FYI: Sharp paper corner in the eye = bad

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A recent discussion highlighted the dangers of eye injuries, particularly after one participant accidentally jabbed their eye with a piece of paper. They experienced severe pain, twitching, and blurred vision, leading to concerns about a corneal abrasion. Despite receiving a sympathetic response from their HMO, the next available appointment was not until January 15th, prompting suggestions to seek immediate medical attention to prevent potential infections or further damage. Participants shared anecdotes about eye health, including a cautionary tale about a colleague who suffered severe consequences from a parasite due to contact lens use. Ultimately, the original poster managed to secure an earlier appointment and received treatment for a corneal tear, alleviating some concerns but leaving them with ongoing discomfort. The conversation underscored the importance of prompt medical attention for eye injuries and the need for safety precautions, especially in everyday activities.
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For any of you thinking of trying this at home, let me tell you this is not fun. I accidentally jabbed myself in the eye a couple of weeks ago, and after a couple of minutes of screaming in pain, I thought it was over. But last week, I started having this hard eye-twitch and some pain in my eyeball. Vision is blurred, too, on the side. I think I might have jacked up my cornea.

I called my HMO today and they were very sympathetic - they pulled out all the stops and got me an appointment for January 15th. Oh man, I'm going to end up a pirate!

So, where can I find a pretty eye-patch that will go with a lot of outfits?
 
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Math Is Hard said:
For any of you thinking of trying this at home, let me tell you this is not fun. I accidentally jabbed myself in the eye a couple of weeks ago, and after a couple of minutes of screaming in pain, I thought it was over. But last week, I started having this hard eye-twitch and some pain in my eyeball. Vision is blurred, too, on the side. I think I might have jacked up my cornea.

I called my HMO today and they were very sympathetic - they pulled out all the stops and got me an appointment for January 15th. Oh man, I'm going to end up a pirate!

So, where can I find a pretty eye-patch that will go with a lot of outfits?

Oh no! Is there any sign of infection? You might check with an ER first, but I would think that you should be using antibiotic eye drops until you see the doctor.

Btw you're in good company. Before using prisms and lenses, Newton would poke his eye with a stick until he saw light and dark rings.

well, not quite but sort of... :biggrin:
 
Ouch! I agree with Ivan, you shouldn't wait two months to get your eye checked out. By then, you'll either have destroyed your eyesight with a nasty infection, or it'll have healed itself. Not much use to seeing them at that point (no pun intended). Things like cornea abrasions, especially if it's blurring your vision, should be treated immediately (or at least checked immediately to determine if treatment is needed).
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh no! Is there any sign of infection? You might check with an ER first, but I would think that you should be using antibiotic eye drops until you see the doctor.
Btw you're in good company. Before using prisms and lenses, Newton would poke his eye with a stick until he saw light and dark rings.
well, not quite but sort of... :biggrin:
You know, it's the weirdest thing. I have looked and looked but don't see any sign of injury. Not even redness. But I can sure feel it. If it gets worse in the next few days I'll go camp out in the ER with the undocumented folks, and maybe the physicians will be able to see me within 48 hours or so. :biggrin:

Newton used to poke himself in the eye? No kidding?
 
Math Is Hard said:
For any of you thinking of trying this at home, let me tell you this is not fun. I accidentally jabbed myself in the eye a couple of weeks ago, and after a couple of minutes of screaming in pain, I thought it was over. But last week, I started having this hard eye-twitch and some pain in my eyeball. Vision is blurred, too, on the side. I think I might have jacked up my cornea.

I called my HMO today and they were very sympathetic - they pulled out all the stops and got me an appointment for January 15th. Oh man, I'm going to end up a pirate!

So, where can I find a pretty eye-patch that will go with a lot of outfits?
They can't get you into see a general practitioner before then? I'm assuming you have to wait until the middle of January for a specialist?

You should have someone look at it sooner just to make sure it's not becoming infected.

Want to hear about the guy I work with that went to the Bahama's for vacation and a couple of weeks after he returned, his left eye started itching and burning, went to the doctor, gave him some eye drops. A couple of weeks later he woke up blind.

He wears contacts and apparently when he was showering a parasite in the water got behind his contact lens. He wears those 30 day ones. Because of the contact, the parasite became trapped between his eye & the contact. So it decided to lay eggs. They hatched and they started eating his eyeball.

Then they spread to his other eye and the same thing happened.

Both of his corneas were eaten.

GO TO THE DOCTOR NOW!
 
