Ongoing problem inflammation/internal hordeolum

[jlb597]

For seven months I have had redness on my left eye, right eye completely unaffected. I was initially diagnosed with an eye infection and blepharitis. Also on my inner lower eyelid of that eye, I have a stye. It's small, but it's yellow and has not drained. It has existed the entire time. Going back to the initial diagnosis of infection--that having been treated, the redness didn't go away. I have been given the gamut of eye drops to make the redness go away.

1. First I was given Pataday eye drops for what was suspected as allergy causing the redness. Didn't work. Redness got worse. Developed another eye infection and was given Tobradex (antibiotic and steroid).
2. Redness went away for a few weeks, and then came right back again. I was given Alrex to take for a month. It worked--redness went away, so I was told to try Pataday again.
3. Redness was gone for a few weeks, came back. I was told that my immune system is in overdrive and that allergies are causing all of this. Still, told to take Alrex again, do eye washes several times a day, eye compresses (for the internal hordeolum), a prescription for antibiotic ointment to put on the stye (which I ended up being allergic to and had to stop using) and come back in a month.
4. Redness went away within three weeks, so I stopped the Alrex to show the doctor what would  happen if I quit. I knew it would go crazy again, and it did. Was given Lotemax and told to try it for a month.
5. Lotemax worked great, and I was able to take it once a day to keep redness, inflammation, and irritation at bay. But as soon as I'd stop taking it, it all started again.
6. This last month the Lotemax wasn't working just to take once a day, so I went back and found out that I had another eye infection. I was told to do Tobradex 4x/day for a week, then 3x the next and was also given doxycycline for the internal hordeolum in that eyelid.

Where I am now:
The pressure in my eyes was higher than normal from taking the Tobradex, so I've been told not to take it anymore and to not take the Lotemax. The internal hordeolum has not gone down, but hasn't gotten worse. My eye infection is gone, but now I've been given a script for Bepreve and was told to talk to an allergist. I know that the Bepreve will not work because it doesn't have a steroid in it. The other allergy drops I've tried (and spent hundreds of dollars on!) have not helped the irritation and inflammation of my eye. What I don't understand is why the internal hordeolum won't go away. He told me that it might always be there or it might someday go away. My suspicion is that the internal hordeolum has caused the inflammation of my eye and recurring infections. Is this a possibility?

My mother has had to have a chalazion removed from her eyelid before, and her eye doctor told her that some people have thick oil in their glands, causing styes and other cysts to develop (she also, like me, has been diagnosed with blepharitis many years). I believe that is the case for myself, and can't help but wonder if this stye is causing my inflammation and irritation. My right eye is completely unaffected, and so I have a hard time believing that all of this is simply an allergic situation. In the past when I've had allergy eye, both eyes have been affected and resolved within days.

Should I get a second opinion? I'm truly frustrated and concerned about the vision in my left eye.

[jlb597]

The specialist says that what I have is allergy papillae in both eyes and I have to take a new set of drops. If they don't work, he's going to prescribe stronger steroids. I'll post my update when I have more to share.

[jlb597]

Hi, I just wanted to update that I had more than a month of no redness in January and part of February until a contact scratched my eye and started the whole thing all over again! I'm seeing an ophthalmologist today, taking my red eye and host of drops and my medical history!

quasibroken, thanks for your response. I doubt that my problem is similar to yours. I do a lot of reading, but TV is not on my radar (I might watch 2 hrs a week?) and I don't own a Smartphone, just a standard model that I use if I'm out and about. I hate cell phones, and texting isn't something I particularly want to do either. I'd much rather talk to someone in person! And I'm pretty sure I'm the only 30-something that feels that way.

Reading isn't going to stop for me. I'm a teacher and a mom of three, so I don't expect that I'll ever be able to stop reading. :)

I'll let you all know what I find out. I'm very curious what he'll say about the internal hordeolum.

[quasibroken]

I wanted to add that an allergist isn't going to do a damn thing for you but a skin prick test. Don't waste your time.

I forgot to mention some people apply cayenne pepper to their eyes. Seriously. Look up Dr. Christopher's eyebright extract on amazon.

I don't know about anyone else on here, but hot compresses don't do a thing for me. Makes the condition worse.

[quasibroken]

I have what you have, but I've had it for 20 years. I get at least 4 styes a month.

You need to accept the fact that many things could be triggering it. In my life, I have had to stop using the following, even just for a glance: cell phones, tv, books, movies. I seriously challenge you to forbid yourself from texting or using a computer for a week and see if that changes things.

Also, here are some things you may want to research. When a stye does happen, I sometimes can combat it with colloidal silver (available on amazon). I spray it into my eye. Flax seed helps. Olive leaf supplement. Some people are helped by taking 10,000 I.U. doses of Vitamin A, however this did not work for me and I felt a lot of pain in my bones. High doses of vita A are not without side effects.

Research Sjogren's Syndrome as well.

Those things help me a little, but overall I have had to prohibit myself from watching movies, tv, reading and looking at cell phones. Thankfull on IPhone, siri is a big help.

It may seem laughable to think such a reaction to such commonplace things is possible. But your body is reacting to something. Most likely it is not diet or skin alone. I'm throwing a bunch of clues your way. Hopefully it will trigger something in your brain and help you conduct some of your own research. Good luck to you.

[jlb597]

Yes, that's what I'm wanting to know from others who may have gone through what I am--if seeing a specialist is a good idea. My optometrist only referred me to an allergist. When I brought up seeing an eye specialist, he said he didn't think it was necessary. I'm not so sure.

[KayakerNC]

Have you considered a 2nd opinion with an Ophthalmologist.  
I'm sure your Optometrist or Primary Physician could recommend a good one in your area.

[jlb597]

Thanks, Lisa. These are already things that I do. I mentioned the compresses in #3. I have been doing the compresses for months now. I even bought a special compress thing for the eyes called MediBeads. I use it three times a day or more often if I can. I do the lid washings twice a day and don't wear eye makeup or contacts either. I just don't know what to do. It's been four days since I last took Tobradex, and I woke up this morning with my eyelids glued together. This is a new problem for me. It felt like I'd put Superglue on my lower lid. I'm also experiencing excessive watering; eye is just pouring. It's frustrating, because I'm doing everything that I'm supposed to do, and nothing's working. I'm a busy mom of three kids (infant included), and it's like my world has been interrupted.

Thanks for responding! I have a feeling this will need to be lanced, but I'm afraid that the other symptoms might stick around. I just don't know what course of action to take next, and obviously my optometrist doesn't either.