Oww, my eye hurts

[JonInMiddleGA]

For what is apparently the third time in my life, I'm dealing with a scratched cornea ... and it's a real m'f.

First time was at Disney probably 6-7 years ago. The second was apparently a couple of months back although I thought it was several days of random severe irritation & not something quite this extreme. The latest is this week, which sent me to the eye doc yesterday (and I hate doctors, so you know it was bad for me to agree to go). So now I'm wearing a "bandage contact lens" - basically a near-zero prescription contact to protect the eye while it heals - and putting drops in every few hours for a couple of days.

Long story short, my right eye feels like there's a steel spike driven into it & that the spike is jiggled around for effect about every ten seconds. Light sensitivity is about 20 on a 1-10 scale. And it took multiple codeines before I finally could get any sleep. Better this morning, although just by degrees. At least right now I can look at the computer for a minute or so before having to look away.

Learned something I didn't know too, that once you've scratched it, the tissue never heals back as strong as it was originally, so you're more prone to it later on. To the extent that something as simple as opening a dry eye after sleep can do enough damage to send you to the doctor again. Charming,just bloody f'n charming.

I'm going back to the drugs & back to sleep now (I hope).

[RendeR]

Sorry to hear you're in such discomfrot Jon, its never fun to be in pain for any reason.

[Flasch186]

perhaps you'll be able to see the world more clearly now

hope it heals up for ya.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

perhaps you'll be able to see the world more clearly now

hope it heals up for ya.

See now I wanted to make an assinine remark like this, really, i had to really try not to =)

Then Flasch goes and does it for me

[st.cronin]

How do you get a scratched cornea?

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

How do you get a scratched cornea?

bukake

Good luck JiMG.

[path12]

Ouch. I had one of those about five years ago, that retore twice before the damn thing finally healed. Good luck with it.

[stevew]

Red Rider BB Gun again?

[Sporkimata]

I got a scratched cornea in high school and was miserable. I had gotten something in my eye, maybe an eye lash, and than had proceeded to rub my eye. I remember that I couldnt sleep all night my eye was watering and itching so bad. Next day put some ointment on it and got an eye patch for the next two days.
I feel your pain. Hope it gets better soon.

[Raiders Army]

Sorry to hear that, but to quote 300: "Fortunately I have a spare."

[rkmsuf]

Can't you just urinate on it?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Can't you just urinate on it?

Why would you think that Jon could urinate into his own eye? Do you know something about his anatomy that the rest of us don't?

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Why would you think that Jon could urinate into his own eye? Do you know something about his anatomy that the rest of us don't?

ok so urinate on him then

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

How do you get a scratched cornea?

Apparently pretty damned easily these days

The first time, at Disney, was a real fluke thing. There's a segment in "It's a Bug's Life" where they blow compressed air at the audience. Some little particle of something got in my eye ... which I then rubbed ... and rubbed, scratching the hell out of my cornea in the process. Doctor told me that "if you were going to do it, you decided to do one heck of a job of it".

This time, and the one a few weeks back I guess, I have no idea. Maybe my odd sleeping pattern lends itself to dry eyes or something, tons of time in front of the computer leads to eye strain, whichever it was I most likely rubbed my eyes & had something just large enough to cause another scratch.
Or else, no joke, just opening my eye after sleep & it being a little dry in that previously damaged spot could do it.

Right now the pain has backed off several notches, although light is still about 15 on a 1-10 scale. But at least I can stand 30-60 minutes in front of a monitor before having to give my eyes a couple of hours off. Yesterday afternoon I couldn't take more than 30-60 seconds of TV or a monitor and sunlight had an effect similar to what the vampires in Blade went through.

I go back to the eye doc in the morning for him to remove this blasted contact lens and let him take another look to see how it's healing. What kind of worries me a little is how he mentioned that the more this happens the more likely it is to happen again & again. Kind of makes me worry that I would eventually have to have a replacement or something.

[MikeVic]

Maybe he has some hose that'll reach that far and allow him to go bloop bloop.

[korme]

I'm pretty sure due to contacts I have scratched my cornea 340 times over the course of my life and it is hell each time.

Seriously, my most common injury is a messed up eye - and that screws up work, play, anything. Can't do anything, can't open your eyes without severe pain and burning, can't sleep because if your eye is closed too long it'll just water so much that you must open it for a second. It's really the worst situation and I hate it.

That sucks that you said it can happen more often after each occurance.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Maybe he has some hose that'll reach that far and allow him to go bloop bloop.