Moonbear said:
Ouch! I agree with Ivan, you shouldn't wait two months to get your eye checked out. By then, you'll either have destroyed your eyesight with a nasty infection, or it'll have healed itself. Not much use to seeing them at that point (no pun intended). Things like cornea abrasions, especially if it's blurring your vision, should be treated immediately (or at least checked immediately to determine if treatment is needed).
meh.. I've been trying to walk it off. Maybe I'll call my veterinarian - they are easier to get an appointment with than people Drs. :smile:
 
Math Is Hard said:
You know, it's the weirdest thing. I have looked and looked but don't see any sign of injury. Not even redness. But I can sure feel it. If it gets worse in the next few days I'll go camp out in the ER with the undocumented folks, and maybe the physicians will be able to see me within 48 hours or so. :biggrin:

Oh gosh... boy, I'm with MB, we're talking about your vision. I don't think you can wait.

Newton used to poke himself in the eye? No kidding?

I just saw this on a special about Newton on PBS last night. He would take an instrument of some kind I think, basically a sharp stick, and press between the bottom of his eye and and the eye socket until he saw diffraction rings, apparently. I didn't quite catch the beginning so I'm little unsure of the entire story, but that's basically it.
 
Evo said:
They can't get you into see a general practitioner before then? I'm assuming you have to wait until the middle of January for a specialist?
You should have someone look at it sooner just to make sure it's not becoming infected.
Want to hear about the guy I work with that went to the Bahama's for vacation and a couple of weeks after he returned, his left eye started itching and burning, went to the doctor, gave him some eye drops. A couple of weeks later he woke up blind.
He wears contacts and apparently when he was showering a parasite in the water got behind his contact lens. He wears those 30 day ones. Because of the contact, the parasite became trapped between his eye & the contact. So it decided to lay eggs. They hatched and they started eating his eyeball.
Then they spread to his other eye and the same thing happened.
Both of his corneas were eaten.
GO TO THE DOCTOR NOW!
The January appt. is just for the Primary Care Provider. A specialist would take even longer. I got to ditch this HMO. They said I could call back and check for cancellations, though.
 
A black patch isn't a bad look :smile:
 

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  • #10
Math Is Hard said:
meh.. I've been trying to walk it off. Maybe I'll call my veterinarian - they are easier to get an appointment with than people Drs. :smile:

We used to do this, but after Tsu scheduled me for neutering, I stopped going.
 
  • #11
Math Is Hard said:
The January appt. is just for the Primary Care Provider. A specialist would take even longer. I got to ditch this HMO. They said I could call back and check for cancellations, though.
I'll pay for you to go to the doctor, we're talking about your eyes.
 
  • #12
OK, guys. I promise I'll figure something out and get it looked at.

p.s Thanks, dduardo - it does have a certain mystique! And becoming a pirate would reduce global warming!
 
  • #13
Math Is Hard said:
OK, guys. I promise I'll figure something out and get it looked at.
p.s Thanks, dduardo - it does have a certain mystique! And becoming a pirate would reduce global warming!
Rub some salt in your eye and walk into the ER screaming.
 
  • #14
Math Is Hard said:
The January appt. is just for the Primary Care Provider. A specialist would take even longer. I got to ditch this HMO. They said I could call back and check for cancellations, though.
Tell them if you go blind before then, you're suing them for malpractice! Geez. What's the point of paying for the insurance if they refuse to see you? Have you tried just showing up to their office and refusing to leave until someone can treat your emergency? Or just pay someone outside the HMO to see you...I think I'd opt for debt over blindness...actually, if they find something that needs treatment, I'd send the bill to the HMO telling them it couldn't wait until they got off their duffs. If they have more patients than they can see in a reasonable time, they need to either stop enrolling new patients or hire more doctors/expand their office (yeah, I get riled up with I hear that people have to wait months to see a doctor for something that should be seen right away).
 
  • #15
Evo said:
Rub some salt in your eye and walk into the ER screaming.
Not a bad plan!:smile:
 
  • #16
:bugeye: No, no salt in the eye! I should have known the return of tribdog had to be an omen of injuries to come.
 
  • #17
Moonbear said:
:bugeye: No, no salt in the eye! I should have known the return of tribdog had to be an omen of injuries to come.
Oh, right! MIH, rub the salt in your *good* eye. :-p

Maybe too abrasive?

Salt water eyewash. :-p
 
  • #18
Eye patches can be sexy...
http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:0t_9QsitprcJ:photos1.blogger.com/img/156/3716/640/sky%2520captain.jpg
Best to not actually need one though. I hope your eye will be alright.

