John wrote:
Had my eye’s tested three weeks ago, sinse then my eyes are sore, irritated, I am sensitive to light, my vision seems affected? My pupils feel like they are still dialated. Is it possible that the fluid that dialated my pupils could have caused this?

ANSWER

John,

It is not likely that the drops to dilate your pupils are still having an affect.  Having said that, it is possible to have a mild allergic reaction to one of the components of the drops - most often the preservative - but that would usually wear off the next day.  I would suggest that you have your Optometrist check your eyes to see what is happening.  I cannot diagnose it without looking at your eyes through a microscope.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

Omar wrote:
My left eye was badly injured years ago. It was healed and vision was not affected, however i think as a result it suffered vitreous detachment.

My eye has been examined many times and i was told always it’s in good health. However i often have burning sensation in eye, it also gets red easily and the whiteness isn’t as clear as the other.

What could i do about the irritation and redness? Can some specific eye drops really help?

ANSWER

Omar,
From your symptoms it seems that you may be suffering from dry eyes.  Of course it is good to have them examined by an Optometrist to ensure that this is the cause of your symptoms.  If you are diagnosed with dry eyes the treatment is artificial tears.  These generally need to be used at least three to four times per day.  Your optometrist can recommend a good brand for you to use.  Usually dry eyes occur in both eyes, but because of your history of having an eye injury only one eye may be affected.

Dr. Doman

John wrote:
I have one sore eye, right eye, feels heavy all the time and pressure, I do spend many hours on my PC, could that be a problem? My eye sight is fine after my last check not too long ago, are there special computer glasses available?
thank you

ANSWER

Dear John
Spending a lot of time on a PC can cause symptoms of what is referred to as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Symptoms of CVS may include headaches, focusing difficulties, burning eyes, tired eyes, general eyestrain, aching eyes, dry eyes, double vision, blurred vision, and light sensitivity. These symptoms normally affect both eyes, however, at times symptoms may be more noticeable in one eye.
Computer glasses are prescription glasses that are specially designed to give you optimal vision when working on a computer. The lenses usually have an anti-reflective coating and, depending on the type of monitor you are using, they may also be slightly tinted.
In any case, it is not normal to have one eye that has a chronic feeling of heaviness and pressure. Even though you may have had a recent eye examination, based on your current symptoms, I think you should see your optometrist again to have your eyes reassessed. There may be underlying causes other than your computer time that are contributing to your symptoms.
Best of luck.

Dr. Smit

Ken wrote:
I’ve been experiencing some sort of eye pain towards the back of both my eyes for about a year now. It tends to persist for most of the day, but really shows itself when I first wake up. Activities like reading or using the computer exasperates the pain.

My GP prescribed me with eye drops and artificial tear, which didn’t work.

I’m current a grade 12 student and it really irritates me to not be able to study. I even tried changing my glasses but nothing seems to work.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

ANSWER

Dear Ken

Eye pain can appear from several causes. The type of symptoms that you have and the fact that is worst in the morning makes me to think about vascular problems instead of eye problems. The best way to find out would be to investigate it through imaging (scan, etc). You should ask your GP to refer you to an internist or a neuro-ophthalmologist to find out. In the meantime, ask your optometrist to document your eye pressure, a complete visual field assessment and to perform a dilated fundus exam to rule out any pathology that may cause this.

Thanks for your interest.

Dr. Langis Michaud, OD, MSc, FAAO
Associate Professor
Université de Montréal, School of Optometry

Tony wrote:
I have been experiencing a number of symptoms recently, that I never had before in my life.

All of a sudden about 2 weeks ago, a strange kind of headache came on that I never had before, this went away the following day and since then I have developed eye pain and burning sensation which is always there. The eyes sometimes water, other times it feels dry. The headaches then returned about 9 days ago and it is causing me major concerns. I am usually a very alert and high mental energy person, but I am now not able to concentrate or follow the same kind of high intensity work I normally do. In fact given the chance I would rather just rest which is totally against my character.

I have had an eye test and my vision is fine, although my far vision is superior to my near vision.

I am in my mid 40s and work in front of PC for the best part of a working day.

Whilst I can tolerate the eye dryness and burning, the eye pain and headaches are quite debilitating.

I have seen my GP and he has referred me to a neurologist, but with the UK ’s NHS system, that appointment could be some time away.

Any idea what this could be and what I need to do to help myself.

ANSWER

Hello Tony,
I am sorry that you are suffering with these debilitating symptoms.  The burning and tearing sound like symptoms of dry eye.  You may be able to find some relief from those particular symptoms with an artificial tear used as needed.  As for the more major concern of the headaches and altered moods, I certainly agree with your GP about the need for a neurology consultation.  I really wouldn’t be able to hazard a guess as to the cause of the problem without examining your eyes.  The headaches may turn out to be not eye-related at all!  I would advise you, however, that if your headaches are increasing in frequency, duration, or severity, that you seek emergent care from your family doctor or a hospital.

I hope you are feeling better soon,
Dr. Donati

Bakhtiar wrote:

I’m 24. I work in front of computer about 14h on a regular basis. I have been wearing glasses for a year (-1 cylindrical left and -.25 right). I also have persistent burning sensation since 2yrs ago on both eyes (larger on left) but quite negligible. The eye drops fail to reduce the burning sensation though (I think it’s not irritation). It also present when I wake up from sleep.

