Corneal abrasion and photosensitivity to meds

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Discussion Overview

This discussion revolves around the experience of a participant who suffered a corneal abrasion while playing volleyball and the subsequent effects of the prescribed medication, Ofloxacin ophthalmic solution, particularly regarding photosensitivity. Participants share personal experiences, advice, and inquire about the duration of medication use, exploring both the physical symptoms and the emotional impact of the injury.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Personal experience

Main Points Raised

  • The initial participant describes symptoms of a corneal abrasion, including redness and photosensitivity after using Ofloxacin.
  • Some participants suggest that the medication may worsen night vision and recommend wearing sunglasses to mitigate discomfort.
  • There is uncertainty about the duration for which the eye drops should be used, with one participant citing the Mayo Clinic's recommendation of six days.
  • One participant expresses frustration that the doctor did not warn about potential photosensitivity from the medication.
  • Another participant notes that the photosensitivity seemed to improve over time, raising questions about whether this was due to the medication or the natural healing process.
  • Humorous exchanges occur regarding the doctor's oversight and playful suggestions about pranks involving medications.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the discomfort caused by photosensitivity and the importance of protective eyewear. However, there is no consensus on the exact duration of medication use or the specific effects of the drops on night vision and overall recovery.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the lack of clear instructions regarding the use of eye drops and the variability in individual healing processes, indicating that personal experiences may differ significantly.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals experiencing similar eye injuries, those interested in the effects of ophthalmic medications, and participants seeking advice on managing symptoms related to corneal abrasions may find this discussion relevant.

mugaliens
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I scratched my cornea Saturday playing vollyball. Woke up Sunday feeling like grit in my eye. It was totally red. Saw the doc, who used flourescent dye, slit lamp, and very thorough examination to diagnose corneal abrasion. He prescribed Ofloxacin opthalmic solution, 0.3%.

A few hours later I'm very photosensitive! I've turned my monitor down to min brightness, but it still hurts to look at the screen without squinting. My pupils are not dialated. In fact, they're like pinpoints, even in dim light.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

"This medicine may cause your eyes to become more sensitive to light than they are normally. Wearing sunglasses and avoiding too much exposure to bright light may help lessen the discomfort."​

Boy, oh boy! Do they ever!

As an interesting aside, I thought it might help my night vision, but nada. It just seems to be affecting my photosensitivity to normal light.
 
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mugaliens said:
I scratched my cornea Saturday playing vollyball. Woke up Sunday feeling like grit in my eye. It was totally red. Saw the doc, who used flourescent dye, slit lamp, and very thorough examination to diagnose corneal abrasion. He prescribed Ofloxacin opthalmic solution, 0.3%.

A few hours later I'm very photosensitive! I've turned my monitor down to min brightness, but it still hurts to look at the screen without squinting. My pupils are not dialated. In fact, they're like pinpoints, even in dim light.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

"This medicine may cause your eyes to become more sensitive to light than they are normally. Wearing sunglasses and avoiding too much exposure to bright light may help lessen the discomfort."​

Boy, oh boy! Do they ever!

As an interesting aside, I thought it might help my night vision, but nada. It just seems to be affecting my photosensitivity to normal light.

How long are you supposed to use the eye drops?
 
mugaliens said:
I scratched my cornea Saturday playing vollyball. Woke up Sunday feeling like grit in my eye. It was totally red. Saw the doc, who used flourescent dye, slit lamp, and very thorough examination to diagnose corneal abrasion. He prescribed Ofloxacin opthalmic solution, 0.3%.

A few hours later I'm very photosensitive! I've turned my monitor down to min brightness, but it still hurts to look at the screen without squinting. My pupils are not dialated. In fact, they're like pinpoints, even in dim light.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

"This medicine may cause your eyes to become more sensitive to light than they are normally. Wearing sunglasses and avoiding too much exposure to bright light may help lessen the discomfort."​

Boy, oh boy! Do they ever!

As an interesting aside, I thought it might help my night vision, but nada. It just seems to be affecting my photosensitivity to normal light.

