Corneal Abrasion. Seen 4 doctors but confused.

[appplejack]

Last Friday on my way home I felt something in my left eye. I rubbed it a little bit ran cold water onto my eye when I got home but couldn't seem to get rid of it. On Saturday night, I went to the emergency room at a local hospital because it started hurting by that time and I became very sensitive to light. The ER doctor told me that I have a corneal abrasion and sent me home and told me to come back on Monday to see an eye doctor. On Monday, the doctor told me I have a corneal scratch and needed to come back again the next day. I got an antibiotic drop to prevent infection. I thought I was going to see the same doctor next day but saw a different doctor.(Same clinic) She told me that I have an abscess in the eye and infection. This shocked me because I didn't hear it from the last eye doctor. I came back the next day to the same clinic and saw another doctor yet again and she told me nothing of the abscess when I asked her and she told me that she wouldn't know if there's an infection unless they collect a sample from my eye and send it to the lab. According to her, the scratch is below the center of the eye and it could develop a scar but it's too soon to determine that. Again I was told to come back the next day. The fourth doctor told me that I have an infection and will develop a scar in the cornea for the rest of my life. Leaving the clinic door I felt very frustrated and confused. For all this time, I've been using the anti-biotic drop for every two hours or so and an anti-biotic ointment 4 times a day for the last three days. I don't see as well as I did with my left eye and until yesterday, my vision was blurrier. My eye still red but a lot less red. I heard redness is the body's effort to send more blood to promote healing. I hope to make good recovery. (Prior to the injury I had 20/20 it's 20/40 for now).I doubt the opinions of the two doctors who told me that I have an infection without having some lab work done on my left eye.Please help. Thanks.

[appplejack]

Thanks Dr. Michael Kutryb,
I will ask my eye doctor to collect a sample from my eye.
Could you tell me what symptoms of cornea infection are?
I've been following up on the eye drop and ointment and there's some astigmatism but my eyesight seems to be improving very slowly. In the morning when I wake up, my eye looks relatively clear and there's no crust or discharge. Thank you.

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

It sounds like you have "all of the above."  In other words you may have started with a small abrasion and then developed an infection in the cornea, called a corneal abrasion.  I've taken care of hundreds of them and it is important to be on the proper drop medications, get a culture for the lab if possible and have it followed very closely by the same ophthalmologist.  Most cases will recover quite well with proper treatment but severe cases can cause permanant damage.