Cannot Seem to Shake Off Conjunctivitis: Any Suggestions?

[frozenchurchwarden]

Reddit says "Polymyxin B" and/or regularly wash your eyes with no-tears baby shampoo.

 

[pantsBoots]

For the last 10 months or so I've been suffering with conjunctivitis and despite being prescribed 3 different medications, though they do reduce the symptoms, none of them have completely shifted it.

First off I was prescribed Chloramphenicol, a semi clear gel in a tiny tube. I was told to put about 1cm of gel on my bottom eyelids every 4 hours or so. Well trying to do that without assistance isn't easy, so I tended to apply the gel to my clean pinkie finger tip and apply it that way.

Almost immediately I noticed an improvement though I was still getting nasty yellow gunk weeping out of my eyes, particularly in the mornings and over the course of three weeks that's how things stayed.

Then I was given Optrex Infected Eye Drops. These were also to be applied every 4 hours. Again, very difficult to apply without assistance as one is not to touch the eye with the nozzle of the bottle....easier said than done! Much wasted drops were running down my face. These too helped matters but again, after the course was over I still had conjunctivitis.

Finally I was given Ocufresh Lubricating Eye Drops, another 4 hourly application with results much like the Optrex eyedrops.

It's a real pain especially when watching TV or reading books as sometimes after cleaning the eyes with a tissue, all it takes is a couple of blinks and my eyes are as though I'm looking though a greasy lens......it's really that bad.

So, has anyone here suffered from this and if so how did you rid yourself of it?

Regards,

Jay.

BTW, I've suffered from blocked tear ducts most of my adult life though not sure if it has any bearing on this.

I've got a gangbuster remedy for styes, but I don't know that it would transfer to conjunctivitis. I get styes a few times a year and they can get a little oozy and actually turned into conjunctivitis a few years ago. I make a warm compress with a clean wash cloth and black tea - I let the tea cool a touch until it won't burn the piss out of me, then just dip the cloth into the tea, apply to my eyelids for a couple minutes until it cools, dip it again to warm it up again, etc, etc. I only use plain black tea, not orange pekoe, or Earl grey, or anything with any additives.

I wonder how your biota and ph are. Have you changed your diet? Do you regularly supplement with probiotics?

 

[crawdad]

Have you had or have Covid-19? It looks like a form of conjunctivitis can be caused by it.

+1 about the COVID-19. I was recently diagnosed with uveitis and he asked me if I had COVID-19 (which I did when it first came around). He told me my immune system could be struggling which could account for the 10 months you’ve been dealing with it. The eye doctor also said he’s seen a lot of crazy stuff and rises in eye infections/conditions since COVID-19.

hope you find relief soon!

 

[anotherbob]

I've got a gangbuster remedy for styes, but I don't know that it would transfer to conjunctivitis. I get styes a few times a year and they can get a little oozy and actually turned into conjunctivitis a few years ago. I make a warm compress with a clean wash cloth and black tea - I let the tea cool a touch until it won't burn the piss out of me, then just dip the cloth into the tea, apply to my eyelids for a couple minutes until it cools, dip it again to warm it up again, etc, etc. I only use plain black tea, not orange pekoe, or Earl grey, or anything with any additives.

I wonder how your biota and ph are. Have you changed your diet? Do you regularly supplement with probiotics?

orange pekoe is a cut of tea or a grade.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Wow guys, I woke up this morning wondering if I might have one or two responses to my plea for help only to find I was swamped with advice.....thanks so much for your varied replies .

First off, though I say I've had this for roughly 10 months (actually possibly longer) I only recently (about 2 months ago) mentioned it to my GP (General Practitioner or doctor) as it seemed to be getting worse. As I'm housebound and my GP is too lazy to visit me all dealings have been over the phone. Regards changing my GP unfortunately most GPs are unwilling to visit patients these days, especially if they live in outlying villages as I do.

That said, I have recently been visited by a community matron (same qualifications as a GP) and she has been very helpful in various health matters including getting me the Ocufresh Lubricating Eye Drops.

I was sent about a month ago 2 large swabs (like 8" Q-tips) that were put into tubes with some black gel for me to swab each eye (the left is far worse than the right) and this I did one morning and the visiting district nurse picked them up the next day. I heard nothing since!

Some suggestions made sense....wash my hands more regularly, change my pillow slips more regularly, these I will do. As for a full 'deep clean' I think that is not practical for a variety of reasons.