Damn, did your doc warn you about this, because he really should have, and sent you off with a fun pair of giant brown or yellow sunglasses (you know the ones I'm talking about). I strongly recommend avoiding any situation where you feel that sensitivity... just slap on some of those sunglasses I mentioned, which you can probably get at your local drugstore... and... ah hell... I'm sorry this happened mug. I've scratched my cornea and for such a small thing it can be maddening. I hope it heals rapidly, and you can tackle the photosensitivity. Oh... and um... your night vision may actually be WORSE as a result of these drops... not just unchanged, and when driving be careful when you get a facefull of headlights.
 
nismaratwork said:
Damn, did your doc warn you about this, because he really should have, and sent you off with a fun pair of giant brown or yellow sunglasses (you know the ones I'm talking about). I strongly recommend avoiding any situation where you feel that sensitivity... just slap on some of those sunglasses I mentioned, which you can probably get at your local drugstore... and... ah hell... I'm sorry this happened mug. I've scratched my cornea and for such a small thing it can be maddening. I hope it heals rapidly, and you can tackle the photosensitivity. Oh... and um... your night vision may actually be WORSE as a result of these drops... not just unchanged, and when driving be careful when you get a facefull of headlights.

Good advice, it will take your eyes longer than the normal "7" to reestablish night-vision when you're using these drops.

On the upside, not much in the body heals faster than eyes--So you should be back to normal in no time!
 
berkeman said:
How long are you supposed to use the eye drops?

I'm not sure. The ER doc handed it to me directly. I checked the paperwork, but it's not on there. The Mayo Clinic says six days, so I'll go with that.

nismaratwork said:
Damn, did your doc warn you about this...

Nope.

...because he really should have...

Yep!

I strongly recommend avoiding any situation where you feel that sensitivity... just slap on some of those sunglasses I mentioned, which you can probably get at your local drugstore... and... ah hell... I'm sorry this happened mug. I've scratched my cornea and for such a small thing it can be maddening. I hope it heals rapidly, and you can tackle the photosensitivity.

Thank, nismaratwork - I appreciate your concerns! And yeah, it's maddening, all right, though it's better today than it was yesterday. My monitor's up to 16 on its brightness. :)

Oh... and um... your night vision may actually be WORSE as a result of these drops... not just unchanged, and when driving be careful when you get a facefull of headlights.

I hear you there! Just after I awoke today, I beat feet for some more stuff at Walmart, then troglogyted myself before putting in more drops.

bobze said:
Good advice, it will take your eyes longer than the normal "7" to reestablish night-vision when you're using these drops.

On the upside, not much in the body heals faster than eyes--So you should be back to normal in no time!

My eye does hurt a lot less. The "stuff" I beat feet for this morning was a bottle of saline, which I used to flush both eyes thoroughly. I'm pretty sure I was able to flush the abrasive particle the doc missed yesterday, as it's no longer feeling like I have sand in my eye. I'll skip the gory "flipping one's eyelids like we used to do to scare mom" details, Lol!

Except for that ^^^, of course. :)

Interestingly, I don't seem to be nearly as light-sensitive today as I was yesterday. Many systems in our body adjust to things which upset their balence. I'm wondering if this might be one of them?
 
How's the eye now mate?
 
Studiot said:
How's the eye now mate?

yeah, 'inquiring minds want to know'! :wink: Have you told your doctor where to stick it for not warning you about photosensitivity? Better yet, a little Methylene blue in his coffee... :devil:
 
Studiot said:
How's the eye now mate?

Much better, thanks! The photosensitivity more or less wore off around Wednesday, so I'm not sure if it was due to the medicine or the injury. I can still feel that it's not 100%, but it's at least 85% and getting better daily.

nismaratwork said:
yeah, 'inquiring minds want to know'! :wink: Have you told your doctor where to stick it for not warning you about photosensitivity? Better yet, a little Methylene blue in his coffee... :devil:

Great St. Patty's day trick, though, lol, with my luck he'd be on an SSRI and it'd kill him. (MB is an MAO)

Thanks for asking, guys!
 
Last edited:
mugaliens said:
Much better, thanks! The photosensitivity more or less wore off around Wednesday, so I'm not sure if it was due to the medicine or the injury. I can still feel that it's not 100%, but it's at least 85% and getting better daily.



Great St. Patty's day trick, though, lol, with my luck he'd be on an SSRI and it'd kill him. (MB is an MAO)

Thanks for asking, guys!

Heh... yeah, it was an innocent time for me when I first took chem-class. Hell, my grandfather did the same trick... with PRUSSIAN BLUE! Yeeks!
 
  • #10
A corneal abrasion is bad enough, but at least it's only temporary.
Be glad you do not have a corneal erosion, which feels the same, but for ever.
 
