I don't need A&E - right?

[Tillow4ever]

So...

I woke up this morning with the same banging headache I've had for a few days now. Worst one ever, painkillers barely touch it, etc. But my left (the side is important) eye is also agony.

Throughout the day my eye has been weeping, loots a little red, feels like there is pressure on it, and isn't opening properly. It is a little more sore in the light.

Ordinarily I'd just treat with a bit of Optrex, painkillers and hope for the best. HOWEVER;

Last summer I got a really bad dental infection, on the left side, that spread up my face towards the eye. The dentist gave me strict instructions if it got to my eye I was to immediately go to A&E. She told me this 4 times in the appointment. The antibiotics at the time helped. But I could still feel the infection and there was still swelling. The dentist believed the infection was still there after 4 lots of antibiotics but under control.

Does this sound like the infection may have now reached my eye, in which case I should go to A&E?

I don't want to waste their (or frankly my own) time for an hours round trip plus time there. But if I leave it and it gets worse I might regret it.

Any suggestions for self treatment appreciated!

If in England I’d go via this route rather than waiting an age in A&E

https://primaryeyecare.co.uk/services/community-urgent-eyecare-service/

I'd have looked to be seen for just the headache to be honest. Yes there is a chance that it's the infection, I'm not in England so I don't know options but is there an urgent care or similar you could get to.

I came here to say this - a lot of care is delivered via trained opticians who will refer you on if there think there is a need. Either that or your local Urgent Care as opposed to A&E.

It's either an eye infection or sinusitis. If there is an eye hospital you could try their A&E as it's less busy than regular one. But if it's sinusitis you can't do much other than rinse it out with saline and hope it goes away. Do you have a foul odour inside your nose, when you blow, or bend down? If so it must be sinusitis I'd say. It's horrible, I've had it since just after Xmas.

No you do need to be seen. An out of control infection is dangerous.

I'd go to the opticians right now if you have one locally and ask them to take a look- ours can send you direct to the eye unit. Otherwise I would go to A&E or minor injuries (our GP does eyes and I would go to them first but I know not all of them can do in depth examinations) as my tolerance for risk with eyes is low. Dh has previously had peri orbital cellulitis and that really was a race against time to get treated, and was very much dealt with as an emergency

Severe eye pain and light sensitivity can also be due to a corneal abscess/ulcer, which is sight threatening and needs antibiotics. You do need to get it checked - the urgent eye care service sounds like the best option.

The trouble is, A&E won’t touch anything dental, so what do you do in the middle of the night! Correction - senior moment - just seen it’s about eyes, not teeth!
However, my daughter had a front tooth knocked out of position in a fall, and for it to survive it has to be treated within 24 hours. She fell on a Saturday- try getting dental help then! Miraculously 111 found her a dentist which was open til 8 at night! Otherwise she might have lost her tooth.

Yeah, do what the dentist said. My sister recently had this and needed to have the abscess drained and IV antibiotics overnight.

I went to a&e yesterday to accompany a friend who'd been assaulted. We got there at 3pm and left at 10.40pm. I'd avoid a&e if I could help it and try to go to one of the alternatives suggested. The waiting room was so crowded it was standing room only. I don't know how the staff coped.

My friend had a head injury so we were seen relatively quickly compared to others, but I know when we left there were people who were there when we arrived and were still waiting. One of these was a woman with an eye infection, I had been sat next to her chatting earlier in the evening. She'd had it for a couple of days so I don't know why on earth she hadn't gone to her GP or to one of the walk in centres dotted around the city.

Have you heard about cluster headaches?

I suffer these and get the pain in eyeball that's excruciating and it's one sided. Also droopy eyeball.

You need to see a Gp as they are extremely hard to treat (as in not really treatable) but you need to see a neuro to rule other stuff out and they can prescribe different meds a GP can't.

Thank you!

I suffer with bad headaches regularly, so that alone wasn't a red flag for me.

No sort of odour, no. I have had a bunged up nose all day so I can definitely see sinuses as being a possible cause. Hope yours is better soon.

I was reading about them and on the fence as to whether or not this fit the symptoms. It doesn't help that I suffer with headaches regularly anyway.

I'm going to take a look at the link shared above about the eye care route. Thank you all!

@Tillow4ever thank you, same to you! X

Your dentist told you to go to a&e 4 times but you’re asking mumsnet instead!!!

8 months ago. Did you miss that part? I don’t know if the infection is still here and it’s that causing this - so I don’t want to waste their time if it’s just conjunctivitis or something.

I did miss the 8 months ago.
you do sound like you’re in a lot of pain and I would be concerned.

You could try an optician but you will likely get referred on to A&E anyway for the headache or if sinus / dental stuff is suspected. I work in A&E and we see quite a few optician referrals.
tbh I’d go to A&E first. It sounds like you need to be assessed reallly
Hope you get sorted quickly!

Thank you, I didn’t mean to snap at you. Like you correctly observed, I’m in quite a bit of pain.

I’m looking at options - I don’t want to waste any nhs time or resources, but at the same time I can remember how worried the dentist was and that it was still niiggling around me in December.

I don’t think it is a waste of resources. Getting so drunk that you have to collected by ambulance. Not attending appointments that have been booked for you. Smoking even though we have known for 30years that it is terrible for us. These are ways to waste NHS resources. Attending A&E when you have a sudden and deep headache and pain focused on your eye isn’t a waste of resources.
It might be catching something before it takes a devastating turn. Or it could be something that passes. But you and I don’t know.

Call 0300 303 4922 -the community eye care service. The will refer you if they think it's necessary.

Saving this number in my phone now - going to give them a call!

You need to go to an eye care A&E. You are never wasting resources when eyes are involved. You don't know what it is and you need urgent eye care. You mustn't wait any longer. www.nhs.uk/service-search/other-health-services/eye-accident-and-emergency-services/