Have you told them that you're on the computer a lot? Hopefully, you're still just getting over the drops that bothered you and in time your eyes will heal. I hope you have good news in a couple of weeks.

I did let them know I'm a drafter, but if it were computer related it should clear up somewhat on weekends, and definitely when I was on vacation for a week...

The specialists I'm seeing now are opthamologists, and they seem to think it looks like follicular conjuctivitis. This is basically what I found online:

Clinical features:
May present as an acute or chronic disease
Symptoms: hyperemia, chemosis, watery discharge, photophobia and periorbital pain.
Signs:
The follicles appear as gray-white, round to oval elevations which measuring between 0.5 to 1.5 mm in diameter
Smaller follicles may produce a slightly irregular and velvety appearance
Follicles can be seen in the inferior and superior tarsal conjunctiva, and less often, on bulbar or limbal conjunctiva

Acute follicular conjunctivitis is usually associated with viral (epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, Herpes zoster keratoconjunctivitis, infectious mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus infection) or chlamydial infections (Inclusion conjunctivitis), while chronic disease may be caused by chronic chlamydial infection (trachoma, lymphogranuloma venereum) or as a toxic or reactive inflammaytroy response to topical medications and molluscum contagiosum infection.
Treatment is directed to the causative agents.

The eye scraping ruled out a chlamydial infection. I got so worried when he brought that up the first time saying "You can get it from touching door handles or anything touched by someone who has an infection" :eek: I use hand sanitizer CONSTANTLY but now I will even more! But anyways, that was ruled out and they can't figure out what is causing it. They said it can also be caused by viruses that cause cold sores, but I've never had a cold sore in my life. I just don't know!

At least they have some idea of what's wrong. It doesn't sound very good but now they'll know how to treat it. Hugs, Lindsey.

That is a really serious problem and I hope that is NOT what you have (I don't think that is it). Did you ever have chicken pox as a child? If not, then I don't think you carry the virus that can cause it. If you did have chicken pox, then it is possible, but again, I really don't think so. That type of eye infection is VERY painful.

I did have the chicken pox... TWICE actually! I had a mild case when I was a baby, and then I got it full-blown again when I was 4 or 5. My mom was sure I wouldn't catch it from my brother because I had it once already, but I sure did!

My eyes aren't in a lot of pain. They get sore a lot faster than before, and it seems to be a pain kind of around my eye sockets and between my eyes. It's not severe pain, just a dull ache. At the start of all this the pain was a lot worse and I got pounding headaches from it. That may have been from the drops I was using though.

Well, it is definitely a chronic condition, rather than acute, I think. It is hard to understand why they can't get it cleared up - but I guess that may be because they can't readily identify what is causing it. This is really frustrating!

You're telling me! When I had the same problem through December and January, I think it's the same thing now. I don't think it was bacterial or viral pink eye then either, because that should be highly contagious and NOBODY caught it from me, even when it was untreated for the first week or two. Even sharing pillows with Scott!

I think seasonal allergies are out of the question because it was winter the first time and now summer... and I'm not even living in the same place so it's nothing at home... and I still had it when I went to BC so it's not the office or anything like that. I don't know if it's an allergy at all. But it's definitely annoying.

Well, I have used the steroid eye drops for a week, and have been off them for two days. They didn't get any better on them, but they didn't hurt. Now that I'm not using them, they seem to be more red and definitely more painful. My next appointment with the specialist is on Wednesday because that's the earliest I could get in. I am so frustrated with the specialist too because he basically said "I don't know what it could be" :mad: Well he is paid to figure that out! I think the guy I'm seeing this next time is someone different though.
I want my eyes back :( I'm just feeling down today but it seems that since April, I have not been well. Layla went down, and then I had surgery on my hand and foot (and my foot still hurts), and then my eyes got screwed up, and I just don't know how much more I can take.

Oh Lindsay! It is hard for so many things to be wrong at the same time. I'm so sorry! I keep thinking that someone is going to be able to figure out what is wrong with your eyes!

I am sending you a big hug!!!

Lindsay, when is your next appointment?

