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.
As of March 10, 2010, I will no longer answer any questions about Clear Care. People who do not understand how to use it should contact their eye doctor directly for advice.
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 Hello. What are some common causes of vertical monocular diplopia/polyopia that is apparent only when there is bright contrast? I am 18 years old, and have never had any previous eye problems, and I have better than 20/20 vision. This is also accompanied by slight redness/bloodshotness of the eye as well as mild, temporary, reoccurring pain, as well as very large numbers of floaters, and is occurring in both eyes. It was first noticed/triggered when a mild, ph neutral odour eliminating solution was sprayed and rinsed out of the eyes, which caused the eyes to go really red at the time, but they quickly improved in appearance, and the other symptoms started to set in. This occurred about six weeks ago. Also, the symptoms haven’t responded to a three times daily tobradex (0.3% tobramycin/wide spectrum antibiotic and 0.1% dexamethasone/corticosteroid) treatment after a week. The eyes have so far only been examined by a simple flourescein/blue light and slit lamp apparatus (as far as I know). Any help in identifying this unsettling condition is greatly appreciated!
Answer Golly - you have got me! If you came into my office there is a whole bunch of tests I would do to try and figure it out. I would measure the corneal surface to see if there is any corneal distortion from the chemical. This is best done with a corneal topographer, a piece of equipment not every eye doctor has. I would of course dilate the eyes to check the retina, I would measure the intraocular pressure, I would do a refraction. I would probably keep you cyclopeged (a form of dilation where the iris muscle is kept at rest) for a number of days. I would most likely continue the steroid. But most of all, and depending on the results of the other tests, I would have you rest your eyes entirely for a few days (no reading, no driving, no tv - basically sit in a dark room and listen to music all day) and put a lubricant drop (artifical tear - NOT the kind that gets the red out!!) every waking hour for a long, long time. Artificial tears are great soothers that help tremendously with in any kind of eye insult. Eyes generally do really well in healing themselves from insult if you give them a chance. The artificial tears just really help nature do its healing much faster.
I am sorry I could not be of more specific assistance. But your case is unusual. Eyes most often heal from an insult as you describe within a few days.
