My one week follow up appointment for my second cataract removal was yesterday morning. When I woke up yesterday, my left eye was bothering me a bit. It sort of felt like something between a scratch and having something in my eye. The prescribed eye drops did nothing to alleviate the sensation. As I was heading to the doctor for my appointment, it seemed fortuitous that it began to bug me that morning.
A check of my eyes revealed the eye pressure was 10 in the right eye and 11 in the left, both well within normal ranges. My vision has continued to improve, and in fact I could read the eye chart and the text sheet they handed me better with my left eye than with the right. At home I very rarely have to slip in reading glasses, so that is fantastic.
Dr. Pepose said the left eye looked really good, but in light of my complaint he had the technician run dryness tests on both eyes. As both came back being too dry, he feels that the discomfort in my left eye is due to dryness. It is hard to fathom considering I am putting three drops in each eye three times a day, but there you have it. He suggested that I get an over the counter eye drop called Retaine. He also said that there is an ointment I can use in the eyes each night in case the day drops don't do the trick. Just what I need - more things to put in my eyes!
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| Retaine eye drops |
Stopping at Schnucks, I found that they do not carry Retaine. After looking up the product online to see if I could substitute one of the other 30 brands of eye drops on their shelf, I found that Retaine has a proprietary ingredient that no one else has. Off I went to Walgreens to look for the elusive drops. Even there with the 60 brands of eye drops on the shelf, I had a hard time finding Retaine. After Googling it to see what it looks like, I saw that it comes in a square box with single-serving tubes inside, while I had been looking for a box that would contain a bottle. I finally located the drops, and was dismayed but not all together surprised to find that the price was $26.99 for the 30 drops. Yikes! No wonder a lot of older people don't take care of their eyes - it is so expensive to buy all the different kinds of drops you need! On the plus side since it was the first Tuesday of the month, the clerk asked if I was a senior as I could receive a 20% senior discount. Since their age requirement is 55, I'll take that as a compliment. Here's to senior discounts!
I have used the drops a few times now, in both eyes as directed. The immediate relief in my eyes is great, but about 5 minutes later my left eye feels scratchy again. If the situation doesn't improve in a couple of days, then I'll go pick up some of the ointment to use at night. It seems odd to me that there was no problem until six days post-surgery. Maybe there is just something in the air as the allergens have been high lately. We'll see what happens - bah!
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