I looked up boric acid and that sounds nasty stuff best kept away from the eyes apparently. Regards eye washes, I have a bottle of Optrex eye wash and have used that stuff for years to help with my blocked tear duct problems. Unfortunately due to my (self inflicted in my kitchen believe it or not) whiplash injury I find it difficult to tilt my head back to use the eye wash properly.

As for ofloxacin, I'll mention that to my GP next time we speak, it sounds promising. Regards using baby shampoo for my eyelids, I've not tried that but after my morning wash I regularly use throughout the day a mixture I made of roughly 50% TCP with 50% water on oval cotton wool pads to gently wash my eyelids. This does help though I will buy some Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo on Monday to try that method.

As regards to recent changes in my diet, my intake is pretty constant if somewhat boring in that regard (I barely eat anything anymore, rely on Fresubin energy drinks prescribed by my GP). As for COVID, nope, not had or got that. I have been told if I did get COVID it would likely finish me off so I'm very cautious in that regard.

"Get plenty of fresh air, smoke in fresh air, and blink a lot." I had to smile at this suggestion, I've not been out my front door in 3 years, hung up my pipe around the same time and I blink a lot already!

Thanks so much guys for your tips and concerns, it really is much appreciated.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[scloyd]

Jay, whatever the cause, I hope you find a solution so you can get back to enjoying your books and movies. Good luck.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I just spent a torturous last 5-months indoors, because of the cold weather, and only last week got out over the park.
It has done me a lot of good to get out in some sunshine.

It's your plight and not mine, but I sympathise so strongly.
Please Jay, please, next time it's a warm day go outside, it's such a small step, you, the door, outside.

If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me, so I don't have to suffer worrying about you.

 

[Pipeoff]

For the last 10 months or so I've been suffering with conjunctivitis and despite being prescribed 3 different medications, though they do reduce the symptoms, none of them have completely shifted it.

First off I was prescribed Chloramphenicol, a semi clear gel in a tiny tube. I was told to put about 1cm of gel on my bottom eyelids every 4 hours or so. Well trying to do that without assistance isn't easy, so I tended to apply the gel to my clean pinkie finger tip and apply it that way.

Almost immediately I noticed an improvement though I was still getting nasty yellow gunk weeping out of my eyes, particularly in the mornings and over the course of three weeks that's how things stayed.

Then I was given Optrex Infected Eye Drops. These were also to be applied every 4 hours. Again, very difficult to apply without assistance as one is not to touch the eye with the nozzle of the bottle....easier said than done! Much wasted drops were running down my face. These too helped matters but again, after the course was over I still had conjunctivitis.

Finally I was given Ocufresh Lubricating Eye Drops, another 4 hourly application with results much like the Optrex eyedrops.

It's a real pain especially when watching TV or reading books as sometimes after cleaning the eyes with a tissue, all it takes is a couple of blinks and my eyes are as though I'm looking though a greasy lens......it's really that bad.

So, has anyone here suffered from this and if so how did you rid yourself of it?

Regards,

Jay.

BTW, I've suffered from blocked tear ducts most of my adult life though not sure if it has any bearing on this.

Try a longer stem pipe!

 

[condorlover1]

I have seen chronic pinkeye a few different times, in animals as well as children. The treatment was always polymyxin-B eyedrops, the cause was always contaminated bedding. Get a new pillow, change your pillowcases daily, and don't allow your siblings to fart on your pillow. Insufficient tear production will definitely aggravate the issue.

Farting on a pillow is the thinking mans Dutch Oven!!

 

[mawnansmiff]

Update: I started using 'Ocufresh Eye Drops' last Thursday afternoon and it is now Tuesday morning.

I can honestly say that for the last 3 days my eyes are producing far less yellow gunk than they were prior to using these drops and my eyesight has certainly improved.

This morning though still slightly gunky, my eyes once cleaned were about 75% back to how they were prior to me contracting this nasty infection, by which I mean the oily film covering my eyes was vastly reduced.

Fingers crossed it might be cleared up entirely by the end of the current course of eye drops

Regards,

Jay.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Sounds like your situation and possibly the way health care is delivered where you are combine to frustrate efforts to see a specialist so I won't suggest you get to an ophthalmologist as I'm sure you know what options are available and accessible for you and it sounds like accessibility for you is a real issue and I can't imagine how frustrating that could be with something chronic.

