Red Eye - Episcleritis

I've never had any sort of deseases, but last year I was bothered by an ectopic heart beat for a while - and last summer I scatched my eye quite badly, it's that same eye I'm having trouble with now.

How awful for you that you've got it in both eyes, and children can be very cruel.

How often does your condition reoccur? and apart from going to the doctor, what do you do for it? I have only had episcleritis for about four months and I am well sick of it!!! Now I'm looking for something positive that I can do to help myself. Any ideas?

All the best for 2010.

Music maker

I would like to let people know that i have also suffered with epyscleritis for 33 years now and there is no cure. Steriods have now given me cataracts in both eyes and the surgeon does not want to operate until my epyscleritis is under control. I have over the years seen dozens of eye specialists, been given wrong diagnosis, various drops and creams and this is where im at now. Dont know when my condition will give me a brief moment of clear eyes so dont know when i can have the cataract operation. For the last 2 years i have been taking diclofenac and another that protects the stomach. Without this pain killer i dont know what i would do. I have contemplated suicide on many occasions because of the pain but obviously still here to write this at the moment. I would love to be able to offer some help, advise and hope but im sorry i cannot. My condition started at around 15 only about 3 or 4 times a year at first. But now at nearly 48 i have it 95% of the time. If in the near future (i am having some more tests done) i discover anything that will help i will pass it on. Hope ive not depressed you further.

Ok, please don't kill youself, life is precious even though episcleritis is horrid.

You've had this since you were 15, have you tried any alternative remedies? reflexology? Homeopathy? did they work?. Do you wear contact lenses? Do you have, or have you since, started with any symptoms of athrities or IBS or crohens disease ( might have spelt that wrong) . Do you ride a bike or have an outside job that keeps you out in the wind? (I ask this because my latest specialist said that people who ride bikes and get a lot of wind in their eyes are especially prone to this condition) And lastly are you male or female?

Asking all these questions makes me sound really nosey doesn't it, but no one seems to understand this painful complaint and I really want to. If you would talk to me it would help me a lot.

Thanks in advance.

I was very interested in the content of the last three posts. I was diagnosed with [b:1629d06e40]scleritis[/b:1629d06e40] in 2002 after many years of pain and generally feeling rubbish! I believe the a viral ear infection I had in my early 20s(I am now 52) is responsable. I have never read that episclerits is in any way linked to outside factors i.e. a scratch or wind but possible as it is inflamation of the episclera. With scleritis the deeper muscular part of the eye is affected resulting in extreme pain with movement of the eye At other times when the inflamation is nearer the surface the pain is increased by light, either natural or artificial.On these occations 'normal' every day tasks are a nightmare because all you want to do is close your eyes! When the 'whites' of my eyes are red people symapthize or make comments like the ones already mentioned, but the time when i am in the most pain is when it is affecting the parts you can,t see where the brow bone or cheek bone is causing unbearable pain because of the pressure on the affected area. The pain also radiates through the face into the nerves of your teeth I could go on but i think you get the picture. There is no cure ,there is very little support, there are different schools of thought - all adding to the frustration of an already ,as said, horid condition! My advice- find out as much info as you can & then educate as many others as you can. I have lived with this condition for many years, not Knowing what was happening to me ! not being able to explain even to my family! Suffering in silence and solitude not wanting to die but wanting relief!! I am so pleased to have found others that feel the same ! that i am not a freak or a hypochondriac! Just someone trying to live their life the best way I can. I have been able to write this much because for the first time in ,I can,t remember when, I have had no pain for 13 days !!! hope it lasts !! regards to you all KR

Hello everybody, just wanted to share how I manage what used to be horrendous episcleritis. It still annoys me but I never have pain or red coloured eyes anymore. When I do get my flare-up's they last around a week still & I have the nodular little bump but only feel slightly achey & I live happily with it.

The other year when I was diagnosed, and was told absolutely nothing by the hospital other than "there's no cure, take steroids but they may hatharm your eyes!" I thought that really wasn't acceptable so I trawled the internet looking for help and a lady popped up on one of these forums saying she had cut out all forms of gluten in her diet and is managing the condition fine now. She said it takes a couple of months to properly get out of your system but it really does work. I figured I'd try anything so gave this a shot and to my surprise, it really did work! Cutting out gluten is actually easier than you think, just can be quite expensive if you buy the breads & "free from" foods but I just cut down on those things and eat roasyroast dinner style meals and curries with rice instead of pasta dishes, etc.

I take diclofenac's for a back condition where I broke my coccyx when I was 14 and it healed badly and from reading all the comments i'm now wondering if it could be that which has set the episcleritis off. I always thought it was probably UV light as i'm a big sun worshipper and used sunbeds as well (without goggles) but the hospital told me it shouldn't be that.

Anyway, best of luck to you all and hope this helps. Take care,

Sarah. xx