Urgent question - any opticians/eye experts about?

[Thehistorygirls]

I am shortsighted and wear either glasses or contact lenses - usually contact lenses if I'm at work all day, like today.

For the last few days my left contact lens has been irritating me a bit but I've been fine in glasses. It was just starting to become really painful today with my contact lens in, so I took it out, and put my glasses on. It's stopped hurting now, but that eye is quite blurry when I'm wearing my glasses.

So basically if I have my contact lenses in I can see fine but my eye hurts, if I take them out, no pain but blurry left eye. This morning when I was wearing glasses I was absolutely fine.

I will obviously see an optician tomorrow - too late now - but any thoughts on this? Do I need to seek more urgent attention? I have no other worrying symptoms like headache, drooping etc.

Any ideas? Many thanks.

Sounds daft but are you making sure your putting it in the right way?

If mine is inside out it feels uncomfortable straight away

Yes, the issue is that I can't see properly out of one eye when I'm not wearing my contact lenses. So I'm now in glasses and vision in my left eye is blurry.

I have no idea as I am not trained but I might ring 111 and ask if there is anything in the area to check you today as eyes as so important.

At least I have bumped it for you!

Do you use daily disposables? Is there any chance you have left a lens in the left eye which has folded up causing a new lens to feel uncomfortable and sight with specs to be blurred?

Is there a spec savers near you? Ours are open until 8pm.

No I use gas permeable so there definitely isn’t one in my eye!

No qualifications but eye problems since birth so I have had my fair share of opthalmologist/opticians appointments, countless of eye drops/ointments plus two eye surgeries. I also wear contact lenses.

Is the eye red? Does it feel dry at all?
I normally get that blurry thing you are describing if my eye gets dry from the contact lens. A couple of times I fell asleep in them and when I woke up my eyes were irritated and even though I removed them they felt uncomfortable and a bit blurry for a while after. I also get that if I wear them all day long. I tend to keep hydrating eye drops for that reason nearby at all times.

It’s a little bit red and a bit sore - though much less sore than when lens is in. Which makes me think the lens is the issue but just odd that I can see perfectly with the lens in and not when it’s out…

I use glass permeable. I had a problem similar to this and it turned out there was a miniscule chip out of the edge and it was rubbing on my eyeball. Got new contact lenses and I was fine.

Ok I had typed more but it all disappeared!

I meant to add that it's worth going to your local pharmacy if you don't feel there is an improvement. The pharmacist might be able to recommend eye drops to help such as hydrating eye drops or if eye is red and they feel it might be a minor infection then they might be able to sell you brolene eye drops which are mild antiseptic eye drops.

But I have also put two lenses in one eye before!

Thanks. Definitely no lenses in there!

I've had lenses and glasses for almost forty years. Had all sorts of issues but yours sounds odd.
Any split or tear or foreign body on the lens? Corneal abrasion? I've had three of those. I'd leave the lenses out and see the optician. Chloramphenicol eye ointment might be worth a go in the meantime. Coats the eyeball better than drops.

You need to get your eye checked by a specialist in case you've got a tear or ulcer on your cornea.

Best thing to do right now is to ring 111

I am not medically trained in anyway but have slight experience with this due to DH's dodgy eyes! You could have a slight scratch on the cornea. Wearing the lense will be preventing oxygen getting to it, stopping the stinging.

Thanks all. I’ve come to A and E at Moorfields as I work nearby.

I would get it looked at asap

Are your glasses normally OK? I find that sometimes my glasses prescription changes a bit but not my lens prescription.

It's nice to see other GP lens wearers - we're a rare breed now.

Oh good OP. Any sudden change of vision is worth investigating.

Hope all is well

It's nice to see other GP lens wearers - we're a rare breed now.
So much cheaper than soft. I buy mine online. Saves me a fortune.

In case anyone is curious or finds this thread later, there’s a scratch on my cornea. Just waiting to get eye drops for it now. Incredibly impressed by Moorfields and speed/level of service.

Glad you got seen OP (and slightly smug that my limited eye experience was spot on)

Glad you got seen at Moorfields ,good move going . Hope it's better soon .

Oh I am very glad you were seen, overnight feels a long time to wait for an eye problem!

Thanks all. It's already a lot better this morning, and the vision much better.