Monday, November 2, 2009

kerato-conjunctivitis

I guess it all started with the damaged contact lens, the one with a defect so "tiny" that I decided to continue using it. Being stone cold broke also played a part. Independent woman that I am, I firmly refused Darlings offer of a loan - the fact that my usual treatment of his credit card causes the plastic to melt was a mere detail. Then the pharmacy was out of my usual contact lens solution and another brand was recommended. I guess I was allergic to it, because even though there was no itching, my eyes were getting redder by the day, accompanied by sniffles, and the ultimate resemblance to a vitamin C deficient vampire.

A few nights ago I noticed that my left eye was blurry... further experimentation revealed that both near and distance vision was poor. The next day the eye was red, stinging and vision was even worse... in spite of saline washes and whatnot.

It was a dark and stormy night by the time Darling finally dragged me off to see a specialist. There was the diagnosis, in black and white (and slightly blurred) - kerato-conjunctivitis, inflammation of the cornea and sclera of the eye. Pit like erosions in both eyes. Left more than right. Thankfully no ulcers or abrasions (scratches), and no bits of left over contact lens.

So the past few days have consisted of eye drops every few hours and cool compression whenever I remember. Minimal reading, movies and computer. Total boredom.

And Darling trying very hard not to say "I told you so" more than once a day!


17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am convinced now. Moi is never ever getting contacts , NEVER. My friends have been bugging me about my 1930s attitude about contacts and I have been just about thinking that way when I read your post. That's it. I am sticking to my good ol glasses.
I was for about ten seconds there thinking about green stripped , yellow contacts, like Calvin and Hobbes but now I will not touch them.

Thank you :)

~ lo$t $oul ~ said...

Take care of those eyes..(not tht i have to tell you.. :P)

Hope you get well soon..

Lady divine said...

oh my... do be careful doc...

Hope it clears off soon...
TC

Dee said...

oh crappy i know how that feels. get well soon!

Hoot-a-Toot said...

"in black and white (and slightly blurred)" - lovely sentence :o)
Hope you feel better Angel. Was that a picture of your eye by the way? scary!

T said...

omg THE HORROR. i totally use my contacts past the throw away date! is that what causes it?

Anonymous said...

Dragging the Doctor to a Doctor. :D I can only imagine what Darling would have gone through. Go through it each time have to drag wifey to a Doc. And she's not even a Doc. Haiyoooo.

Hope ur feeling better. :D

Angel said...

Annon : I'm sorry if I scared you away from what is really a very safe and comfortable option. I've been using lenses for 13 years and this is the first time something like this has happened - and I DO admit that once is once too many! Unfortunately this was caused by misuse - damaged contact lens + allergy to solution.

Lo$t, LD, Dee : Thanks! Your sympathy is like a balm to my soul! :)

Sue : Glad you like! Nope, that's not my eye, but that's what it LOOKED like!

T : aiyoo, you too? Well, that can be one cause but in this instance it was the use of a fairly new, damaged lens!

Chaar : haiyooo indeed!

Gutterflower said...

oh gosh. that looks horrible. i used to get ulcers regularly with mine - not good at all. :S switched to hard lenses after wards.

get well soon. :)

N said...

Ouch..hope you get better soon!

Aamina said...

Just went through the exact same thing 3 days ago. Thankfully it's cleared up today. And I just got brand new contact lenses..Hope the lens aren't contaminated as well.

Jack Point said...

Ouch. I'm not going to use them either, thankyouverymuch.

Get better soon.

Angel said...

Gutterflower : I find the soft lenses so much more comfortable... but I guess the hard ones have less complications...

N, JP : thanks!

Aamina : I really feel for you... hope the new ones work out well...

Anonymous said...

EYYY what is wrong with you!!! gurrll you hardly see as is! please be careful yeah.
HUG!

Angel said...

Annon : thanks.... hugs....

santhoshi said...

Hey angel hope u got better. I have decided will be careful with my contact lenses and prompt in changing them ...

Cadence said...

Yikes! I'm not the most careful with my contacts either! Get well soon doc!