Irritated eye, should I see a doctor?
June 22, 2018 1:42 PM Subscribe
I don't actually care about treating this eye irritation unless it's a sign of something scary. You are not my doctor but can you help me decide if this is worth going to the doctor?
Symptoms: my left eye has been itchy and irritated for about a week. I think my eyelid may be slightly swollen but it's hard to tell.
Things that make this kind of scary:
1) Simone Giertz's recent, high-profile case. She had my symptoms. It was a brain tumor.
2) I started noticing these symptoms after bathing in a natural hot spring in Iceland (Secret Lagoon/Gamla Laugin, not the more famous Blue Lagoon), which brings to mind scary things like brain-eating amoeba. I don't think I have a brain-eating amoeba in my eyeball, but I do have an underlying fear of natural ponds and pools.
Things that make this less scary:
1) I didn't go underwater or get any water in my eye in the lagoon.
2) My left eye has always been more prone to irritation than my right, since I was in my early teens. Doctors' reaction at the time was basically ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Reasons I don't just go to the doctor:
1) If this is just allergies, I don't want to waste my time and money, and I don't want to deal with eye drops.
2) I am kind of a hypochondriac.
I really just want to know how terrified I should be, on a scale from 1 to brain-eating amoeba. I would call the nurse hotline on my insurance but at my particular insurance company, they always just tell you to go to the doctor regardless of your symptoms.
Symptoms: my left eye has been itchy and irritated for about a week. I think my eyelid may be slightly swollen but it's hard to tell.
Things that make this kind of scary:
1) Simone Giertz's recent, high-profile case. She had my symptoms. It was a brain tumor.
2) I started noticing these symptoms after bathing in a natural hot spring in Iceland (Secret Lagoon/Gamla Laugin, not the more famous Blue Lagoon), which brings to mind scary things like brain-eating amoeba. I don't think I have a brain-eating amoeba in my eyeball, but I do have an underlying fear of natural ponds and pools.
Things that make this less scary:
1) I didn't go underwater or get any water in my eye in the lagoon.
2) My left eye has always been more prone to irritation than my right, since I was in my early teens. Doctors' reaction at the time was basically ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Reasons I don't just go to the doctor:
1) If this is just allergies, I don't want to waste my time and money, and I don't want to deal with eye drops.
2) I am kind of a hypochondriac.
I really just want to know how terrified I should be, on a scale from 1 to brain-eating amoeba. I would call the nurse hotline on my insurance but at my particular insurance company, they always just tell you to go to the doctor regardless of your symptoms.
Less scary: when this happens to me, it's always been a stye. If it were me, I'd give it another week before going to the doctor.
posted by Kriesa at 1:46 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Kriesa at 1:46 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
My general rule of thumb is that symptoms lasting more than a couple of days are worth seeing a doctor over. It's probably nothing scary, but you should get it checked out anyway, for peace of mind if nothing else.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:48 PM on June 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by tobascodagama at 1:48 PM on June 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am not the person who tells people to go to the doctor, but if symptoms are persisting, and it's your eye, go to the doctor. I understand your resistance to doing so but your eyes are important organs and the symptoms haven't gone away on their own. Eye drops are hard to get used to but might provide you a lot of relief!
posted by latkes at 1:50 PM on June 22, 2018
posted by latkes at 1:50 PM on June 22, 2018
Have you tried taking an antihistamine for a few days to see if that stops it? It generally stops it.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:50 PM on June 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Lyn Never at 1:50 PM on June 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
Sounds like either a stye, conjuntivitis, allergies, or some combination. If it were me, I wouldn't worry unless the symptoms didn't improve after 3 or 4 days, or became markedly worse.
If you can't be sure that an eyelid is swollen then it probably isn't. Any significant swelling will be the first thing people notice when they see you.
posted by pipeski at 2:35 PM on June 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
If you can't be sure that an eyelid is swollen then it probably isn't. Any significant swelling will be the first thing people notice when they see you.
posted by pipeski at 2:35 PM on June 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also, wash you hands, and try not to touch it.
posted by pipeski at 2:35 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by pipeski at 2:35 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't know whether you should go to the doctor or not. I agree that it would be a good idea to try an antihistamine to see if that helps. If it does, I think you're in the clear.
Regardless, does your insurance card have a 24 hour nurse hotline on it? If so, give them a call! Whenever I get worried about a health issue but I'm not sure if it's doctor-worthy, that's what I do. They ask kind of an annoying number of questions, but that's because they can't assess you visually. They have also been kind, patient and reassuring.
(One time I got rubbing alcohol in my eye and the nurse conferenced in someone from the poison control center and then coached me through making a solution to flush my eye with. And then she called me back a half hour later to see how I was doing!! I was so grateful. And my eyeball was fine!)
posted by purple_bird at 2:40 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Regardless, does your insurance card have a 24 hour nurse hotline on it? If so, give them a call! Whenever I get worried about a health issue but I'm not sure if it's doctor-worthy, that's what I do. They ask kind of an annoying number of questions, but that's because they can't assess you visually. They have also been kind, patient and reassuring.
(One time I got rubbing alcohol in my eye and the nurse conferenced in someone from the poison control center and then coached me through making a solution to flush my eye with. And then she called me back a half hour later to see how I was doing!! I was so grateful. And my eyeball was fine!)
posted by purple_bird at 2:40 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Since it’s only in one eye, it seems unlikely to be an allergy. I know someone who had an eye infection, and it took forever for treatment to cure it. It worked out eventually, but it was very scary. I’m very reluctant to go to the doctor, but in this case I would go.
posted by FencingGal at 3:10 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by FencingGal at 3:10 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Since it’s only in one eye, it seems unlikely to be an allergy.