I remember how horrid it was trying to get appointments the last time I went to the doctor. The earliest appointments were always at least a month away. One of those appointments I showed up at and was told the doctor would not be in that day and had to set one for yet another month later. Basterds.
 
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  • #20
I believe the actual Newton experiment was to insert a '"bodkin" twixt his eye ' and skull and scrape around on the bone behind his eye. I don't know where I got this information but I think that both bodkin and twixt were Newton's own words and his reason for doing it was "to see what would happen" I also learned that a bodkin is some sort of metal pin.
I thought you were winking at me, but if you loose your eye MIH I know where you can get a recycled glass one.
 
  • #21
No one was grossed out by the eyeball eating parasite? I was sure someone would complain.
 
  • #22
Evo said:
No one was grossed out by the eyeball eating parasite? I was sure someone would complain.
I'm still trying to decide if you were serious. But grossed out? Around here? Nah, we've been pretty well desensitized. :rolleyes:
 
  • #23
Moonbear said:
I'm still trying to decide if you were serious. But grossed out? Around here? Nah, we've been pretty well desensitized. :rolleyes:
I'm serious. He's had a number of operations, they finally were able to do a cornea transplant, but the damage is so severe they're not sure what will happen. I will NEVER wear contacts now. They had problems trying to get the parasites out of his eyes. <shudder>
 
  • #24
I almost vomited, but was able to hold it back. I did have to do one of those tiny burps that gives you heartburn. I don't comment on parasites much however I do loathe them. what's that bad one called? giacarda? something like that. you know the little guy in the Amazon attracted to the ammonia given off by a fish's gills. Unfortuneately it often mistakes urine for that ammonia and often swims up the urethra where it extends porcupine like spikes and gives a twist of its body to lock itself into place.
 
  • #25
Wow! That wait is terrible, I would go to the doctor today. Although that Eye Patch does look sort of hot :!)
 
  • #26
Isn't the first instruction contact lens wearers are given, if their eye gets irritated, to remove the contact lens until the irritation goes away? This just seems like common sense...an in light of the parasite story, apparently critical!
 
  • #27
On my contacts box it says this:
"...any vision of monsters eating huge quivering chunks of transparent flesh could be the result of a tiny monster eating tiny quivering chunks of transparent flesh seen up close and should be treated by either a physician or exorcist."
 
  • #28
Moonbear said:
Isn't the first instruction contact lens wearers are given, if their eye gets irritated, to remove the contact lens until the irritation goes away? This just seems like common sense...an in light of the parasite story, apparently critical!
By the time you feel it, it's too late. :frown:
 
  • #29
screw MIH's eyes dammit.
quit ignoring me.
 
  • #30
I didn't mean that, but quit ignoring me
 
  • #31
tribdog said:
screw MIH's eyes dammit.
quit ignoring me.
I just handed you two scotches in the restaurant thread. :biggrin:
 
  • #32
Do you have someplace I can hang my pants?
 
  • #33
If it was a couple weeks ago and it's still bothering you, I wouldn't wait two months to have someone look at it. That should heal up within a couple days. You can't wait two months to have someone look at it.

By the way, you might get that eye patch, accoding to http://www.emedicine.com/aaem/topic132.htm .

Patching the eye may or may not be done by your doctor. Recent evidence shows that it probably does not help and may actually have a negative impact. Whichever choice your doctor makes, it is not likely to be a significant issue. Your doctor may have specific reasons to treat you differently based on the specific facts of your case. If you are in doubt as to the doctor's decision, ask him or her why a certain choice has been made.
 
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  • #34
With much patience, I was able to get an appoinment at 3:00 today with a Dr. who can work with my insurance.

I'm scared!
 
  • #35
Math Is Hard said:
With much patience, I was able to get an appoinment at 3:00 today with a Dr. who can work with my insurance.
I'm scared!
YAY!

Let us know how you're doing.
 
  • #36
Math Is Hard said:
With much patience, I was able to get an appoinment at 3:00 today with a Dr. who can work with my insurance.
I'm scared!
Try not to worry. The important thing is that you will treatment right away!

Perhaps a routine ophthalmic antibiotic solution will be the treatment.

We wish you well.
 