My appointment is tomorrow, and I can't wait. My eyes have been hurting ALL DAY, and I wasn't even in front of my computer because I was in meetings for about 6 hours. Now I'm working late on my computer and my eyes are just killing me. I just checked in the mirror and they are so bloodshot it's scary to look at.

I'd be getting VERY firm with the doc - this has gone on way too long. If you are seeing a new doc, even though he/she has your records, be sure to tell him/her how long this has been going on and all the things you have tried.

Ask him/her what could be causing it and then take each possibility and ask why he/she thinks it might/might not be that particular diagnosis. Make him/her talk to you about each possibility. Why might it be X, why not might it be X. What are the symptoms? What are the causes for EACH possibility. As they talk, you may think of something that might give them more ideas about what this is.

Thanks Gayle, I will. I hope this one has a little more thought than the last one. He basically threw up his hands and said he doesn't know what it could be. I can go online and find a million things it COULD be but I don't want to do that! I want to know for sure from a doctor exactly what it is and what will fix it. I will do anything at this point!

I'm pretty sure my eyes are dry, and not producing enough tears right now. Even when I want to cry, I can't really. I get some tears, but not much. When I am really tired and I have a big yawn, no tears. When I was that tired before, I'd usually have to wipe my eyes. I always cry at weddings, and on the weekend I felt my eyes heat up but there were no tears coming out. I am definitely going to bring that up. I also get very very itchy on the inside corners of my eyes and it doesn't go away unless I scratch the edge of my eyelid. I've also had some stuffy sinuses lately too, so I'll bring that up as well.

The most frustrating thing is that the symptoms keep changing! I didn't have sinus issues at the start of this, but I did have very red eyes with yellow discharge. There is no discharge anymore, but there is pain that wasn't there before. Before, I was wiping my eyes constantly, and now I barely tear at all.

Please post as soon as you get this doctor's opinion! Poor Lindsey!!!

Lindsey, I hope that you find out what's wrong soon.

I'm leaving for my appointment in a few minutes. Scott may also have caught it from me now... his eyes have been very red and veiny for the past week. He blames in on allergies, but he has had allergies since June and his eyes just started getting red last week, and they're getting worse like mine.

It turns out I saw the same doctor. And again, he has NO IDEA what it could be. I told him my eyes hurt and he said this has gone on way too long. He sent me back out to the waiting room and came back 20 minutes later, gave me a prescription for MORE steroid drops (apparently a little different from the first?) and said another specialist's office will be calling me for an appointment. This new guy is an internal eye specialist. Maybe he can figure it out.

I got my eyes frozen and prodded again today and it made me feel nauseous again. I wish I was normal.

:mad:GRRRRR! They better find out what is wrong soon or I'm gonna come up there and whup someone!!! By the way, if you were normal, you wouldn't be as interesting! ;) But really, I wish your eyes were extremely NORMAL! :p But I ask my students to define normal. Have you ever tried to define normal? What is normal? It's kinda hard!

I can't believe that you STILL haven't found anything out yet!!! I'd be getting pretty upset with my doctor by now. I hope the specialist finds something out and soon!!!!!

I have not even heard from the new doctor yet to set up an appointment. If he doesn't call today, I am calling the referring specialist, getting his number, and calling myself.

I am 95% sure Scott has the same thing now. The whites of his eyes are pink and they are very veiny looking. I told him it looks like pink eye, but he refuses to go to a doctor. Maybe he has had it this whole time too but hasn't been showing symptoms. Maybe I can't get rid of it because he's not being treated for it either.

Anyways, on top of this I am still having sinus problems and for the past two days I've had terrible chest congestion and a cough. I can't say after this long that anything is related, but it's all just making me pretty miserable.

Oh yeah, and the new drops haven't helped at all yet. Frustrating.

Did this all start before toy moved into your new house? I think it did so it's probably not anything environmental, but it's just a thought.

We moved in April and it started in mid-June... I had that feeling too but I think we were there long enough before that it should have started earlier if that were the case. We did get new bedroom furniture just before it started, but that's all that has changed. But I have been away from the house, even on holidays for a week, and it doesn't get better when I'm away from home.

