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Eye issues after I got cleaning wipes in eyes!
About a month ago, I got bathroom cleaning wipes (ones similar to the Clorox ones, but they're actually Great Value). My eyes burned immediately and I went to the bathroom to rinse them out. I did this by squeezing water from a soaked Kleenex into my eye. I also contacted my mother (she wasn't home at the time) and she told me to rinse them out again. After I'd rinsed them out, they felt a little bit swollen. **I've since learned that I should have rinsed my eyes out with a steady stream of water for 10+ minutes, however, I was not aware of this at the time, so I didn't do it.**
My mother took me to her optometrist a couple days later because my eyes were itching (especially when eye drops were used - my mother had told me to use her Pataday on them and see if that helped) and I believe they occasionally burned. (I think it was my right eye in particular that was bothering me. This was the eye that probably got the most amount of chemicals in it because it burned first and more than the left eye.)
So the nurse/assistant tested my visual acuity and the left eye was 20/25 and the right was 20/70 (though I admit this may not have been accurate because I had to adjust the little eye cover to see). She seemed concerned (likely because a) I'd just told her I hadn't noticed any vision changes and b) I'd also just told her about my right eye being worse than the left).
The optometrist said he didn't see any damage and he wasn't concerned about my vision either. He'd said if my vision wasn't better in a week, I'd need an eye exam. He also gave me some artificial tears and told me to put them in 4 times a day. However, I was concerned. I'd never had any eye issues (my visual acuity was always fine when it was tested, though I wasn't have regular eye exams or anything), so this was definitely a surprise.
One week later and we went back and my eyesight wasn't any better. (I was also still having the same issues, plus I suddenly started seeing floaters and got photosensitivity so bad I have to keep my computer brightness low now. Also, the artificial tears had caused a lot of eye drainage, which was also a new symptom. The day after I started using them my right eye was completely stuck together as if I had pink eye.) I wasn't told what the left eye was, but the right was about 20/200. I told him that my eyes felt "dry and heavy" and I was given steroid eye drops this time. Again, he said I'd need an eye exam a week later.
That was last week. I was told that my left eye was basically the same, though my right eye had improved a little bit (meaning I could see the big "E" this time and one or two lines below it, so maybe around 20/70 again). He still didn't find any damage and just ended up saying I'd need glasses (because of the dry eye issues). I wasn't told what my prescription is, but I was able to glance and see that -0.50 and -1.00 were written down.
All that happened last Wednesday. But I was still worried about my vision and if it was worsening because I was still having the same vision issues I've had since the accident (daily floaters, daily photosensitivity, daily dry eyes that get worse when I'm tired, blurry vision/nearsightedness that seems to have worsened quickly - I can't even see people's faces clearly from short distances), so my mother said to wait and see if the glasses help or fix them. My glasses were ready today, so we picked them up. After putting them on, I noticed I was seeing a lot more floaters than I had been seeing. I also started seeing what I called a "starburst," though I'm not sure if that's even the right term. It was very strange and scary. It was kind of like seeing wind that was caving in or moving at weird speeds/morphing into 3D looking objects. (That's the best description I can give.) At this point, I took off the glasses (this is after wearing them for maybe an hour to an hour and a half) to see if I was seeing the same thing without them – and I was, though the “starburst” was better. I kept the glasses off and put on my sunglasses the floaters and “starburst” went away soon after. I haven’t had such bad ones since, though I have had some floaters when looking at my computer. I tried my glasses later again and they do seem to help with photosensitivity a little bit, but I think I'm still seeing floaters with them on.
Does it sound like I’m worried about nothing? Or am I right to be concerned? Is it possible the eye drops are making my eyes drier? I’d like to go to an ophthalmologist because I don’t really trust this optometrist – he insists, for example, that looking at computer screenings and reading in dim light causes eye damage. Everything I’ve read online though says that there are both genetic and environmental factors that lead to myopia. And that results of studies disagree over if these lead to permanent eye damage.