Sorry to read about the struggles and hope you have found the solution in the "solution"! ?

 

[Hillcrest]

Mawnansmiff, Praying for a speedy recovery for you ! But do try to get over to Port Wenn and see Doc Martin and Sally Tischel who should fix you up right away. And while you're there maybe grab a Large Whiskey if able !! Best Wishes !

 

[mawnansmiff]

Sounds like your situation and possibly the way health care is delivered where you are combine to frustrate efforts to see a specialist so I won't suggest you get to an ophthalmologist as I'm sure you know what options are available and accessible for you and it sounds like accessibility for you is a real issue and I can't imagine how frustrating that could be with something chronic.

Sorry to read about the struggles and hope you have found the solution in the "solution"! ?

Hawkeye, you have it right there chum, accessibility to healthcare here in the UK has been seriously affected lately, moreso since COVID reared its ugly head.

Even trying to get to speak to your GP is a mountain climb in itself these days. You ring them up and are forced to listen to numerous recorded messages only to find yourself in a queue to speak to a dopy receptionist who has no medical training whatsoever.

When they ask me the nature of my complaint I usually tell them I need to speak to the doctor because I have a load of pink spots on my willy

Regards,

Jay.

 

[Sethology12]

You may have blepharitis. I do and pipe smokingvdefinitely doesn't help. I use an eye wash morning and night and eye drops

 

[camaguey]

I've got a gangbuster remedy for styes, but I don't know that it would transfer to conjunctivitis. I get styes a few times a year and they can get a little oozy and actually turned into conjunctivitis a few years ago. I make a warm compress with a clean wash cloth and black tea - I let the tea cool a touch until it won't burn the piss out of me, then just dip the cloth into the tea, apply to my eyelids for a couple minutes until it cools, dip it again to warm it up again, etc, etc. I only use plain black tea, not orange pekoe, or Earl grey, or anything with any additives.

I wonder how your biota and ph are. Have you changed your diet? Do you regularly supplement with probiotics?

That seems to be the best advice , but i would use chamomile tea instead. Vapor from a boiling tea kettle is also good but you have to be very carefull not to burn your eyes.

 

[huntertrw]

mawnansmiff:

Sorry to learn of your affliction. Here is a link (Pink eye (conjunctivitis)) to the corresponding page on the Mayo Clinic's Website. Having lived in Rochester, Minnesota for a number of years I developed a great deal of respect for this medical institution. Hopefully there may be some information therein that may be of use to you in recovering.

 

[didimauw]

I unfortunately have nothing to add. However when my daughter was about 4 or 5, we got pictures of her in one of those wooden cutout frames at the zoo. (Where you stick your head in, and now you are a gorilla, or tiger etc) A day and a half later she had pinkeye.

She hasn't stuck her head in one since, and those will forever be dubbed " ewww pink eye boards".

 

[Sethology12]

Pink eye probably wouldn't last that long. If you already have dry eye, which you do based on your tear duct blockage statement, it's likely blepharitis. Bet money a formulated eye wash twice a day and preservative free eye drops will assuage much of your symptoms. You might wanna reduce your smoking a bit too. I only smoke once a day now.

 

[ADKPiper]

An old school remedy is to put tea bags on your eyes. The only time I got pink eye way back in the 60s my grandmother did that for me. I can't speak to the efficacy except that it did go away.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Well guys, this really is an old thread, but sad to say, I'm still suffering with it.

My last prescription was for 'Fusidic Acid Viscous Eye Drops'. Just like all the previous preparations, there was a brief improvement but that's all. My theory is that all of the preparations I have had implore the user not to allow the nozzle of the tube to touch any part of the infected eye.

That is much easier said than done, especially so if one lives alone and has to apply it themselves. The only way is to use the tip of the nozzle to determine when it's in the right place to apply the gel which is counterproductive of course.

I've also tried using my (cleaned) pinkie but with limited success....it comes out the tube as a gel but as soon as it reaches body temperature it turns to liquid!

I'm well overdue a sight test and desperately need new spectacles but know my ophthalmist won't see me if my eyes are gunked up.

I'm pretty much resigned to having to put up with this nuisance until such a time that some medical professional actually sees the problem themselves.

Thanks for all the tips guys, I've said it before, this Forum is the best place to get serious responses to serious questions and for that I'm very grateful.

I shall now look up 'blepharitis'.

Regards,

Jay.