While in reduced light intensity I’m barely unable to see object as big as nail at slightly over my focus point (vanished like blind spot condition). In darker situation (night under moonlight) the blind spot become as large as a rice cooker at focus point even after 30m adaptation. In complete darkness it even larger to cover my whole focus point. To see an object clearly, I must move my focus (as size of blind spot) to nearby object.

What is name of this condition? It’s very disturbing when I go out night.

Thanks for the explanation.

ANSWER

Hi Bakhtiar,
It seems that you are talking about two different things.  The burning sensation that you are experiencing is likely from dry eyes. You should visit an optometrist for a diagnosis, as it could be something more serious.  The treatment for dry eyes is artificial tears. These need to be put in three to four times per day to achieve significant relief.

What you are saying about your blind spot sounds normal.  Everyone has a blind spot in each eye.   The area of the retina where the optic nerve is located does not have any photoreceptors and as a result cannot see anything in that area.  This is referred to as the blind spot.  The optic nerve itself is approximately 1.5 millimetres in size.  The size of the blind spot increases as the distance between you and the object increases.  So the further away that you are looking, the larger the size of the object that will disappear.  If you move your head slightly the object that had disappeared will reappear.

Dr. Doman

Tom wrote:
Hi! my name is Tom and I’m 22 years old. I got a myopia prescription (-9 dioptres, very bad) and distance glasses last week (1st time in 10 years).

When I use that glasses for close reading, I experience some unexplainable tension and pain in the eyes. When I take the glasses off, everything seems even blurrier (as if my vision deteriorates). I tried another glasses of similar prescription and the same phenomenon occurs.

What is the cause of it? Should I stop wearing the glasses altogether?

I also experience pain seeing light (any form of light) with or without glasses, but my eyes feel very comfortable in darkness? What are the possible causes of that? How can I avoid that pain during the day? Thank you.

ANSWER

Hello Tom,
If this is the first time in 10 years that you have changed your glasses, then the cause of the tension may be just getting used to the new prescription.  If the symptoms have not resolved after 1-2 weeks of wearing the new glasses steadily, than I would recommend returning to your optometrist to check that the new prescription is correct.  If your prescription is -9.00, please do not stop wearing glasses.
As far as the eye pain goes, there are many causes of eye pain (none that I can diagnose without examining your eyes).  I don’t believe that the cause of the light-sensitivity is due to the glasses, but highly suggest visiting an optometrist to have your eye health checked.  This is separate from a prescription check and is definitely warranted in your case.

Hope this helps,
Dr. Donati

Ryan wrote:
Hi,

I have tried for years to wear toric soft contact lenses.  Each and every time I am fitted, I wear the trials for a week and they are great.  I order them and, without fail, about a week into wearing them full-time my right eye becomes more and more sensitive to the point where I have to remove the lens.  Left eye has always been great.

First the lower eyelid becomes sore, then the upper eyelid and eventually the entire eye.  It’s not a sharp, searing pain but more a dull annoyance.  It’s a residual feeling for about a week after I remove it.

Am I lost hope for contacts?  I got a LASIK consultation but apparently my astigmatism of off-centered so the docs wouldn’t touch me.

Thanks in advance,
Ryan

ANSWER

Without examining your eye directly this is difficult to answer.  However, I would suggest that your Optometrist try a rigid lens - a Gas Permeable one.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

Milen wrote:
I am 30 years old and I have been wearing glasses for about 15 years.
Recently I broke my old spectacles and bought a pair of new ones - almost identical frame as the previous one (thin titanium) just a smaller lenses.
It’s been two weeks with the new glasses and I experience pain in both my eyes as if I got a constant muscle strain. The prescription is exactly the same as the old ones. I have been going back to the optometrist two times - the first time she changed the alignment/fitting of the frame which seemed to help a bit but I still got the hurt in the eyes. The second time she adjusted them again thus making it worse! We tested the eyes and the lenses thoroughly but they are perfectly OK (same numbers). The optometrist is completely out of clue! What could be the reason for the pain and is it possible to damage my eyes in the long run?

ANSWER

Milen,
The fact that a change in the fitting of the frame can increase or decrease your symptoms is indicative of optical distortions caused by your new glasses. One of the causes of such a problem could be a change in the curvature of the anterior surface of the glasses (called base curve of the lens). Even if the numbers of the prescription are the same, a curve that is (often-times) flatter than the older one will create optical distortion than can induce your symptoms. The change of a base curve is made when it is determined by the manufacturing lab, considering the shape, the size and the profile of your frame, that the older one is not appropriate. Keeping the old one will lead to producing lenses that will be too thick or will be difficult to cut and edge to fit in the frame). Another possibility is that one of the lens was cut and edged too tight (or large) for the frame. Once inserted, a too tight lens will be compressed and optical distortions can occur from this.

During the manufacturing process, some waves can also be induced. If they do not affect the center of the lenses, they cannot be detected by the reading of their power.
There are no long term effects of these problems. This is discomfort coming from optical distortions. Once the glasses are removed, the eyes remain in perfect shape. If you continue to wear defective glasses, however, discomfort will continue and may cause headaches and malaise but it’s nothing irreversible.

Many thanks for this interesting question,
Langis Michaud
Associate professor – U de Montréal

April wrote:

I have had a pain in my eye for 5 days. Just in the right eye when I move it up/down/left or right. Is this just a migraine in the eye?

ANSWER

Migraines do not happen in the eye.  It is important to have symptoms such as this checked by your eye doctor right away.  Most Doctors will see you within a day or two when you have symptoms such as this.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO