Gransnet forums

Health

Sore eye: again…

(26 Posts)
MayBee70 Mon 27-Mar-23 13:55:23

The skin on my eyelid is very sore and my eye is a bit red. I went to see a pharmacist and was just told to bathe it in warm water. I’m always getting sore skin in various places and it never goes away without applying something eg hydrocortisone cream. What I’ve never understood is that you can buy hydrocortisone cream 1% over the counter but 0.5% is prescription only. And can no longer buy Golden Eye ointment other than via the internet. I know for a fact that it isn’t going to go away by itself. It’s the second time that I’ve seen a pharmacist about an eye problem and both times they didn’t even look at my eye. Unusual for me but I did leave the chemists in a strop. I’ve just put some Derma care on and the redness is better already but I did want to try to get professional advice first.

toscalily Mon 27-Mar-23 15:02:25

One of my sons had frequent eye infections and I was advised by the eye hospital to use this to bathe the eyes : "Dissolve half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda into half a pint of boiled water then allow the solution to cool. Use twice a day"
This is obviously for mild infections/irritation and I have found over many years that it works.

Boz Mon 27-Mar-23 15:10:45

I suffer with itchy sore eyes and use golden eye at night. Too much screen times makes it worse. Try wearing darkened glasses for reading and watching tv. You look daft but it takes the glare away.

MiniMoon Mon 27-Mar-23 16:27:04

I have what appears to be eczema on my eyelids. I've been bathing them in warm water and applying Hydromol ointment twice a day for a couple of weeks now. The itching has subsided ad the skin feels softer but it still looks red.
You should not apply hydrocortisone cream to eyelids as it thins the skin and eyelid skin is the thinnest on your body.

Oldbat1 Mon 27-Mar-23 17:31:17

I had this problem two weeks ago. Spoke to a pharmacist in Boots and they don’t dispense anything and advice is bathe and/or warm flannels placed on eyelids. Gone are the days of buying golden eye ointment in Boots. Blepharitis was mentioned. If it didn’t clear “make a gp appointment “ - if only.

Aldom Mon 27-Mar-23 17:44:54

Pop in to your local optician. They will advise you.

CanadianGran Mon 27-Mar-23 17:54:08

You can also try chamomile teabags as warm compress. Make the tea as you normally would, Squeeze out the teabag, let it cool so that it is warm but not too hot, and use as a compress.

MayBee70 Mon 27-Mar-23 18:04:09

Aldom

Pop in to your local optician. They will advise you.

DH suggested that. Last time I had an eye problem my surgery old me to see a pharmacist who then told me to go to the surgery! I do have some Blephasol but don’t have it with me. But it’s the sort of thing that makes the skin on my eyelid sore. I’ve taken a no drowsy antihistamine as I think it’s a reaction to some eye make up remover I used the other day ( I rarely use eye make up these days). I think I’ve got some lacri lube somewhere. I might try a cold tea bag. What’s making it worse is I took a photo of my eyelid and it’s so droopy and wrinkly sad. It’s so sore. When I worked at the doctors we used to prescribe so many eye creams. I know over use of antibiotics is a problem but I rarely use anything like that: in fact I haven’t taken anti biotics in well over ten years. I think if the pharmacist had actually looked at my eye properly I would have felt less angry.

Floradora9 Mon 27-Mar-23 21:42:09

A friend's DH was an eye specialist and told me to avoid golden eye oinment at all costs. Sorry I do not know why but I followed his advice.

grannyrebel7 Mon 27-Mar-23 21:49:07

I was prescribed Betnovate for mine and it cleared up within days. I've got to moisturise my eyelids with E45 cream day and night to stop a recurrence. So far so good 🤞

Oreo Mon 27-Mar-23 22:43:17

Can’t get Golden Eye anymore?!😡Didn’t know that.
It’s really good stuff, clears my eye probs up in no time.

MayBee70 Mon 27-Mar-23 23:02:30

I’ve found some ancient Golden eye ointment in a small purse in my handbag that I keep paracetamol etc in. I’ve put some on and it’s really soothed it. I’m always careful not to cross contaminate things like that but wouldn’t normally use something that I hadn’t kept in the fridge. It’s actually sore under the lashes as well. grannyrebel7. I’ve got E45 lotion. I wonder if I could use that. I could get some cream tomorrow. And I’ve got some Betnovate as well. I realise that long term use of some things is bad but sometimes a quick blast with something will clear it up. Every now and again I have to put Betnovate on my hands and then I won’t need to use it again for months, even years. But if I don’t use it the soreness won’t go away.