Are you trying to say that Jon wears pantyhose?

What is wrong with you people?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Why would you think that Jon could urinate into his own eye? Do you know something about his anatomy that the rest of us don't?

Are you saying you can't urinate in your own eye?

[st.cronin]

Jon, I hope you feel better. I suggest you stop scratching your cornea.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Are you saying you can't urinate in your own eye?

I don't wear pantyhose. What the hell do you think I am?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I don't wear pantyhose. What the hell do you think I am?

I never suggested nor imagined that you do wear pantyhose.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Shorty3281

Seriously, my most common injury is a messed up eye - and that screws up work, play, anything. Can't do anything, can't open your eyes without severe pain and burning, can't sleep because if your eye is closed too long it'll just water so much that you must open it for a second.

Sounds like you really get why I considered treating it with a .45 at one point yesterday evening.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I suggest you stop scratching your cornea.

Me: Hey Doc, it's hurts when I do this.
Doc: Well don't do that.
Me:

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I never suggested nor imagined that you do wear pantyhose.

Then how am I supposed to urinate into my eye? Control yourself.

[rkmsuf]

pumpy, when you piss on him can you get it on webcam?


thanks

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Then how am I supposed to urinate into my eye? Control yourself.

What, am I supposed to draw you a picture?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

pumpy, when you piss on him can you get it on webcam?


thanks

Yeah, this is on the verge of happening.

Originally Posted by st.cronin

What, am I supposed to draw you a picture?

Would you, please? And color it, too, while you're at it.

[Warhammer]

Piss on him and in your eye at the same time? Simple solution, split the stream.

[Pumpy Tudors]

BOYS ARE GROSS

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

Piss on him and in your eye at the same time? Simple solution, split the stream.

Split the stream, but whatever you do, don't cross the streams!

[saldana]

hey jon, sorry to hear about your situation...i scratched my cornea a few times courtesy of my contacts...i also had the pleasure of accidentally giving myself a chemical burn on my cornea when i got paint thinner on my hand and then rubbed my eye...that was AGONY.

i was wondering what the source of the information about the frequency of recurrences is? reason i ask is, when i had LASIK, they actually cut your cornea open, peel it back, fire the laser through it, and then fold it back over...corneal tissue is the second fastest part of your body to heal, so it had actually resealed itself in a couple hours, and was completely healed in a week...they never said anything about a tendency towards damaging them with ease in the future.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by saldana

i was wondering what the source of the information about the frequency of recurrences is?

Beats the hell out of me, I'm just repeating what the doctor made a point of telling me. Theoretically, he could have been full of it & I wouldn't know the difference.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Beats the hell out of me, I'm just repeating what the doctor made a point of telling me. Theoretically, he could have been full of it & I wouldn't know the difference.

nice...i was just wondering since if a scratch makes further damage more likely, what the hell does slicing it open do?!

[saldana]

dola...it would have been nice to know 5 years ago

[JeeberD]

I scratched my eye in junior high. I was pulling weeds one day for my summer job and I guess I yanked one weed harder than it needed, 'cause a bunch of dirt and sand went flying into my face. Of course, I went to rub my eye right away and scratched it pretty good. I had to wear a friggin' eye patch for a couple of days and take some drops.

I guess I'm lucky it happened during the summer...I wouldn't have wanted my classmates to think that I was a bigger dork than they already thought.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by saldana

nice...i was just wondering since if a scratch makes further damage more likely, what the hell does slicing it open do?!

I wonder if they do something (no idea what) as part of the surgery that causes it to heal better than occurs naturally after a scratch?

And just FTR (because I'm not sure how you interpreted what I said), I think it's a legit question & didn't mean to sound as though I was bothered by you asking. I just simply don't have the foggiest idea what the difference would be.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

What, am I supposed to draw you a picture?

Ping: flere

[terpkristin]

Ugh, no fun, Jon, I hope that at least the drugs offer relief.

I've never had a scratched cornea, though I've managed to contract keratitis twice this year (after never having it before in my life), I toally sympathize with the discomfort this kind of thing causes. It's never fun when your eyes are wonky.

/tk

[JonInMiddleGA]

This still sucks.

Better than it was on Wednesday, but not quite as good as it was yesterday.
Contact is out, antibiotic drops are up to every three hours, back to the eye doctor next Wednesday.

