Somebody give me a sharp stick.

[saffronhare]

I want to stab me eyes out. Literally. I don't know if I got something in my right eye yesterday or what, but it's been swollen and bloodshot and weepy and mildly uncomfortable (not itch, precisely) since yesterday. Makes my job very difficult to have one eye getting stuck shut. Yuck. And owie.

And just for extra fun, my left eye doesn't feel quite right now either. Oh, yeah. The next few days are gonna be big eyebally fun. Does one call the eye doctor or the regular doctor for this sort of thing?

Gah.

UPDATE: Thanks to the marvelous advice and the hints that I'm not being a hypochondriac (baggage there? ya think?), I'll be calling the eye doctor as soon as they open up again from lunch here. Eye wash has occurred, and superhuman self-control is being imposed in an effort not to scrub my eyelids off. Will keep you posted on the glory of my optical health. I used to wear contacts, but budget has kept me in glasses for a year or more. :sigh:: At least they're purple spunky librarian glasses.

Meanwhile, I will do my yoga on the mat that agrnmn so kindly brought to me in the hopes that I won't try to stab anybody else's eyes out this afternoon as well.

Yes. The bunny is zooper-zexay today.

Comments

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Ew. I assume eyewash has already occurred?

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

Conjunctivitis gets reported to the regular doc... they write a script for e-mycin goop to put in the eye, it's gone in two days. Whee!

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

Weird, I was outvoted...

I still hit the regular doc. Actually, I call ahead, a nurse comes out and confirms that my eye is goopy, and then I get a script. At least that's the way it worked in Denver. Although I might see the eye doc if I wore contacts.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Back in the day, I used to get conjunctiwhatever on an annual basis, kind of like you and bronchitis. It's a very different animal from "I have something in my eye", but you probably knew that already. However there *are* things that will mimic it (allergies spring to mind; it is almost-spring).

Weepy and swollen sounds like allergies. Sealed shut, if true, especially if crusty, sounds like conjunctivitis. Itchy usually means something's in it, or (sometimes) allergies. Sudden onset could be either.

A competent GP should be able to identify the difference, otherwise give your opthamologist a call. How's that for a non-committal answer?

[chainwoman.livejournal.com]

Well, I can tell you what I would do, but that does not mean you should follow my example. ;-)

I'm kinda on page with [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]

I'm not one to rush to the eye doctor. They're expensive. Currently, I wouldn't go unless I was going blind (no eye insurance). I'd me more likely to walk into my doctor's office. However, I am well aware that they do not specialize in eye stuff.

So, if it's really bad, I say go to the eye doctor. If it's a continuous problem (like a few days/weeks/etc), I say go to the eye doctor eventually. If if comes and goes, ignore it. If you have eye insurance and it's cheap, you might as well go.

My experience does come from a family with very little eye issues. I am well aware that there are serious eye issues out there though. Choice is yours. Sorry about the long rant.

[zylch.livejournal.com]

I've gotten mild infections from wearing contacts too long before, and my regular optometrist (which is different from an opthalmologist, but I'm not sure quite how) was able to give me stuff for it that worked pretty well.

BTW, I need recs on an eye doctor, since I've got to get new contacts having worn my contacts too long. Any ideas?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that optometrists are trained to measure you for corrective lenses and do health *screenings*, like glaucoma. Opthamologists, on the other hand, can prescribe antibiotics and the like.

The way I understand it, it's a little like the psychologist/psychiatrist distinction.

This is all very fascinating.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

The diagnosis is allergic conjunctivitis, which means that something has cause an allergic response that is triggering the conjunctivitis effect. It's not contagious, but it wouldn't respond to the "goop" that is normally prescribed for pink eye.

I called my eye doctor because I trusted them to actually *examine* my eyes. I like my regular doctor and all, but they probably would have thrown a "pink eye" Rx at me without actually checking things out and I would have continued to be miserable and baffled. I really dislike drive by diagnosis and prescriptions. Now, I just suspect I shouldn't use hemp hand lotion anymore. ::sigh::

I have some drops to treat it over the next few days and what seems to be a diagnosis backed up by an actual examination of my eyes (with the painfully bright light and everything). They also offered me a patch, which I declined, saying it was important to my success as a compassionate pirate not to be recognized on the street. Plus, both eyes are irritated and I'd have a hard time figuring out which eye to patch over anyway.

I love my eye doctor. They got me in within 30 minutes of calling and didn't make me feel like I was rushing them. They're likely pricey if you're paying out of pocket (if office atmosphere is any indication), but I'm fortunate enough to have some vision coverage through work and a medical reimbursement account to cover copays and things like that.

Eye Associates of Overland Park, just off 119th Street and I-69 and in the same shopping center as Hy-Vee.

Re: This is all very fascinating.

[kittenpants.livejournal.com]

Note to self: make more Saffron Hare Hand Cream.