Should I worry about my eye?
February 16, 2018 8:35 AM Subscribe
I have felt pressure on my right eye, off and on, since last Friday night. It varies, but is sometimes painful. It started just around my eye socket.
On Wednesday, my eye felt very dry and irritated. That has continued but to a much lesser degree. That gets some relief from eyedrops.
On Thursday, I began having mild cold symptoms.
Should I see anyone about the pressure on my eye and around my eye socket, and a little on my cheek? I feel no relief from sinus medicine.
On Wednesday, my eye felt very dry and irritated. That has continued but to a much lesser degree. That gets some relief from eyedrops.
On Thursday, I began having mild cold symptoms.
Should I see anyone about the pressure on my eye and around my eye socket, and a little on my cheek? I feel no relief from sinus medicine.
I'd see a doctor for this if it were me, and I'm not one to go to a doctor for every little thing - either a walk-in clinic or if the pain was more than just low-level I'd hit the ER. I have zero medical background though. I hope you are feeling better soon!
posted by machinecraig at 8:49 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by machinecraig at 8:49 AM on February 16, 2018
Yes, doctor. Eyes are fragile and important.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 8:51 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by pseudostrabismus at 8:51 AM on February 16, 2018
Response by poster: Does it matter whether it is a GP or an eye doctor? I can probably get in to see a GP sooner.
posted by maurreen at 8:51 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by maurreen at 8:51 AM on February 16, 2018
GP first. They can triage, relieve pressure (pressure around the eyes is BAD) and may be able to accelerate your seeing whatever specialist is necessary.
I'm also on Team See A Doctor Now, which is not a team I'm often on. My wife had a skin infection around her nose and eyes last year and we learned that things like that can go south pretty quickly.
posted by gauche at 9:24 AM on February 16, 2018
I'm also on Team See A Doctor Now, which is not a team I'm often on. My wife had a skin infection around her nose and eyes last year and we learned that things like that can go south pretty quickly.
posted by gauche at 9:24 AM on February 16, 2018
If you use contact lenses, it's probably not a bad idea to avoid wearing them (or at least minimize the time you wear them) till you see a doctor. I recently had a similar feeling of pressure in one of my eyes, and my doc said it was mild inflammation caused by over-wearing my contacts.
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 9:32 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 9:32 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
nth-ing go to a doctor. I'm usually firmly in the aw-let's-wait-a-few-days camp, but I go into 100% full-on doctor mode when it comes to my eyes. Being extremely nearsighted and having been at risk of retinal detachment and lesser self-inflicted corneal damage before, I'm always terrified about damaging my sight. It may turn out to be fine, but if something is wrong, the potential damage could be very serious, which tips the balance for me.
posted by leticia at 9:49 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by leticia at 9:49 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Eye weirdness is almost always a go see a doctor now sort of thing. If you're in the US and you don't get charged a lot for Urgent Care, I'd go do that today. And like gauche, I'm not usually on Team Go See A Doctor Now.
posted by elsietheeel at 9:49 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by elsietheeel at 9:49 AM on February 16, 2018
Try to get an appointment with an ophthalmologist as soon as you can.
posted by wearyaswater at 9:54 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by wearyaswater at 9:54 AM on February 16, 2018
If I had serious eye concerns, which I did recently, I'd try to see an ophthalmologist - they are the experts on eye diseases and such.
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:11 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:11 AM on February 16, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I just back from urgent care, where I got a prescription for prednisone. There is no infection or anything serious.
posted by maurreen at 11:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by maurreen at 11:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
Glad you went, but urgent care docs are not eye folks, so.... I would follow up with an opthamologist for this because you only get the two eyes. (I have one working eye. The other one stopped working when I was 30. I’d rather have two working eyes.)
posted by PorcineWithMe at 12:50 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by PorcineWithMe at 12:50 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
Definitely follow up with an ophthalmologist. Anything bad enough to require prednisone is serious enough to require a good follow-up.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 1:41 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 1:41 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
Seconding artistic versimilitude - prednisone is a heavy duty steroid used to fight systemic inflammation. It's the right urgent care triage, but it also warrants a follow-up with someone who can try to tell you *why* you needed prednisone.
posted by serelliya at 11:08 AM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by serelliya at 11:08 AM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Diablevert at 8:45 AM on February 16, 2018