than infection of the eyes with chlamydia or herpes. However, conjunctivitis caused by the common cold is very infectious and can spread rapidly between people. Other bacteria that commonly cause conjunctivitis include staphylococci, streptococci and haemophilus bacteria. The most common cause of allergic conjunctivitis is hypersensitivity to pollen (hay fever). The pollen irritates the eye and can cause the conjunctiva to swell. Occasionally this can lead to extreme swelling and bulging of the eye membrane. Infective conjunctivitis caused by bacteria is usually treated with antibiotic drops (Chloramphenicol 0.5%) or ointment (Chloramphenicol 1%), in the affected eye. These are usually effective within a day or two, and research indicates that more than 90% of people recover within a week when using antibiotic drops or ointments. Note that not all antibiotic eye drops are suitable for use during pregnancy. Do not wear contact lenses while having antibiotic eye treatments. Antibiotics are most effective when a swab has been taken to identify the bacteria and thus the medicines best suited to treat it. In rare cases, when the cause has been proved to be an allergy, steroid eye drops may be given by an eye specialist. They must not be given in cases of viral or bacterial infections, because they can make the condition worse. Steroid eye drops are only given as a short term treatment and you will need to be carefully monitored for side effects, such as raised pressure inside the eye.
I add a link which discusses the 5 different types of conjunctivitis.



http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/
diseases/facts/conjunctivitis.htm


Hope this helps
Matador 89

Answer 3

Has your optician checked your contacts for any scratches on the corneal surface? Are you cleaning your contacts properly? Are you wearing them too long? Some people's eyes cannot tolerate contacts. Would a different type of contact help? These questions should be put to the optician and ophthalmologist.

After your eyes heal, ask whether you would be a candidate for Lasix surgery. Your condition might make this procedure risky for you, but this issue is more properly discussed with your ophthalmologist.

And finally, you don't want to use steroid eye drops indefinitely. It becomes a two-edged sword.

Answer 4

Steroid use in the eyes should be limited. It can lead to worse complications. Any use of steroid drops in the eyes should be limited. An antibiotic, or other non-steroidal drops would be better on a long term. Possibly even an immunomodulator like Restatis. However, it's rather pricy..