My mother took me to her optometrist a couple days later because my eyes were itching (especially when eye drops were used - my mother had told me to use her Pataday on them and see if that helped) and I believe they occasionally burned. (I think it was my right eye in particular that was bothering me. This was the eye that probably got the most amount of chemicals in it because it burned first and more than the left eye.)
So the nurse/assistant tested my visual acuity and the left eye was 20/25 and the right was 20/70 (though I admit this may not have been accurate because I had to adjust the little eye cover to see). She seemed concerned (likely because a) I'd just told her I hadn't noticed any vision changes and b) I'd also just told her about my right eye being worse than the left).
The optometrist said he didn't see any damage and he wasn't concerned about my vision either. He'd said if my vision wasn't better in a week, I'd need an eye exam. He also gave me some artificial tears and told me to put them in 4 times a day. However, I was concerned. I'd never had any eye issues (my visual acuity was always fine when it was tested, though I wasn't have regular eye exams or anything), so this was definitely a surprise.
One week later and we went back and my eyesight wasn't any better. (I was also still having the same issues, plus I suddenly started seeing floaters and got photosensitivity so bad I have to keep my computer brightness low now. Also, the artificial tears had caused a lot of eye drainage, which was also a new symptom. The day after I started using them my right eye was completely stuck together as if I had pink eye.) I wasn't told what the left eye was, but the right was about 20/200. I told him that my eyes felt "dry and heavy" and I was given steroid eye drops this time. Again, he said I'd need an eye exam a week later.
That was last week. I was told that my left eye was basically the same, though my right eye had improved a little bit (meaning I could see the big "E" this time and one or two lines below it, so maybe around 20/70 again). He still didn't find any damage and just ended up saying I'd need glasses (because of the dry eye issues). I wasn't told what my prescription is, but I was able to glance and see that -0.50 and -1.00 were written down.
All that happened last Wednesday. But I was still worried about my vision and if it was worsening because I was still having the same vision issues I've had since the accident (daily floaters, daily photosensitivity, daily dry eyes that get worse when I'm tired, blurry vision/nearsightedness that seems to have worsened quickly - I can't even see people's faces clearly from short distances), so my mother said to wait and see if the glasses help or fix them. My glasses were ready today, so we picked them up. After putting them on, I noticed I was seeing a lot more floaters than I had been seeing. I also started seeing what I called a "starburst," though I'm not sure if that's even the right term. It was very strange and scary. It was kind of like seeing wind that was caving in or moving at weird speeds/morphing into 3D looking objects. (That's the best description I can give.) At this point, I took off the glasses (this is after wearing them for maybe an hour to an hour and a half) to see if I was seeing the same thing without them – and I was, though the “starburst” was better. I kept the glasses off and put on my sunglasses the floaters and “starburst” went away soon after. I haven’t had such bad ones since, though I have had some floaters when looking at my computer. I tried my glasses later again and they do seem to help with photosensitivity a little bit, but I think I'm still seeing floaters with them on.
Does it sound like I’m worried about nothing? Or am I right to be concerned? Is it possible the eye drops are making my eyes drier? I’d like to go to an ophthalmologist because I don’t really trust this optometrist – he insists, for example, that looking at computer screenings and reading in dim light causes eye damage. Everything I’ve read online though says that there are both genetic and environmental factors that lead to myopia. And that results of studies disagree over if these lead to permanent eye damage.
Okay, thanks. That's what I figured so I got an appointment with a local one in 2 weeks.
As Dr. Hagan suggests, please see an ophthalmologist about what is going on. Optometrists are fine for measuring eyes (that's pretty much what "metrist" means), but for the treatment of eye disorders and diseases, you really need an MD whose specialty is the eyes. That's what an ophthalmologist is about.
I would strongly suggest you seek a second opinion from an Eye MD ophthalmologist. Ask your family MD to refer you and set up the consult ASAP or go to www.geteyesmart.org and find an ophthalmologist near you and ask for an emergency work in exam.
JCH MD
JCH MD
And sorry for the any missing words or wacky grammar! I'm typing this from a tablet with an on screen keyboard.
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