AboutDr. Margaret Placentra Johnston, OD Expertise I can answer almost any question about vision and general eye health care. As a non-surgeon, I may not be able to answer very involved technical questions about surgical procedures or highly specialized medical treatments.
Experience I hold the degree of Doctor of Optometry and was in full-time private practice for twenty-five years. Currently I have reduced my schedule to part-time to allow time to write a book on another topic.
Organizations American Optometric Association, Virginia Optometric Association, Northern Virginia Optometric Society (and others unrelated to this topic)
Education/Credentials O.D. (Doctor of Optometry) Pennsylvania College of Optometry (now called Salus University,) B.S. Pennsylvania College of Optometry, M.A. (Education) Catholic University of America, B.A Catholic University of America.
Question QUESTION: Hello...I can't find an experet in the sinus related field but thought you may be able to help. I have had off and on pressure behind my right eyebrow bone...if I press on it, it is very achey and tight whereas the left is not like this at all. I had an eye exam last year and a CT of the head without enhancement and and EEG, both normal. I have this pressure on the brown bone and forehead above my right eye and around my temple,and is very achey when pressed but I'm aware of the pressure and tightness when not pressing, also. I do have sinus issues and when I was a teenager, I took a blow to the nose on that side, up around the corner of the eye--on the bridge of my nose. I'm 38 now and have had off and on sinus pressure and issues all of my life, but this last year only...I have this weird pressure on the right side of my head, along with the sinus issues and I'm wondering if an eye infection from contacts could cause this weirdness...I tried contacts last spring and summer for the first time ever and then started having woozy spells, head & sinus pressure, etc...I also have cervical spine issues...so maybe that causes some of the head pressure but any comments you may have would be appreciated. I'm tired of guessing and wondering. Thanks so much !
ANSWER: Well, that is quite a situation you have there. I assume the CT and EEG were done BECAUSE of the pressure problem, which started BEFORE those tests were done? If not, I would go back and have them redone.
I don't know what kind of doctors you have seen, but I am thinking ear, nose and throat specialist and/or neurology. Have you seen either type of specialist since the pressure problem started?
What you report is most unlikely to be caused by contact lenses, especially if you are no longer wearing them. Eye infections are fairly acute and the symptoms are usually obvious: red, sore eye, mucous discharge.
I am sorry I don't have a more specific answer for you, but I wish you luck on resolving this problem.
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QUESTION: Hello Dr. Johnston...one more thing I forgot to mention--I have also wondered if certain eye drops can cause these symptoms/problems I described to you ? I don't know if it's coincidence or not...but I was using (daily) some eye drops called ROHTO-V and stopped them and maybe the wooziness stopped for a while and recently I started using them again and I did start having the wooziness and eye pressure again. I stopped using the drops again and haven't had much of the woozy spells since, come to think of it.
Are you aware of something in certain eye drops that can cause blood vessel issues with your eyes or cause all this pressure, etc ??? Thanks !
ANSWER: I must admit, I had never heard of ROHTO-V eye drops until you mentioned them. I quickly googled them and found that their active ingredient is naphazoline, which is a vasoconstrictor. This means it causes the blood vessels it comes in contact with to temporarily shrink.
Vasoconstrictors are commonly used in the over the counter eye drops that "get the red out" and some of the allergy eye drops as well. One of the reasons eye doctors generally do not recommend these products is that when the drug wears off, the person often gets what we call a rebound effect - the blood vessels get fatter than they were to start. This is very good for the companies that make these drops, but not good for the patient who, in a sense, becomes addicted because when they stop using the drop their eyes look so bad.
Now, given that ROHTO-V seems to be an over-the-counter product, it should not be strong enough to cause the problems you mention BUT it is possible. Since in the eye care community such drops are not thought to be helpful anyway, I suggest you stop using the ROHTO-V altogether and see what happens. If that helps, you may have found the solution to your problem on your own!
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QUESTION: Thanks, Dr. Johnston...I had been using the ROHTO-V eye drops off and on for a couple of years...and when my woozy spells began, I was using them and also wearing the new contacts and my new glasses on some days. I understand that my contacts are weaker than my glasses, so the back and forth between the two...especially working at a computer, which definitely made me woozy at times particularly when scrolling quickly up and down a computer screen page. That has gotten much better, as it has been over a year now with my new glasses, and no contacts since last summer.
Could the vasoconstrictors in the eye drops cause high blood pressure, too ? Last summer, my blood pressure got out of control and I contribute that to stress, worry and caffeine, etc...which I stopped and got my BP under control. Before that...my BP only occasionally rose with stress, but didn't stay that way for long. Normally it was perfectly normal at MD visits. I feel like the pressure on my right brow bone and forehead right above that brow...is sinus related...and I can press all over my facial bones and around my TMJs and it is so achey all the time now...just on that side. Maybe the eye drops are making things tight in my eyes and sinuses on that side ??? I will be going to the eye doc very soon and to have a yearly physical. I just thought I'd get a heads up from you first. Thanks for your comments and time. Have a nice day !
Answer Could the vasoconstrictors in the eye drops cause high blood pressure, too ? NO. Not likely - unless you are drinking the stuff.
Maybe the eye drops are making things tight in my eyes and sinuses on that side ??? This is unlikely, unless you are having a very unusual response to this drop.
Again, rather than over-think this, I feel your best bet is just to get off the drops and see what happens. If the symtoms stop, fine. If not, you will at least have ruled out this one possibility.
This has got to be my last answer to you. Good luck.
