I’ve been fighting with my GP for 4 years over an ongoing issue with my eyes. In the last 21 days I have lost 8 days of work – I wake up feeling like there is glass in my eyes…they start to run – pour actually…which involves my sinuses and I end up in bed with a sinus headache that is only cured by dark, sleep and quiet…just like a migraine only not quite…(and just try to find some quiet in this freakin building I tell ya!)
For 4 years I’ve been under the impression (from my GP) that I have Lagophthalmos – and treating my eyes for same with little or no respite. I’ve been putting gel in my eyes and taping my damn eye’s shut at night cos the GP said it was my eyes opening a crack while I sleep that was causing the problem.
Last Wednesday I went to the Dr and told him I wanted a referral to an ophthalmologist…(I actually had one of my world class temper tantrums on him) that it was just too much to deal with…apparently he got the message as I got a referral to a really good ophthalmologist for this morning….that quickly and I know he’s good cos he’s the one that actually did the VOD’s cataract operations.
He says I don’t have Lagophthalmos – what I have is Cogan’s Dystrophy (Map-Dot-Fingerprint Dystrophy). He says that it can be genetic, and that millions of people have it to a degree but never suffer the effects that I have. He says DO NOT TAPE YER EYES SHUT! It apparently causes more trouble than helps.
But the best news is that he says that it’s treatable – first with eye drops for day and gel drops for night…and if that doesn’t work there’s laser surgery that can fix it.
He asked why I’d taken 4 years to come see him and I told him cos it had taken me 4 years to get a referral….In my GP’s defense…apparently over my years of working with him he’s got to the stage where he only reacts when I flip out…so apparently I’ll be flipping out more regularly if I have long term problems in the future. LoL
I just am so pleased that I have an answer…it’s not in my head it’s in my damn eyes!
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