Due for Cataract Surgery with a Stye

As Viking said apply a line on lower eyelid when it is pulled down.

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Also keep the nozzle away from the central region and aim for the area where eyeball and lower eyelid meet. My surgeon was telling me that lot of people end up scratching their central cornea, specially older people as they are all alone and vision not the best.

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Can anyone else apply it for you?

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The other option is. Wash your hands, specially the fingers thoroughly with anti bacterial soap. Rub the soap for 20 seconds..

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Then apply a thin line on your right index finger. Then pull your eyelid down with left hand. Then gently glide your gel lined right finger against the lower eyelid. Blink few times to let the eyeball spread the gel all over.

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Make sure your finger nails are completely cut back and sanded super smooth.

Basically aim for the white region of the eyeball and not central black region.

Yes well I'm one of those W-H, at 78 and being alone is not easy. At first I thought well ok I'll just do the same as if I'm applying drops. So I washed my hands, put some on my finger being careful for the tip not to touch my finger, pulled on my lower lid with the other hand, and applied it in the pocket of the lower lid. Then I thought how can enough reach the inside of the upper lid? So I tried to put some directly from the tube onto my eye by pulling on my upper lid but it's too hard to do. I end up with the string of ointment falling everywhere else. I'm glad to hear about the lower lid being ok, so that's what I'll do. But I think now I'm going to insist that the doctor or someone in that office sees me before surgery to decide what to do.

Hi Danish_Viking,

Thank you for your message. Yes, your comment with others indicate that applying it to the lower lid is the thing to do. I just hope that enough gets to the infected area.

Hi,

You guys are so helpful. So glad you're here. Right now, I was prescribed Tobradex which an anti-bacterial steroid ointment. After some reading about that medicine, it said not to use any other drops during usage, which makes sense.

The doctor's assistant had told me to increase the wetting solution obviously concerned about the dryness. So now, what do I do? I'd like to hear your views on it. In a way, the eye is full of the ointment, so less need for the wetting solution? I use Systane. I've been applying Systane, and maybe that's why it's not healing completely yet although it's been since after Oct 25 when the pain started but meds since Oct 30 when diagnosed.

I really don´t know, but if it was me I would either stop with the Systane or use the Systane 5-10 minutes before the ointment.

I was instructed that I could use both Systane and the other eye drops after cataract surgery but I needed to wait 5 minutes between drops.

And since the stuff you have now is an ointment, I would take Systane 5-10 minutes before that if any.

But maybe others have more experience with this stuff.

Hi,

It's ok, thanks for your response. I made further research and it says for the ointment version, to apply other meds (drops) 5-10 minutes before the ointment.

I discovered also that what I have may be a chalazion (cyst) which appears higher on the eyelid than a stye which you see at the edge of the lid, which has no bacteria but is harder to get rid of. I also had about 3 styes though at the edge. Those near the edge seem to have dissipated. Anyway, I will insist that a doctor sees this before surgery.

So you were right. Thanks.

Thank you soks for the message. But it's been since Oct 25 so it's been a while, diagnosed on Oct 30 and started the Tobradex the retina specialist gave me and it's still there today on Nov 3. He told me to use it twice a day for a week. I'm due for surgery on Nov 13. I think I won't rest easy until the surgeon sees me, but I don't know if she will see me. Yesterday I did the water press for 15 minutes before applying the antibiotic Tobradex. I've been massaging it also. The thing is if I do the water press several times a day, won't that interfere with the effects of the Tobradex?

you may want to wait at least an hour after applying the medicine so the hot presses do not dilute it.

Hi soks,

Ok thank you for that. What I do is only apply the hot presses only before applying the medicine twice a day. I figure this will soften the tissue and the meds might be better or more absorbed. I hope I'm ok doing it this way but I want to give the rest of the time for the meds to be completely absorbed. It's bad enough I have to apply a wetting solution 4 times day for dry eye but I don't even want to do that. Thanks for letting me know about an hour wait. I'll make sure I go by that. I also have an Epiretinal membrane with lamellar hole in this eye and open angle glaucoma, which makes me even more nervous about the surgery.

Thank you.

hi sue. i have never had styes in my life until i had 5 about 4 months before cataract diagnosis and then 4 in the last 2 months when the other eye and pco worsened. almost makes me feel it is connected.

Hi Sue,

The odd thing is I put in my last drops Zimbrinza for glaucoma pressure before going to bed. Sometime later, I had what seemed like an attack of intense burning and excess tearing which lasted about 1/2 minute. The next day my lid was red but no pain. The only thing I felt was a little soreness or tenderness when my finger passed over that spot on the lid.

This morning I looked at the lid and it's still red. The bump is higher up on the lid with a smaller one underneath it near the eyelash edge. I've been reading on the net and when it's higher on the lid, it said it could be a chalazeon and not a stye. But surely, my retina specialist must know what he's talking about?

Yes, my first surgery went well and this had to happen. I'm very diligent and follow instructions to the letter. I was told in the operation room to wash my hands always before putting drops in my eye. I read about it in the prep guide ad adhered to it faithfully.

Hi soks,

Thanks for the message. What does pco mean?

Thanks.

Posterior capsule opacification (PCO)

I haven't had many styes. High stress situations brought them on.

Maybe see your family doctor for diagnosis?

Yes thank you. I'm thinking of seeing someone, my GP, the pharmacist, or an optometrist. You need a referral to see an ophthalmologist but not for an optician or optometrist.

Well that would make sense Sue, because I have been stressed for this surgery. Very stressed and anxious.

Every time I got one of those (and eczema flare ups) I was in a stressful situation. But family doctor I found more helpful.