[Lindsey]

Well I may have a verdict....

I ran out of the antibiotic eye drops on Sunday before vacation was even over. My eyes have been getting worse and worse, painful and red all the time. So I called the optometrist today and got in just after lunch. She figures I had a viral eye infection at the start, maybe from a cold or flu. I started using the prescribed eye drops, the same brand I had used way back in December and January (and they didn't totally work then either). And now my eyes are STILL red, sore, and itchy. So her conclusion is that the infection is probably gone, but I'm just allergic to those antibiotic eye drops! She said it's very common to be allergic to that antibiotic, and the drops are just the drug combined with steroids. The steroid would make my eyes feel better for a little while, but then they'd get sore again. What I have now is just dry eyes with inflammation, an allergic reaction to the antibiotic.

Phew!

She gave me a box of artificial tears to put in my eyes every hour until I see her again on Friday. Hopefully this is the end of it!