My appointment is tomorrow afternoon. I asked the receptionist if my pupils will be dilated and I'm glad I asked because the answer was yes... Scott will take time off work to go with me now. I don't think I will be able to come back to work after it either. They say it lasts for an hour or so but it seems to last much longer with me. Last time they were dilated around 4:00 and I couldn't even look at the tv until around 7:00... it's more comfortable just to keep my eyes closed!

I looked at the new doctor's information online and he's actually a surgeon. But obviously he's specialized enough that he might be able to figure something out. The building is the same place where they do lasik and other optical surgeries so they have very specialized equipment and hopefully can see a little more. Scott's eyes have been continuously getting more and more red too, so it MUST be something contagious or an allergy or something. It's not affecting JUST me.

I hope they finally figure out what it wrong.

I feel like I've waited forever for this appointment and the day is finally here. Please cross your fingers that he can find out what's wrong!

I am frustrated beyond belief. He said NOTHING is wrong with my eyes. They used dilating drops which also whiten the eyes (I learned from the last eye doc that it happens), so he just said "They look fine to me". I told him the steroid drops haven't helped and he told me to keep taking them for the next month (the pamphlet says 10 days max or you heighten your risk of getting eye diseases and loss of sight). I told him my eyes are so red in the mornings I can't see any whites. I said they're in pain like they're strained or fatigued all the time. I said they're itchy in the corners every once in awhile. He just said "There's nothing wrong, take these lubricating drops and come back in 6 weeks"
:mad: I held my tears on the way out. I am getting NOWHERE with this.

Lindsay, I think this is paternalism at its height. The doctors are not listening to you. And the more insistent you get, the more they think you are a dizzy woman. It is absolutely maddening. I have a friend who works with women with heart disease. She knows a woman who had jaw surgery, her gall bladder out, her teeth fixed, physical therapy for back pain, diagnosed with depression - all before she had her heart attack. Yep, ALL her symptoms for months were heart pain - undiagnosed because most research is done on men and doctors do not understand that the symptoms of cardiovascular disease in women is very different than men.

This is all to say that I believe you are experiencing doctors who are not listening to you. I'm so sorry and I don't know what to tell you except to keep searching for a doctor that will listen to you. There IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR EYES and you may have to shout and stomp your feet to get some help. However, you may be treated like a hysterical female - which really stinks. But remember the squeeky wheel ultimately gets some oil!

Thank you Gayle. I don't want to wait until something serious happens before someone takes notice. In the morning I am calling the eye care center that referred me to this guy, and asking if there's anyone else I can see for a second opinion. I'll tell them I feel that it is something contagious since my boyfriend seems to have gotten the same thing. I just need another opinion before 6 weeks is up. I am also not going to take the steroid eye drops anymore. I have used them for 7 days and not seen any improvements. And straight from the drug information:

Prolonged use: Prolonged use of this medication can cause eye problems such as glaucoma, optic nerve damage, vision problems, cataracts, and perforation of the cornea. Prolonged used may also increase the risk of fungal and bacterial eye infections. If this medication is used for more than 10 days, your doctor will check your eyes routinely.

I don't know WHY this doctor would suggest me taking it for a month and seeing me again in 6 weeks. Not worth it to me if I haven't seen ANY improvement yet. My eyes really hurt and this doctor just acted like I was wasting his time. I wouldn't be wasting MY time and using all my sick time at work if there wasn't a real problem here. I have never been treated like this before. I had a lump on my neck when I was very little and I was seen and tested by every specialist possible... it went away and they never found the cause but they never stopped trying. I had kidney problems in my teens and again saw every specialist for it and was tested for every possible disease and am still being monitored to make sure it's healthy. But these eye specialists just don't care.

The uncaring attitude and telling you to take a medication that clearly is dangerous long term is just unacceptable. Keep after them!

I had very bad dry eye after I had Lasix about 15 years ago. I found the name of a doctor who was very well known for specializing in this. I wrote to him asking for the name of a specialist in NYC, and his assistant emailed the name of a great doctor. She gave me a list of things to try, and then gave me the name of an excellent doctor to go see who was doing research in NYC. He started me on a medication that was in clinical trial. At the end of all of this, about 10 years later, I don't even have to take the medication he gave me anymore.

