Second opinion about Dry eyes

[lostandfornd]

I just recovered from a bout of unilateral bacterial conjunctivitis about 2 months ago. Felt irritation and pain in the same eye about 15 days ago which was diagnosed as dry eye and I was prescribed artificial tears(refresh) and the pain went away in a day or two. Since the past two days the problem seems to have flared up and today I woke up not being able to open the eye without feeling pain. The eye is bloodshot (appears as it did during the period when it was infected by conjunctivitis) and eyelids are swollen and I cant even open my eye to its full extent  and it is continuously watering and producing mucus (not as much as to stick my eyelids together) and there is a foreign body sensation. I have an appointment scheduled with my doctor soon. But I am really feeling very anxious right now, the last time something like this happened was 3 years ago (and it was the same eye) and then it went away after the doctor prescribed a corticosteroid ointment. Is it a case of dry eyes?        

[JohnHaganMD]

The scenario you describe waking up with an eye uncomfortable is often due to :  1. sleeping under a fan or with air moving in the bedroom. If that is you turn it off.  2. People that sleep with CPAP for sleep apnea. If that is you use a lubricating gel at bedtime every night  3. People that have scratched their cornea and it has not healed properly (recurrent corneal erosion)     Use lubricating gel (not regular tears) every night for minimum 4-6 months.    4, People that sleep with eye partially open (previous eyelid surgery, previous facial paralysis (stroke, bell's palsy)  Rx same gel or lubricating ointment at betime.

[lostandfornd]

The doctor said that my left eye (this is the eye which keeps giving me trouble), which has been permanently scarred by  conjunctivitis, has become vascularized, and when it becomes worse I have been in the past prescribed with an ointment which contains tetracycline and hydrocortisone, which alleviated my condition the last time after a week or so. I read your previous posts about the number of dry eye products in the market and how what works for someone wont necessarily work for the other person. Is refresh liquigel considered a lubricating gel (I know it contains gel in its name but one can never trust these companies) ?    

[JohnHaganMD]

yes it is.  others Genteal Gel   Refresh PM,