  • #37
We await good tidings, MIH. If they try to put you off again, move up here for some of that good ol' pinko socialized medicine that Russ and Pengwino hate so much. :biggrin:
 
  • #38
Math Is Hard said:
With much patience, I was able to get an appoinment at 3:00 today with a Dr. who can work with my insurance.
I'm scared!
3:00 was almost four hours ago. I wonder what happened.
 
  • #39
ok, I'm back now. I have a boo-boo on my cornea. They had to paint my eyeball orange and look at it under a UV light to see where I tore it. I have some eyedrops for it, now, and a first class pass to visit a specialist if I want.

It's been one of those non-stop days. Left the doctor at 5:30 then popped back into work, then went to a study group, then dinner with a friend after that. whew! Thanks, everybody, for your concern. oh yeah - no eyepatch, so no arrghh mateys, at work tomorrow. Was almost looking forward to that!
 
  • #40
You could pick yourself up an eyepatch and do it any way!
And takes pics to share too ofcourse.
 
  • #41
Math Is Hard said:
ok, I'm back now. I have a boo-boo on my cornea. They had to paint my eyeball orange and look at it under a UV light to see where I tore it. I have some eyedrops for it, now, and a first class pass to visit a specialist if I want.

Are the eyedrops intended to get the paint out, or to treat the UV burns?

I'm glad that everything is okay. Eye injuries are always a concern.
 
  • #42
Math Is Hard said:
ok, I'm back now. I have a boo-boo on my cornea. They had to paint my eyeball orange and look at it under a UV light to see where I tore it. I have some eyedrops for it, now, and a first class pass to visit a specialist if I want.
Wheeeww! I'm so glad it's not more serious.
 
  • #43
Math Is Hard said:
ok, I'm back now. I have a boo-boo on my cornea. They had to paint my eyeball orange and look at it under a UV light to see where I tore it. I have some eyedrops for it, now, and a first class pass to visit a specialist if I want.
It's been one of those non-stop days. Left the doctor at 5:30 then popped back into work, then went to a study group, then dinner with a friend after that. whew! Thanks, everybody, for your concern. oh yeah - no eyepatch, so no arrghh mateys, at work tomorrow. Was almost looking forward to that!
Glad to here it's not more serious. Kind of disappointed there was no eye patch - it looked so stylish in dduardo's picture. Besides, I've always wanted to tell someone, "You have such ... uh ... a beautiful eye."
 
  • #44
Aaagggh, i didn't read this thread till now, poor MIH i hope you get well soon,
i have made a leather eye patch with MIH formed with gold studs for you
anyway, you can wear it for an avatar pic.
 
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  • #45
ivan said:
Are the eyedrops intended to get the paint out, or to treat the UV burns?
:smile: :smile: :smile:
TSA said:
You could pick yourself up an eyepatch and do it any way!
And takes pics to share too ofcourse.
tempting! It would have to be something fancy.
Zoob said:
Wheeeww! I'm so glad it's not more serious.
It's still not very comfortable, but I feel better now that I saw the doctor. It hurts more when you don't know what's wrong, I think.
BobG said:
Besides, I've always wanted to tell someone, "You have such ... uh ... a beautiful eye."
You have the best pick up lines, BobG!

Wolram, that sounds like such a cool eye-patch. I'm almost willing to poke myself in the eye again to be able to wear it.:wink:

OK, y'all, just for fun I'll be Darryl Hannah from Kill Bill today. :-p :biggrin:
 
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  • #46
MIH, maybe you should wear safety goggles around paper. :wink:

I am pleased to hear you got treatment. Tear in the cornea is serious, but treatable.

I hope it heals quickly.
 
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  • #47
Youch! Hope you feel better, but your avatar looks great!
 
  • #48
Astronuc said:
MIH, maybe you should wear safety googles around paper. :wink:
Tell me about it. And Evo used to say she was the clumsy sister!:biggrin:
Thanks for your good wishes.
fi said:
Youch! Hope you feel better, but your avatar looks great!
Thanks fi. I'm in the mood for a Quentin Tarantino film now. I'll just have to watch the movie like this :wink: so I don't stress my eyeball.
 
  • #49
oh, and p.s. Evo, your story about the cornea-eating critters was very motivational in getting me to find a doctor ASAP. I just wish the nightmares would stop now. :bugeye: :biggrin:
 
  • #50
Math Is Hard said:
oh, and p.s. Evo, your story about the cornea-eating critters was very motivational in getting me to find a doctor ASAP. I just wish the nightmares would stop now. :bugeye: :biggrin:
That's what big sisters are for...telling stories that cause nightmares for life. :smile:
 

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