  • #11
nismaratwork said:
Heh... yeah, it was an innocent time for me when I first took chem-class. Hell, my grandfather did the same trick... with PRUSSIAN BLUE! Yeeks!

Yes, but what a lovely color! Not when combined with urine, though...

Studiot said:
A corneal abrasion is bad enough, but at least it's only temporary.
Be glad you do not have a corneal erosion, which feels the same, but for ever.

Oooh! I looked this up, as the doc mentioned a slight (5%) possibility of this. As this has been profuse with "watery tears," I noticed the "management of episodes" entry as especially relevant:

"With the eye generally profusely watering, the type of tears being produced have little adhesive property. Water or saline eye drops tend therefore to be ineffective. Rather a 'better quality' of tear is required with higher 'wetting ability' (ie greater amount of glycoproteins) and so artificial tears (eg viscotears) are applied frequently."​

Further thoughts? Should I jump on this now? Wait and see?

I don't know how long it takes the average eye to heal from moderate corneal abrasion. I've done all the right things (meds, drops, lubricants), and I'm 90% of what I was since the incident occurred 1 week ago, but I can still feel residual affects.

Advice?
 
  • #12
I am not a doctor, however, take comfort from your original statement:

I scratched my cornea Saturday playing vollyball

You can trace your problem to an external event.

Corneal erosions are systemic, which is why they reccur.

Like any trauma, the effects of an abrasion will last longer than the actual repair and will tail off grasually. The tailing off time will obviously depend upon the severity of the initial event.

But it sounds like you got onto it quickly and are recovering well.

God speed.
 
  • #13
mugaliens said:
Yes, but what a lovely color! Not when combined with urine, though...



Oooh! I looked this up, as the doc mentioned a slight (5%) possibility of this. As this has been profuse with "watery tears," I noticed the "management of episodes" entry as especially relevant:

"With the eye generally profusely watering, the type of tears being produced have little adhesive property. Water or saline eye drops tend therefore to be ineffective. Rather a 'better quality' of tear is required with higher 'wetting ability' (ie greater amount of glycoproteins) and so artificial tears (eg viscotears) are applied frequently."​

Further thoughts? Should I jump on this now? Wait and see?

I don't know how long it takes the average eye to heal from moderate corneal abrasion. I've done all the right things (meds, drops, lubricants), and I'm 90% of what I was since the incident occurred 1 week ago, but I can still feel residual affects.

Advice?

Like so many matters of healing, that last 10%, then 5%, then 1% takes progressively more time than the first large portion. I would say that within a few days to a week you'll be within spitting distance of 100%, but you COULD feel some residual effects for up to a month at the outset... nothing that will really bother you however. The bottom line is that you HAVE come this far, which is a very good thing, believe me, and is as close to a guarantee of total recovery within a reasonable time as you can get in life.

That was a doctor's version of what Studiot said... note that the content is essentially identical? *sigh* Really it makes a man thrilled to have bothered with med school. :wink:

Studiot: You have a keen grasp of the healing process of soft-tissue trauma, may I ask how you came by that? It's quite accurate you know...

Oh, and Prussian Blue has the downside of being possibly carcinogenic... so, we don't do THAT prank anymore! Oh grandpa... :blushing:
 
  • #14
Studiot: You have a keen grasp of the healing process of soft-tissue trauma, may I ask how you came by that? It's quite accurate you know...

Personal experience for myself and those close to me, gained over a lifetime.

:wink:
 
  • #15
Studiot said:
Personal experience for myself and those close to me, gained over a lifetime.

:wink:

Ahhh, "the hard way", always a joyous experience.
 
  • #16
I'm 100% back to normal, folks! Saw the doc this morning, and they dye and slit-lamp revealed...

...nothing!

No light sensitivity, either. In fact, I just spent the last four days river rafting on the Gunnison through Escalante and Dominguez canyons! Yucky water, buggy campsites, but great food and company! (with the exception of one... There's always one...)
 
  • #17
mugaliens said:
I'm 100% back to normal, folks! Saw the doc this morning, and they dye and slit-lamp revealed...

...nothing!

No light sensitivity, either. In fact, I just spent the last four days river rafting on the Gunnison through Escalante and Dominguez canyons! Yucky water, buggy campsites, but great food and company! (with the exception of one... There's always one...)

Congrats :smile: Its always a good moral booster to do something fun and active when you get back to healthy!
 
  • #18
Way to go!