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Any ideas as to what my problem is?

Posted , 3 users are following.

Clinton1701
Clinton1701

Hi,

In early December, I decided I would get in my loft and deal with a pest problem we have had for quite a while. I decided to mess about with some loft insulation which was quite dusty and I began tearing it up to plug up some holes in the hope it would stop this rat or mouse. Unfortunately I was very silly and did not wear any eye protection and it got very dusty up there and I was coughing a lot. I came down and about 1/2 hour later to then have my eyes start to burn quite bad, so I proceeded to wash them out with water and got my friend to pull a tiny bit of black dirt out of my left eye in the lower lid. All night long my eyes kept burning so I put some moisturising eye drops in which calmed them down.  This all pointed to dry eye syndrome but my eyes were fine up until the incident. I went to my docs who put me on some ointment for conjunctivitus which didn't help and then went to an optician who said I have "Dry eye". Not happy with this diagnosis, I went to the A&E eye doctor who said there was nothing wrong with my eyes but prescribed me with some Hylo-Tear to help soothe the eyes. Unfortunately 6 weeks on, my eyes still burn, itch, sting feel dry but don't go red - I get headaches and the pain in my eyes is very very uncomfortable and I am having difficulty in working with this.

This week I decided to go to an "Optometrist" and spend a lot of money on having a thorough eye test and all came back fine and he did administer a green dye solution to my eye and said I don't have dry eye apart from a very very minor area in my left eye with which he says does not even get classed as "Dry Eye Syndrome" and all checks out fine.

I am at my wits end with this as no one can tell me what the problem is, surely it's gotta to be an infection caused from the dust, but 6 weeks on is quite long. I hope someone can help me. Thank you.

1 like, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • mrsmop
    mrsmop Clinton1701

    Posted

    Hi Clinton, an Optometrist isn't medically qualified and if you are still having problems, you should probably be referred to an Ophthalmologist.  You say you saw a doctor in A&E, was s/he an Ophthalmologist?  What is your loft insulated with?  

    Do you have a 'walk in' eye clinic where you live?  Otherwise, ask your GP to refer you and tell him how long this has been going on for.

     

    • Clinton1701
      Clinton1701 mrsmop

      Posted

      Hi, I went to this optometrist as they are dry eye specialists but did come away very confused. In regards to insulation it is old yellow wool like material which I believe is fibreglass? I will be seeing my gp next week to demand an immediate appointment with an opthalmologist as this is really getting me down sad the doctor I saw at a&e was just an eye doctor I was told so not sure to be honest.
  • Bumblebea
    Bumblebea Clinton1701

    Posted

    I agree with mrs mop.However, you must mention the rat problem. It could be significant.They carry horrible diseases, and we should never handle anything they may have walked over as they urinate on everything they pass over.!! My husband is so very allergic to loft insulation, so an allergic reaction also is a possibility. Both thinks must be suggested to the whoever you see.
    • Clinton1701
      Clinton1701 Bumblebea

      Posted

      Hi yep good point and I will mention this to my doctor when we see him on Tuesday next week ☺
  • mrsmop
    mrsmop Clinton1701

    Posted

    If the hosp said the a&e was a eye doctor, then he would have been an ophthalmologist.

    I was wondering whether the insulation was fibreglass. You should mention this because I would guess that that is your problem. I have no idea how they would irrigate your eyes to get rid of the fragments of glass but that is what needs to be done.

    • Clinton1701
      Clinton1701 mrsmop

      Posted

      Well when he examined me he just said that he could not see any problems and to use hylo tear for a month and to see my gp if it persists much longer to be referred back. So will have to mention all this to my gp and really hope that this is diagnosed and effective treatment is given as the hylo tear is starting to not give me much benefit now. I am fed up of using eye drops to be honest and want to stop but too scared just in case it makes it worse by going cold turkey.
    • mrsmop
      mrsmop Clinton1701

      Posted

      Clinton, I am concerned for your eyes.  First of all, keep using the drops, they will help lessen the damage that any glass particles might be doing.  Did the A&E doctor examine under your eyelids?  This involves 'rolling' them upwards, which I find to be a horrid sensation but, it is necessary.

