Help me get my eye a lovely shade of not-red
September 5, 2008 10:44 AM Subscribe
I need to get the red out of my eye ASAP.
my right eye is really red. i have an infection on the eyelid which is causing my eye to tear a lot. I get this once a year and it always lasts four days, and i just have to ride it out (doctors have given me ointment which helps a little).
Today is the third day which is always the worst. My eye is the size of a football and the color of a tomato. BUT i have a really important appointment tonight. i can get the swelling down but i cant get it to turn a less alarming shade of red. PLEASE PLEASE, i will do anything to get my eye a normal color. Any tips, recommendations, prayers? right now i'm just resting a lot (not wearing my contacts) and putting in homeopathic eye drops.
my right eye is really red. i have an infection on the eyelid which is causing my eye to tear a lot. I get this once a year and it always lasts four days, and i just have to ride it out (doctors have given me ointment which helps a little).
Today is the third day which is always the worst. My eye is the size of a football and the color of a tomato. BUT i have a really important appointment tonight. i can get the swelling down but i cant get it to turn a less alarming shade of red. PLEASE PLEASE, i will do anything to get my eye a normal color. Any tips, recommendations, prayers? right now i'm just resting a lot (not wearing my contacts) and putting in homeopathic eye drops.
Maybe I'm missing something but have you tried Visine? It always get's the red out for me although it doesn't sooth at all, it stings. I got a sty last week (is that what you have?) and Visine removed the red and a warm compress took the swelling down. An antihistamine may help with the tearing, not sure.
posted by wolfkult at 10:53 AM on September 5, 2008
posted by wolfkult at 10:53 AM on September 5, 2008
[P]utting in homeopathic eye drops.
Don't waste your time or money. Homeopathy is bullshit quackery.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 10:55 AM on September 5, 2008 [8 favorites]
Don't waste your time or money. Homeopathy is bullshit quackery.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 10:55 AM on September 5, 2008 [8 favorites]
I'd bet dollars to doughnuts you'll get some snarky comments from about the homeopathic eye drops....
if its an infection I would worry about trying anything else like Visine etc. You don't want to make it worse. Just cold facecloth over it would be my suggestion, but I doubt it would helpmuch.
posted by gwenlister at 10:57 AM on September 5, 2008
if its an infection I would worry about trying anything else like Visine etc. You don't want to make it worse. Just cold facecloth over it would be my suggestion, but I doubt it would helpmuch.
posted by gwenlister at 10:57 AM on September 5, 2008
Response by poster: so many people have told me that visine is bad for you.... i dont care if it stings. i'm desperate! (but not desperate enough to harm my eye) Yes, its a stye - little bumps on the lid. the infected area is not SO awful but its the tearing that is causing the redness.
posted by silverstatue at 10:58 AM on September 5, 2008
posted by silverstatue at 10:58 AM on September 5, 2008
Serously, ditch the homeopathic stuff. You're just dumping water on your eyes, and that's not helping. Get proper eye drops, and get it now.
posted by SansPoint at 11:05 AM on September 5, 2008
posted by SansPoint at 11:05 AM on September 5, 2008
If you can't get rid of the redness, consider wearing sunglasses and comment that you need to wear them for a few days due to some eye medication.
posted by mikepop at 11:10 AM on September 5, 2008
posted by mikepop at 11:10 AM on September 5, 2008
Response by poster: cant wear sunglasses.... will be at fancy restaurant. oooh this stinks! ok, just took an antihistamine, and am about to put in some visine.
posted by silverstatue at 11:18 AM on September 5, 2008
posted by silverstatue at 11:18 AM on September 5, 2008
Do you honestly think using Visine one time is going to harm your eye? Your eye was harmed far more with the infection which resulted in a stye. I really doubt you'll go blind before you die or die of some chemical induced illness from Visine (and I doubt anyone ever has for that matter!).
posted by wolfkult at 11:21 AM on September 5, 2008
posted by wolfkult at 11:21 AM on September 5, 2008
Best answer: Rohto-V, which has a really obnoxious website, works even better than Visine. Turns my eyes a frighteningly bright white.
If you can't find Rohto at the drug store, Visine A is the strongest Visine, I believe.
posted by SpiffyRob at 11:21 AM on September 5, 2008
If you can't find Rohto at the drug store, Visine A is the strongest Visine, I believe.
posted by SpiffyRob at 11:21 AM on September 5, 2008
The Visine concern is based on repeated use, not single incidences, so you can quell your worry on that front. Just don't start using it every day or multiple times per day over a series of days.
I hope the antihistamine and Visine help you. Ice pack and an anti-inflammatory (like Alleve or Advil) can help, as well, since your bigger issue is inflammation, not histamine response.
On homeopathic eyedrops...very few of those formulations work in any real way. Some contain herbal additives or simple decoctions that may provide some temporary relief or temporary illusion of results, but it's generally a way for the old tradition of snake oil sales to continue into our age. I say this as the child of hippies and friend of many new-agers, so it is from long experience and much frustration with people I care about pursuing a line of treatment that doesn't work, often at much expense to themselves. The one exception is arnica for bruises, but that's an herbalist trick, not homeopathy.
posted by batmonkey at 12:38 PM on September 5, 2008
I hope the antihistamine and Visine help you. Ice pack and an anti-inflammatory (like Alleve or Advil) can help, as well, since your bigger issue is inflammation, not histamine response.
On homeopathic eyedrops...very few of those formulations work in any real way. Some contain herbal additives or simple decoctions that may provide some temporary relief or temporary illusion of results, but it's generally a way for the old tradition of snake oil sales to continue into our age. I say this as the child of hippies and friend of many new-agers, so it is from long experience and much frustration with people I care about pursuing a line of treatment that doesn't work, often at much expense to themselves. The one exception is arnica for bruises, but that's an herbalist trick, not homeopathy.
posted by batmonkey at 12:38 PM on September 5, 2008
Did you see a real doctor or a quack? A real doctor can lance it if need be.
That said, I think the eyepatch suggestion is the best. You are saving your fellow diners from looking at your puffy infected eye.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:36 PM on September 5, 2008
That said, I think the eyepatch suggestion is the best. You are saving your fellow diners from looking at your puffy infected eye.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:36 PM on September 5, 2008
Just use Visine - it works, it's not a big deal, you just don't want to be using it a lot over an extended period of time.
posted by MythMaker at 2:22 PM on September 5, 2008
posted by MythMaker at 2:22 PM on September 5, 2008
There are OTC eyedrops with antihistamines in them that are very effective at whitening your eyes. I can't remember the name, but it's a major brand's super-strong-allergy drops.
posted by zazerr at 2:47 PM on September 5, 2008
posted by zazerr at 2:47 PM on September 5, 2008
Response by poster: ok five hours or so later, the winner is.... Visine A! my eye is still pinkish but WAYYY better than it was this afternoon. i think i can go out in public now. thanks everyone!
posted by silverstatue at 5:13 PM on September 5, 2008
posted by silverstatue at 5:13 PM on September 5, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
You may want to run it by your Doctor first, in case there's a specific reason s/he didn't suggest it.
posted by justkevin at 10:51 AM on September 5, 2008