MiniMoon Tue 28-Mar-23 00:01:36

Whatever you do , don't put Betnovate anywhere near your eye. It is a powerful corticosteroid. Steroid ointment of any kind thins the skin, and your eyelids are the thinnest skin on your body.
As I said further up thread, a good non reactive moisturising ointment or cream is all you should use, unless it's infected, then consult a GP.

nanna8 Tue 28-Mar-23 01:18:40

I use clorsig ointment which you can also use in your eyes. Because it has a mild antibiotic you should keep using it for 5 days ,so I am told. You have to get it at the chemist. It clears up the irritation you can get with infected tear drops, round the edge of your eyes. I am not a qualified optometrist but that is what I have been told so I would seek further advice if it were me. You can’t muck around where eyes are concerned !

Hetty58 Tue 28-Mar-23 03:29:23

I'd second seeing an optician. Mine was very helpful (and all free of charge) - confirming my allergy related problems again - as the birch pollen's about. He recommends artificial tears without preservatives to flush them out.

If it's a regular problem, your GP should refer you to the hospital eye department (ophthalmology?) eventually. I'd just be very careful applying anything near eyes - as it will end up in them - so just use a tiny dab of coconut oil myself.

Granmarderby10 Tue 28-Mar-23 03:50:06

I think Golden Eye Ointment (originally) contained mercury!🙀

travelsafar Tue 28-Mar-23 05:49:43

A friend of mine suffers with this kind of thing and swears by baby shampoo. She mixes a small amount with warm water and bathes her eyes with this.

MayBee70 Tue 28-Mar-23 10:27:16

The thing is the skin in my eyelid is dry and slightly cracked and needs moisturising. I put some lacri lube on last night. I took the Golden Eye tube upstairs to use, put it on the bed and then couldn’t find it anywhere!

MayBee70 Tue 28-Mar-23 10:31:21

nanna8

I use clorsig ointment which you can also use in your eyes. Because it has a mild antibiotic you should keep using it for 5 days ,so I am told. You have to get it at the chemist. It clears up the irritation you can get with infected tear drops, round the edge of your eyes. I am not a qualified optometrist but that is what I have been told so I would seek further advice if it were me. You can’t muck around where eyes are concerned !

It’s chloramphenicol which can’t be bought over the counter here. I’ve got some at home but I’m away from home and stupidly didn’t bring it with me. One application would have sorted this out straight away.

Shinamae Tue 28-Mar-23 10:32:32

My dad used to bathe his eyes in a borax solution.
He also used to put peroxide in mine and my brothers ears, I don’t know if that was safe but we used to love it,sit with head tilted over on the table then dad would pour a little in and we would hear it fizzing away. Mind you. I am a bit deaf now…😐

Granmarderby10 Tue 28-Mar-23 14:56:27

Shinamae what!.
Seriously what is it with parents and kids ears
I remember Kirby hair grips being used to clean ears ( I know)
What’s that saying: never put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear🤔well maybe a twisted wet face flannel.

MayBee70 Tue 28-Mar-23 16:47:22

Said on the news that people were shoving all sorts of things down their ears because surgeries no longer syringe out ear wax. Anyways today DH takes my ancient tube of Golden eye ointment to another chemist saying’ my partner needs another one of these as this one is very old and was told ‘we no longer sell it but we can give you chloramphenicol instead’ which is what I needed in the first place! Also got some E45 which I’ll use to prevent it happening again. I think that men are still treated differently to women in many ways. I’ll never leave home without any again! We used to provide such a service at our surgery: it really saddens me.

Iam64 Tue 28-Mar-23 16:50:37

I third seeing your optician. I have a history of inflammatory eye disease, the optician has been fantastic. I have dry eyes had cataracts and recently a horrible sty that refused to go away. The optician has been great -m they ‘know eyes’

MayBee70 Tue 28-Mar-23 19:05:24

I’m going to start using dry eye drops again. I hadn’t needed them for a while. I’m wondering if it’s because I’m at my partners and he has a log burner. Or it might be a collar I’ve recently put on the dog to deter ticks: it contains citronella and lavender and I might have touched it and then rubbed my eyes. The combination of stuff I put on it last night has soothed it a lot. I think I’ll take eye hygiene more seriously in future as well. I even came away without Blephasol. My skin does react to all sorts of things.

Iam64 Tue 28-Mar-23 20:14:53

MayBee, my log burner definitely makes my dry eye worse
Eye hygiene is essential I’ve found but I don’t always do as I should