Eye Update

Mike Bartolatz · Post by **Mike Bartolatz** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:33 pm

Why don't you ask Dr Foster this question. it sounds like even he would consider your eyes 'quiet' with less than 1. but, I'm not a doctor. it would be difficult for anyone on the internet however to quantify your inflammation since they cannot examin you and give a proper opinion based on findings. hopefully the celebrex will keep your eyes quiet and that eventually you can ween off the corticosteroid eyedrop. perhaps a drop a couple of days interval and then slowly reduce that to one a week would do the trick as this is what some have to do to prevent further flare up of uveitis,

just my thoughts,
Mike

kat341 · Post by **kat341** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:09 pm

Hi Sheila,

I think Mike has a very good suggestion in asking Dr F this question. It would be great to meet here in Boston, just keep me posted as to when You might come and if You do You ABSOLUTLLY have to see Dr F.
Love that song but my favorite is Dirty Water by the Standells.
I'm not sure how to link this song for You .

Talk to You soon Kathy

CarolTip · Post by **CarolTip** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:45 pm

Thanks everybody. Your imput helps immensely. I would like to try my GP first and try NSAID therepy. Do you have a link so I can print up a guidline for him to follow? I'm now down to one drop a day of Pred and two times a day with the Cosopt. At this dose I have pain in the bum eye and blurred vision and lots of floaters. My last Opth. visit was 3/30/07 and he counted only one cell and said there is no inflamation. I'm getting checked again tomorrow because of the pain. Does insurance ever cover travel expenses?

Mike Bartolatz · Post by **Mike Bartolatz** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:13 pm

no I don't think that insurance will pay for travel to a specialist but that depends on your plan. you would have to prove that it was medically needed and they always have ways around that. it is even difficult within the Veteran's administration but they will pay some of the costs of travel if you are under their care for disability.

sounds like you may have renewed inflammation with the symptoms that you describe Carol. do you have ciliary body involvement to explain the increase in floaters?
usually Celebrex is given by Dr Foster or Dolobid but I can't recall offhand how much.
I think he has commented on this in questions at his ASK DR FOSTER forum at http://www.uveitis.org you would have to read through posts to get how much a day is prescribed.

Wish you the best,
Mike

CarolTip · Post by **CarolTip** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:09 pm

I don't know. I guess I have a new homework assignment- cilliary body involvement. My opth just says the retina is ok and not to worry unless I see a veil. I have so many floaters in my R eye it is like looking through a snow globe all time.

Mike Bartolatz · Post by **Mike Bartolatz** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 9:35 am

iridocyclitis is where the iris and the ciliary body are inflammed. cells from the inflammation can spill over ffrom this into the vitreous. the floaters are often larger than the dust like particles seen with anterior uveitis. some consider it to be a form of intermediate uveitis. others call it anterior. systemic treatment is often needed to quell the inflammation. or, injection of corticosteroid to tissue surrounding the eye is used to stop it quickly. even the Predforte cannot penetrate to the vitreous unless you have had cataract surgery.

Wish you the best,
Mike

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:17 am

Hi Carol -- I may be wrong, but I THINK your floaters could be dead cells, which I might have had, except all the cells are glued to my lens. Something to that effect was explained to me. And that my pain could be the cillary spasm, and maybe the chronic low inflammation. The NSAIDs seems to be keeping my eye from a blow-up (active flare), but the inflammation may be permanent. Same goes for the blurriness.

I think I told you before, the Celebrex doesn't stop me from feeling shooting pains in my eye sometimes. I also have a bunch of side effects they say you should quit using if you have (shortness of breath, tight chest, dizziness, nausea, and a few others I won't mention

). But for now, I'd rather risk a heart attack than have my eye flare, if it's keeping it at bay.

Hope you can afford to get checked out by Dr. Vitale. However, maybe if you try the NSAIDs, you won't need to. I don't know what one does about the floating cells ... if they just settle down?

In fact, I don't know much of anything and I'm not a doctor, so I shouldn't be blabbing. Mainly, just want to say I'm thinking of you, and it SEEMS we have a similar scenario, except that your dead cells float while mine got glued.

But I may be wrong.

Sheila

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:18 am

Oh, by the way, Kathy -- I watched the Dirty Water by the Standells ... yes, that brought back memories too! And guys were SO CUTE back then! In a goofy way ...