      Go back to your GP and tell him that you think you have dust from the fibreglass in your eyes and even though the A&E doc said your eyes are ok, they are not!  Your GP should send you straight back to the Eye Clinic.

      You only have one pair of eyes, persevere with the eye drops and use them whenever your eyes are sore,   They should help you feel more comfortable.  I have had to use eye drops for years and am grateful that I have them.

      Good luck!

       

    • Clinton1701
      Clinton1701 mrsmop

      Posted

      Well I have been to an Opthamologist now and he had a good look and said I cannot see any problems with your eyes, they are perfectly healthy. So now I am back to square one which is driving me daft! I did ask him why do my eyes sting, feel uncomfortable etc and he just put it down to environmental circumstances and said to keep using the eye drops. My eyes now are stinging quite bad and really do hurt and I am at my wits end with this as everyone I am seeing says there is nothing wrong with my eyes. I have now exhausted all my options on this and just hope that this will one day eventually go but seeing as it is almost 3 months in, looks very unlikely.
    • mrsmop
      mrsmop Clinton1701

      Posted

      Has the Ophthalmologist irrigated your eye, rather than just using drops?  Maybe a jolly good 'wash out' might help.

      Have you changed anything at home?  For example the detergent you use to wash your clothes, or shower gel, shaving gel or shampoo, although if you were reacting to something like that, they ought to have picked that up but, it's worth looking at what you use.

       

    • Clinton1701
      Clinton1701 mrsmop

      Posted

      Hi Mrsmop,

      No he didn't but I have been using an eye wash solution every other day for the past few weeks and have noticed a slight improvement. My right eye is feeling a lot better today, but my left does sting but only on the left hand side and eye drops don't seem to help, it and only irritates it more I find. I am using preservative free eye drops (Hylo-Tear) and Vita-pos at night. Spoke to my GP yesterday who is convinced that I do have a little bit of dry eye but most of it could be my brain going into some sort of panic mode after the initial incident in the loft - making the eye problem a lot worse than what it is. I have not really changed any of the shampoos etc I am using - I tend to stick to PH balanced ones to avoid any irritation.

    • mrsmop
      mrsmop Clinton1701

      Posted

      I am going to dwell on the shampoos etc.,  whatever they may call themselves, they still have a lot of ingredients, some of which cause allergies.  And, everyone is different.  Something over 10 years ago, I was sent for patch testing and discovered that I was allergic to formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers.  These chemicals are ingredients in a lot of products.

      Formaldehyde, and asbestos, are 'natural' but they are also carcinogens.

      So, I would look at your shampoo and other detergents.  Have you changed any of them recently?  Or, has the manufacturer changed any ingredients?  'NEW' is often a clue.

      Years ago, I had a problem with my eye because Bold had changed the ingredients and added one that irritated my eyes.  The packaging was the same, except for 'new'!

      If the irrigation that you have used on your eyes on alternate days, is helping, then try it more often.

       

    • Clinton1701
      Clinton1701 mrsmop

      Posted

      Hi,

      Interesting you should mention Formaldehyde as that is one of the ingredients in the old loft insulation that my eyes were exposed to quite serverely. I am therefore guessing what has happened is that now when  I come into contact with this chemical, my eyes start to panic (so to speak) and my symptoms start to flare up. I will therefore check my soap powder, shower gel etc and see if this is in there. If so, I will look for ones without. Thanks for this advice - makes me feel better.

    • mrsmop
      mrsmop Clinton1701

      Posted

      Quaternium-15

      DMDM Hydantoin

      diazolidinyl urea

      imidazolidinyl urea

      Sodium Hydroxmethylglycinate 

      Bronopol

      These are formaldehyde releasers.  I can't use Simple products because they contain Bronopol - or, used to, I haven't looked lately.

      All the above are alos known by different names.

      Formaldehyde is also known by different names.

       

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