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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tamar on July 4, 2005, at 7:52:38
I seem to have developed a reaction to my contact lenses. After I wear them the skin around my eyes gets very red and itchy and puffy. I look as if I've been crying. I think it might be eczema. It takes a few days to get better.
My eyes themselves are fine; the contact lenses don't hurt or irritate my eyes. And I don't think I'm rubbing my eyes when I have lenses in.
The only medication I take is insulin, but I've been using insulin for more than two years and this is a new thing.
Any ideas?
Tamar
Posted by gardenergirl on July 4, 2005, at 12:26:04
In reply to question about contact lenses, posted by Tamar on July 4, 2005, at 7:52:38
What kind of lenses do you wear? If they are soft/disposable, I would toss them and use a new pair.
It could also be the solution you are using. I developed an allergy to a particular solution and wound up with an infection before I realized it. So you might also try changing solutions.
Sorry to hear of your trouble.
gg
Posted by Tamar on July 4, 2005, at 16:47:59
In reply to Re: question about contact lenses » Tamar, posted by gardenergirl on July 4, 2005, at 12:26:04
Thanks for replying, GG.
> What kind of lenses do you wear? If they are soft/disposable, I would toss them and use a new pair.
They are daily disposable lenses, so I always toss them and use a new pair.
> It could also be the solution you are using. I developed an allergy to a particular solution and wound up with an infection before I realized it. So you might also try changing solutions.
I don't actually use solutions because I throw away each pair of lenses after I wear them. But maybe there's something in the solution they sit in when they're still in their little capsules. You'd think it would irritate my eyes though, wouldn't you? I find it so strange that my skin reacts but my eyes are fine.
I guess I'd better go see the optician. Sigh.
Posted by Racer on July 4, 2005, at 22:31:06
In reply to Re: question about contact lenses » gardenergirl, posted by Tamar on July 4, 2005, at 16:47:59
If you're not using any solution, I'm guessing that means you don't rinse them with saline before putting them in? If so, hie thee to the chemist's for a bottle of thimerisol free saline solution! It will help.
It may be that you're not feeling the irritation to your eyes. Trust me -- your eyes are not as sensitive as you think, but the skin around them is. Try that for a few days or weeks, see if it helps. I'll bet it does.
Good luck.
Posted by gardenergirl on July 5, 2005, at 8:02:40
In reply to Re: question about contact lenses » Tamar, posted by Racer on July 4, 2005, at 22:31:06
Another thought...I went through a period when the skin around my eyes looked like I had excema. Turns out it was irritation from crying in therapy and my mascara gathering in the outer corners of my eyes.
Now that I let tears flow down my face, I am getting flakies around the smile lines down my cheeks.
Doing more crying than usual?
gg
Posted by Tamar on July 5, 2005, at 19:01:09
In reply to Re: question about contact lenses » Tamar, posted by Racer on July 4, 2005, at 22:31:06
> If you're not using any solution, I'm guessing that means you don't rinse them with saline before putting them in? If so, hie thee to the chemist's for a bottle of thimerisol free saline solution! It will help.
You are so right! I just put them straight in. I will hie me to a chemist pronto!
> It may be that you're not feeling the irritation to your eyes. Trust me -- your eyes are not as sensitive as you think, but the skin around them is. Try that for a few days or weeks, see if it helps. I'll bet it does.
Good point. I knew eyes weren't so sensitive really (after hearing several bizarre stories) but never thought it applied to *me*!
Thanks, Racer.
Posted by Tamar on July 5, 2005, at 19:07:56
In reply to Re: question about contact lenses, posted by gardenergirl on July 5, 2005, at 8:02:40
> Another thought...I went through a period when the skin around my eyes looked like I had excema. Turns out it was irritation from crying in therapy and my mascara gathering in the outer corners of my eyes.
Very interesting that you should mention that. The problem started when I was in therapy and did quite a lot of crying... Also, I was wearing mascara, which does seem to make things worse...
> Now that I let tears flow down my face, I am getting flakies around the smile lines down my cheeks.
>
> Doing more crying than usual?Haven't been crying so much recently, but it seems my skin has become sensitive to crying. I cried nearly every day when I was pregnant. Fortunately, things have settled down since having the baby. But I'm crying more than I used to before I was depressed. Good advice.
Thanks, GG.
Posted by Racer on July 6, 2005, at 17:47:08
In reply to Re: question about contact lenses » gardenergirl, posted by Tamar on July 5, 2005, at 19:07:56
> Haven't been crying so much recently, but it seems my skin has become sensitive to crying. I cried nearly every day when I was pregnant. Fortunately, things have settled down since having the baby. But I'm crying more than I used to before I was depressed. Good advice.
>
> Thanks, GG.
>(Sorry, feeling silly today...)
It may be that you're not more sensitive to crying these days -- but you are more sensitive to what you dab your eyes with. That happened to me last year: I'd get horrible red swelling and pain and itching around my eyes after crying in marriage counseling. Once I started carrying my handkerchief, though, it stopped. (Took a while to calm the skin down, by the way. Probably a couple of months.)
A couple of other things that helped me, by the way, were lying down on the sofa, with a damp cloth over my eyes when they were particularly bad. Cucumber slices helped, too, with a damp cloth over them.
Hope something here helps. I know there's not much worse than icky eye problems for me -- even just dry eyes can be so irritating I can't do much of anything until I do something about it.
(And ain't it funny how we always have problems with that "doesn't apply to me" thing? It's a joke for me, now, because it comes up so often!)
Posted by Joslynn on September 20, 2005, at 15:01:17
In reply to question about contact lenses, posted by Tamar on July 4, 2005, at 7:52:38
Is it allergy season where you live? The reason I ask is, last year around this time, my eye doc said I have eye allergies related to pollen and prescribed special eye allergy eye drops. They have helped. I just had to get another prescription today, because the pollen is high here. (It is not a problem during other times of year, just in the fall and certain parts of spring.)
I never heard of eye allergies caused by pollen before that, but apparently, that is why I was waking up with eyes red, watery and gross.
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