Viral eye infection

[Sharon]

I went to the eye doctor since my eyes became worse than ever: severe burning, throbbing sensation and most extreme redness yet!
He diagnosed me with Adenovirus and told me: "There's no treatment for it, just wait it out."
Well, it's been weeks now and the viral symptoms are not improving. I also have a low fever and other symptoms.
Any suggestions what may help?
My eyes have become so painful!   

[Maria3667]

Hi Sharon,

I Googled Adenovirus and it says it should only last a few weeks. So do you think you've had it longer?

The redness and burning of my eyes decreased significantly after I started rubbing eyelids with diluted tea tree oil (1 drop in at least 40 drops of water) minimum 2x daily. Maybe this will help you too? Tea tree oil is antibacterial.

For me the redness & burning was caused by blepharitis - which the 1st opthalmologist missed for some reason.

Good luck!

[Sharon]

Thanks Maria, I have indeed had this for a few weeks now.
It seems to be getting somewhat better the past few days so hopefully it may be on its way out.
I ended up using a steroidal eye ointment for a short while just to be able to function since it got so bad.
Thanks for the suggestions, I have tried tea tree oil in the past and wow it burned!
My "usual" burning and redness and even the eyelid swelling have been diagnosed as allergic reactions due to not having any tears to flush allergens from my eyes.
Zaditen eyedrops (individual preservative-free kind) have been helpful with this more than anything else so far since they are also treat mast cell reactions.

[vrystaat]

If you have a viral infection, it is a "no-no" to use steroid eye drops. You could exacerbate he problem.
Sjögren's Syndrome gives multiple problems with the eyes including scleritis, uveitis, acute & chronic blepharitis, and corneal ulcers.
Frequently our eyes are sore and irritated by the dryness only. Flare-ups of the Sjögren's frequently are accompanied by
sore, red & teary eyes. All this should pass, but a return ophthalmology visit is recommended. Prednisolone Eyedrops AC 1% (Sandoz) are only used
if there is a flare-up. I use Ketorolac drops if I get sore eyes that don't go away (it's expensive). They are anti-inflammatory.

[Maria3667]

Hi Sharon,

Good to hear the severeness is dissipating.

Yes tea tree oil can burn, that's why I dilute it much more than recommended. Most say 1 drop in 20 drops of water. I prefer 1/50, it's still effective.

To produce more eye moisture, I still find progesterone rubs on eyelids are doing an excellent job. My eyes haven't been this good is years!

I'm not sure what 'reats' are? Do you mean reactions? Good luck with the Zaditen drops.

[Sharon]

Vrystaat- it's definitely a viral infection this time (fever and all) though true that SS can cause many copycat symptoms.
The steorid ointment (Maxitrol) was prescribed for symptomatic relief because the burning was so severe it was preventing me from sleeping and functioning. Unfortunately, now that I stopped using the ointment the virus flared up again in one eye (the eye it originally began with). The doctor had also feared the steroid ointment might exacerbate it but it actually helped keep the symptoms bearable. I have never been prescribed the Ketorolac eye drops you mentioned, but will definitely ask my doctor about them! Thanks!

Maria- It was a typo (fixed it in prior post). I had to stop the progesterone treatment because of the virus, but was in any case having issues with the cream: I was using the "Emerita Progest" which is supposed to be fragrance-free, but mine does contain a strange smell which had begun irritating my eyes. Could you suggest another brand?