 |
 |
With regard to ocular pain in PD patient with history of eyelid surgery, cf [[Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 22:22:34 -0500 From: Ken Becker <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Net Medicine]] most likely cause is corneal surface irregularity and drying, owing to combination of poor tear quality and infrequent blink -- very common in Parkinson's--further complicated by lid abnormalities, either incomplete closure or slightly unsmooth lid margin. A neurologic cause is much less common than a dry-eye syndrome. Check out what medications may be exacerbating dry eyes. Although there is no once-and-for-all cure, this syndrome can be managed to achieve comfort as follows: 1.clean up any blepharitis, i.e. flaky dirty lid margins, by applying daily warm soaks followed by lid scrubs, either commercially available as pads at pharmacy or use solution of baby shampoo and cotton balls 2. Use frequent applications of NON-PRESERVED Artificial tears--every 10-15 minutes may be necessary while engaged in tasks requiring eyes open such as reading or watching t.v. or reading. Tear$ available at pharmacy but must be preservative free. Put in a drop of tears and close eyes forcibly and blink any time the pain becomes sharp. 3. Finally, if there is a recurrent erosion, or incomplete eye closure, it may be helpful to tape the eyelid shut at night. Make sure your ophthalmologist shows you how to do this so the eye doesn't open under the tape. J. Winterkorn, M.D.