Basically I'm stuck with this until it heals. The only relief comes from the moisturizing drops, which help for about 15 minutes, otherwise right now it feels like there's a piece of gravel or something like that sitting in my right eye. It's not mindblowing pain at this point, but it's incredibly irritating and I've squinted so much that my forehead is actually starting to get sore.

[SackAttack]

Maybe if you watch some Three Stooges, you'll feel better?

[Drake]

Ugh. As another contact lens guy who frequently gets scratched corneas, you have my deepest sympathies, Jon. I scratched mine most recently just a couple of months ago and was absolutely miserable for like 3 days.

Hope yours gets better soon.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I think the most interesting thing about all this (searching for the faint silver lining) is that I had no idea how common this actually is. Until I mentioned it, I don't think I knew a single person who had ever done it other than me.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I wonder if they do something (no idea what) as part of the surgery that causes it to heal better than occurs naturally after a scratch?

And just FTR (because I'm not sure how you interpreted what I said), I think it's a legit question & didn't mean to sound as though I was bothered by you asking. I just simply don't have the foggiest idea what the difference would be.

absolutely no offense taken...i was genuinely hoping for some insight, and didnt think twice about your answer (if i had, i wouldnt have continued posting in the thread)

[Lathum]

Not a scratched cornea but a very irritating problem. Lately been taking my contacts out, which I don't do often enough, and my eyes have gotten very irritated until I put them back in. Go to the eye doctor yesterday and turns out I wear my contacts to long and for to long a time and most of the cells in my cornea are dead. The irritation is them being exposed to the air and the contacts act as a bandage which is why it felt better when they were in. I'm not going blind or anything, but I need to not wear contacts for 3 weeks and have to put in eye steroids and rub this ointment on my eyes prior to going to bed. Fun times

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Not a scratched cornea but a very irritating problem. Lately been taking my contacts out, which I don't do often enough, and my eyes have gotten very irritated until I put them back in. Go to the eye doctor yesterday and turns out I wear my contacts to long and for to long a time and most of the cells in my cornea are dead. The irritation is them being exposed to the air and the contacts act as a bandage which is why it felt better when they were in. I'm not going blind or anything, but I need to not wear contacts for 3 weeks and have to put in eye steroids and rub this ointment on my eyes prior to going to bed. Fun times

What would constitute "too long"? Do you take them off at bedtime? Do you wear them overnight? I usually have my contacts on for about 18 hours at a time, from when I wake up at 4am until I go to bed at 10pm. Now I'm thinking I should take them off as soon as I get home from work and let my corneas breathe.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

What would constitute "too long"? Do you take them off at bedtime? Do you wear them overnight? I usually have my contacts on for about 18 hours at a time, from when I wake up at 4am until I go to bed at 10pm. Now I'm thinking I should take them off as soon as I get home from work and let my corneas breathe.

I have been told by my eye doctors that I wear my contacts too long, but I've never had any issues like Lathum. I typically wear them from around 6 am or so until 10 pm or later, depending on when I go to bed.

That said, I never sleep with them on. Even at my drunkest I always manage to get my contacts out. I don't even like to fall asleep by accident with them in, since they are so uncomfortably dry when you wake up even after about 30 minutes or so.

[Lathum]

I often sleep with them in and stretch their life as long as I can. I think you are probably fine

[Ksyrup]

When I was in college, I would wear my contacts for months at a time. I stopped that in my mid-20s. My brother is an opthamologist now, and he used to do the same thing and told me we could have blinded ourselves if we kept it up.

I usually don't have any problems with the 6am-10pm routine, but always take them out before I go to sleep.

[lungs]

I've got the overnight contacts so I can sleep in them. Supposed to only be for two weeks but I usually keep them in for a month or so.

Worst eye problem I ever had was an ulcer on my cornea. Pure hell. I locked myself in a dark room for two days because any amount of light was simply too painful. The worst part of it is that after it healed there was still scar tissue that would periodically break lose and make my life a living hell for a few hours. Haven't had that happen in a while so hopefully there's no more of that. My night vision has declined since I had that problem, headlights are a bitch when I'm driving at night.

[Chief Rum]

Before I had Lasik, I regularly did a 6 am-10 pm type schedule, give or take another hour or two. I never had too many problems with it. I occasionally fell asleep with my contacts on (which sucks, as noted), but that was rare.

If you can afford it and are a candidate, I strongly recommend Lasik. It has been nearly 8 months now, but I still sometimes wake up half expecting to put my contacts in somedays. Then I realize/remember I can see 20/20 now and it's like an awesome re-gift to myself.