Cannot Seem to Shake Off Conjunctivitis: Any Suggestions?

[mawnansmiff]

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.

 

[Streeper541]

Wash your hands more. ?

 

[canucklehead]

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.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sorry, Jay, both for your condition and that I have no other ideas.

 

[ofafeather]

Sorry you’re going through that. That sucks. Have they done any tests? Conjunctivitis can have many causes, including allergies. Have you tried an allergy med?

 

[beefeater33]

I‘ve suffered the pinkeye also. My remedy is Boric acid. It’s inexpensive and always works for me.
I use an aluminum eyewash cup to apply 3-4 times a day.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Ask your provider about these.

Fluoroquinolones for the eye - PubMed

Two fluoroquinolone antibiotics, ciprofloxacin (Ciloxan-Alcon) and ofloxacin (Exocin-Allergan), are available in the UK as topical preparations for the eye. Ciprofloxacin eyedrops are licensed for the treatment of "corneal ulcers and superficial infections of the eye", and ofloxacin eyedrops for...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Hillcrest]

Hope you feel better. Baby shampoo your eyelids periodically daily to keep them clean (NOT in the eye just eyelids) . It works for the outer eye irritation.

 

[SpookedPiper]

I would say fire your eye doc. 10 months is along time to suffer from pink eye. I agree with changing the pillow case often and not letting others fart on them as well.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

It’s the same bacteria as a child’s ear infection, if I remember correctly. It’s the reason children get pink eye who have ear issues. Ear to eyes transmitting.

 

[warren]

I can only add a thorough cleaning of the house, especially bedding, including a sanitary cleaning of the mattress. Perhaps new bed pillows.

 

[greeneyes]

Conjunctivitis may be allergic, bacterial or fungal in origin. Chloramphenicol is an antibacterial. You must consider tests for agents that are provoking all three of these causes and then consider appropriate treatment.

Bringing this matter to the internet in search of avenues of self-management of your situation suggests that you don't have the clearest communication with your health provider. Chloramphenicol is a prescription drug in the UK I assume. Ten months is a long time to have been struggling with this situation without having taken recourse to alternative testing and treatment options.

What's the problem?

 

[anotherbob]

I had allergic pink eye on occasion and it sucked. Antihistamines helped a bit but mostly time. The pollen that does it to me also makes my skin get itchy.
My cat had an eye infection when we rescued him and we had to put this cream (Vaseline consistency) on his eyes. Now that's an ordeal.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

Get plenty of fresh air, smoke in fresh air, and blink a lot.
Xet yourself a program of blinking sessions.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Maybe stop buying 300 year old books?? Sorry I can’t be of more help. I’m familiar with the first product you mentioned and it has worked well for me

 

[eslavs]

Conjunctivitis may be allergic, bacterial or fungal in origin.

I've never heard of fungal conjunctivitis, but have seen corneal infections that were fungal (nasty). Maybe you meant viral?

Either way, I'd agree that 10 months is a long time. Bacterial conjunctivitis usually presents with beefy red eyes coupled with a nasty greenish mucousy discharge and typically responds pretty quickly to antibacterial drops. Viral conjunctivitis usually does not respond to such drops and generally runs its course within a few weeks. Allergic conjunctivitis will persist as long as you're exposed to whatever allergen may be causing it. Typically steroid drops or antihistamine drops along with artificial tears will help treat symptoms, along with oral systemic antihistamines.

It's also possible what you're experiencing is due to chronic dry eye, which can be frustrating to deal with and difficult to treat. As mentioned already, it may be time to seek another doc who may have other courses of treatment to offer.

 

[greeneyes]

It's "candida conjuctivitis," however the list of causal agents is much larger than that.

 

[Rockyrepose]

I always get some minor relief if I make a concerted effort to over hydrate.

 

[OzPiper]

This might have already been done, but the doctor should do a swab of each eye separately to find out which organism it is and to check for antibiotic sensitivity as bugs have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

As someone mentioned it might be allergic or fungal (unlikely) or viral (usually a teary and watery, rather than a "gunky" eye). Or you may have blocked up tear ducts that need "syringing".

Just helps reduce the trial & error prescribing.

One of my kids had conjuctivits that lasted weeks when he was a baby. Thankfully one of my best friends is an opthalmologist. His advise was to scrub the eyes with a wet cotton ball with a tiny drop of Johnson's Baby Shampoo (non-stinging) and to wipe the eyes from the outer corner inwards. Most wipe their eyes from the inner corner outwards and this often results in the tear duct getting blocked.

The problem cleared up within a week. Correct eye toilet is so important .

 

[Chasing Embers]

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