My seasonal allergic conjunctivitis disagrees. Each year, one eye decides to be irritated for months. It's random as to which eye. The other one only gets mildly irritated but is often totally fine while one is itchy and dry and awful for months.
Might as well try the walk-in clinic or a walk in eye doctor to check it out. If it is allergies you may need Rx drops - I often have to get Patanol to get mine to calm down. I also take an allergy pill and use allergy eye drops and remove my contacts if my eyes are too irritated. It's not really "dealing" with eye drops, you just drop them in and you're done.
posted by Crystalinne at 3:16 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
My seasonal allergic conjunctivitis disagrees. Each year, one eye decides to be irritated for months. It's random as to which eye. The other one only gets mildly irritated but is often totally fine while one is itchy and dry and awful for months.
Might as well try the walk-in clinic or a walk in eye doctor to check it out. If it is allergies you may need Rx drops - I often have to get Patanol to get mine to calm down. I also take an allergy pill and use allergy eye drops and remove my contacts if my eyes are too irritated. It's not really "dealing" with eye drops, you just drop them in and you're done.
posted by Crystalinne at 3:16 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
You can get “artificial tears” eye drops over the counter. They will resolve lots of incidental dry eye, and help to flush out if there’s an irritant there.
If a day or two of that doesn’t do it, then you can tell a doctor that.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:44 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
If a day or two of that doesn’t do it, then you can tell a doctor that.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:44 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm sure there are a dozens of things that can cause eye irritation, but as one data point, when I had similar symptoms, it turned out to be blepharitis, which 1) was totally not a big deal and 2) was cured by some topical antibiotics and probably wouldn't have gone away on its own if I hadn't gone to a doctor.
posted by dfan at 6:40 PM on June 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by dfan at 6:40 PM on June 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Eh, as an ED doc who sees people with underwhelming eye problems all the time, this all sounds rather underwhelming. Simone Giertz had straight-up proptosis (her right eye was protruding from its orbit to a noticeable degree due to mass effect from a tumor behind it), not eye irritation. If you have new-onset proptosis you should go to the ED immediately.
HOWEVER, I don't know anything about you, including your age and what other medical problems you may have, so I can't place your symptoms into their appropriate clinical context. I also can't see your eye to do an exam on it. So I'll say what I always say in response to these questions: if it's bothering you enough to formulate and ask this AxMe question, it's probably worth getting seen by an ophthalmologist in the clinic. You'll feel reassured and will get the right treatment, if any is needed, for your issue.
posted by killdevil at 7:18 PM on June 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
HOWEVER, I don't know anything about you, including your age and what other medical problems you may have, so I can't place your symptoms into their appropriate clinical context. I also can't see your eye to do an exam on it. So I'll say what I always say in response to these questions: if it's bothering you enough to formulate and ask this AxMe question, it's probably worth getting seen by an ophthalmologist in the clinic. You'll feel reassured and will get the right treatment, if any is needed, for your issue.
posted by killdevil at 7:18 PM on June 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
I've had concretions; both of them extruded themselves....when I went to an opthomalogist for one she claimed it was a style when it was in the conjunctiva and not near the lashes.
posted by brujita at 8:36 PM on June 22, 2018
posted by brujita at 8:36 PM on June 22, 2018
Best answer: I had basically this and it turned out my eye was hella dry because it just decided to stop making good tears. It’s probably worth getting checked out but if you have to wait for an appointment you might try some high-quality drops like Optive or Systane in the meantime. The overnight gel drops are especially amazing.
posted by charmedimsure at 9:12 PM on June 22, 2018
posted by charmedimsure at 9:12 PM on June 22, 2018
Response by poster: All the doctors' offices are closed for the weekend, but I'll grab some eye drops at the drug store and make an appointment Monday morning. Thanks, all.
posted by capricorn at 7:40 AM on June 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by capricorn at 7:40 AM on June 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Verdict: it's nothing scary. Eye is a little dry but no damage or infection, recommendation is to continue eye drops for a couple of weeks. HOWEVER. The reason might actually be because, that thing where I've had 20/20 perfect vision my whole life? Not so much in my left eye. I have a proper eye exam in a few weeks and my years of envying everyone's cute Warby Parker frames may finally be over!
posted by capricorn at 8:05 AM on June 28, 2018
posted by capricorn at 8:05 AM on June 28, 2018
Response by poster: Verdict part 2: I am right on the borderline of needing corrective lenses, especially in my left eye, and I want to try them out to see if it helps. I live near a Warby Parker brick-and-mortar and am going to go there and try on cute frames as close to immediately as possible!
posted by capricorn at 10:33 AM on August 29, 2018
posted by capricorn at 10:33 AM on August 29, 2018
Response by poster: Verdict part 3: I got cute Warby Parkers and IT TOTALLY HELPED. These days if I'm sitting around and noticing that my left eye is getting teary and irritated, sure enough it's because I've forgotten to put my glasses on. Now I have a bonus fashion accessory and a bonus to my ability to see at long distances. Thanks again, MeFi!
posted by capricorn at 6:33 PM on December 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by capricorn at 6:33 PM on December 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by heathrowga at 1:45 PM on June 22, 2018 [1 favorite]