Maybe you can start doing some research online and see which researchers keep popping up when you research your symptoms.

This is so absolutely sickening. I called the eye care centre who referred me to this guy and the receptionist said I can't just go back there, I have to get my optometrist to refer me again. I have to start from scratch again if I want to see the guy in the middle.

I called the office of the specialist I saw yesterday. I told them he found nothing wrong but there IS something wrong and I'd like to see him again without the dilating drops, and I'm not waiting 6 weeks because my eyes hurt. The soonest I can get in is September 5th.

I called the optometrist who started the referrals and her receptionist was going to call me back after talking with her. They talked and called and said I can get in on the 23rd. She said it should be able to wait that long. She can't see me again until she gets reports back from the specialists I've seen.

I am making Scott call the optometrist now. He's going to say he has the same problem as me so we're worried it's contagious and if we can't get in sooner, can we at least both see the doctor when I go in on the 23rd.

I have such a headache. I have been hiding out in the office bathroom a few times already this morning to wipe my tears. I am so stressed out.

So sorry, Lindsey. :hug: I can't believe that this has gone on for this long. I think that it's a good idea for Scott to see the doctor......maybe they'll take him more seriously. It's sad but it doesn happen.

They said they need to see reports first and I just wanted to scream "You know what they found? NOTHING! The reports will say NOTHING!"

Scott said the girl is talking to the optometrist and then calling him back again.

NO WAY!!!! NOTHING????? That's the most ignorant thing I have ever heard!! Oh Lindsey, what are you going to do? You'll just have to find another doctor!

Scott has gotten us in to my original optometrist tomorrow. The one I had been seeing about this issue isn't the regular one I see... just the only one available on short notice. They think it's best if we both go back to my original optometrist for another opinion. I agree! We need to be there at 8 tomorrow morning. Scott also needs to have a full sight test done since he hasn't been there before.

My eyes were red all weekend although not as sore as usual. I'm back at work today and they really hurt. Maybe there is something to this computer work. Maybe I have something underlying but the computer irritates it more. Either way I just need to get it figured out. I think I'm going to cancel the plates on my motorcycle. We get 3 good months of riding weather up here and I've wasted 2 of them - my helmet won't fit over my glasses. So I might as well cancel the last month and say "screw it" to riding even once this year :(

I'm so sorry you won't be able to ride your motorbike - well not really, I'm a nurse and I see what happens when cars don't see motorbikes. The person on the bike always loses. So, I really can't say that I'm sorry you won't be able to ride. But I am sorry that your eyes are preventing you from doing things that you want to do!

I sure hope you can find out what is wrong! I'm glad you got the appointment together!

Oh Gayle I know what you mean. The bike is lots of fun but since we have such a short riding season up here, drivers don't look out for us. I haven't rode to and from work in a long time because rush hour is terrible with people hurrying to get to work or hurrying to get home. I hate riding in the city. I was so excited to ride around our (almost trafficless) town though! And the highways outside of town would be good too. I was considering selling my bike next year, and for sure when Scott and I decide to get married we want to sell both bikes to pay for a wedding and honeymoon. So I'm getting to the end of my "biker chick" era and it sucks that my eyes had to cut it even shorter!

We saw the optometrist this morning and I am so much happier with her. I wish I saw her in the first place! She thinks we both have allergies and dry eyes. Other than that, NO infections. She doesn't like that they put me on all the steroids to begin with instead of an antihistamine eye drop, but she does want me to continue with them once a day as the specialist said just because I'd be following up with him. I'm also supposed to use hydrating eye drops, and we're going to look into a humidifier or two for the house. And we're going to vacuum out all the vents in the house (I think we may have started running A/C around the time this started) and since we are painting anyway, I have been cleaning out a LOT of dust!

I totally trust my optometrist and she is concerned with me and not pushy. She is very thorough. I am also glad she mentioned allergies, when the specialist said he saw no allergic reactions. I thought that could be part of it.