Any suggestions?

[Silverlady]

I recently started wearing contacts for a short while each day. But due to being unfamiliar with the insertion routine and being clumsy, or..a fingernail, or...irritation from the contact lens wetting agent, or...who knows what, I've got a small irritation under my right eye. It's below the lash line slightly. It's a weepy place. I thought it was getting better than woke up this morning with it slightly weepy. I've been SO careful about clean hands in this routine because I am so creeped out about germs since I'm having to take immunological drugs and I'm so suseptible to germs.

Any clues as to what I can put on the spot? It just looks like it's been scraped. My husband suggested neosporin. But I'm not sure about it in the vicinity of the eye. I can get a doctor's appt but it will take a few days since it's not actually IN the eye.

Billye

[Lucy]

Billye, you might leave the lens out of that eye for a few days so you don't further irritate this spot. I thought you were talking about a scrape on your eyeball until I re-read the post.

It's just below the lashline......so you want to keep it ultra clean and not irritate it further. It should clear in a couple of days unless it gets infected.
Unless the neosporin was for ophthalmic use, I don't think I'd use it. Perhaps you could call the dr and ask if they'd call in an RX since it's not in the eye itself. You should be able to tell how serious you think it is soon and act accordingly. Lucy

[liz56]

When my niece was an infant, she scratched the skin near her eye with a sharp fingernail, and my mom recommended to my sister to use the kind of ointment that is used in the eye, like Refresh PM or Lacrilube, on that spot. It's sure to be okay for the skin, if it is for use in the eye, and it can sooth the spot as it heals.

I'm with Lucy on taking a break from the lenses until it heals up.

[Silverlady]

I think I'll leave the contact out, call the doctor and in the meantime lube the area with lacrilube. Thanks all of you.

Billye

[Lucy]

Billye, did your fingernails get in the way? I have fake nails and love them, would be hard to give up. I can't grow my own long.
Lucy

[Silverlady]

Lucy,
I gave up the long fingernails 4 years ago when I developed Sjogren's. The methotrexate does something to my nails and they not strong enough to support the nail tips. So I keep them trimmed really short. It was hard to do because I'm a ring lover. But the nails could still possibly scrape the area.

Dr. G emailed me and told me that polysporin (otc) would be o.k. to use because it's not being used IN my eye. I used it yesterday and the place looks better today. Just an irritation from something. I'll wait until it's healed completely before I use my contacts again.

I've decided to have Dr. G make the sclerals for me as soon as I can get a few of the medical issues settled down. Long car drives are a real issue for me right now.

I've found that the contacts stop some of the nerve pain. I am limited to about 4 hours use of them. He thinks he can give me a little better vision and that would be wonderful. I always feel as if I'm looking thru a haze now. Can't see up close clearly or far off clearly. Even 4 hours of better vision would allow me to see for a shopping trip or a doctor's visit.

Billye

Billye