Today is one week since my first visit to my opthalmologist and diagnosed with acute iritis in my right eye. The initial visit the doctor prescribed Lotemax gel drops once every waking hour, and 3x per day Cyclogyl drops to dilate. At the time of my first visit my pupil would not dilate, the doctor stated it was stuck to my lens. My eye hurt and were red. My lid was swollen. My vision was extremely cloudy, as if I was looking through wax paper. I saw floaters...it reminded me of little things you see when looking through a microscope. The first couple of days with the drops it seemed to get progressively better, except for first thing in the morning where it would feel like I was starting all over again but get better through the day. I was feeling happy that I was making progress. I went back for another visit 4 days after the initial visit and he said that my inflamation had gone way way down and I was making great progress. I was not seeing the floaters very much and the "film" through which I was seeing seemed thinner, like at any moment I would be able to see normal. He dilated my eyes during that visit. One thing I would like to note is that during the time from the first visit to the second, the Cyclogyl never made my eyes fully dilate. After 2 days they did a little but it didn't look like a totally round circle. So the second visit he said my eye was dilated, and that was great...and it was only "stuck" in about 3 places. He said to continue with the Lotemax drops every hour and the Cyclogyl 3x. That night, I noticed that my pupil was still full dilated. I used the Cyclogyl as prescribed. Over the next 2 days I feel like I have taken two steps backward. My vision feels like it did on maybe day two or three of this ordeal. I have another appointment on Monday, which is 3 days from now. My question is, it it normal to makes strides in healing and then take a couple of steps back....nothing that I have been doing has changed. I have been on top of the drops every hour as he stated. In fact, I was waking up at 5 or 6 am and instilling drops every hour until about 11pm. Perhaps one of the nights I may have gone to bed at 8 or 9, and it gave the inflamation a chance to rebound? If I wake during the night I also give the eye a drop, as the dr. stated to do. He said we really have to hit the eye agressively with the Lotemax. I feel I have been doing that to the best of my ability, but feel so bewildered and disappointed that I have not made any progress in 2 days
. Is this normal? Thank you all for your thoughts and expertise 
Here is my back story on this episode with iritis:
About a month ago I had "tingling" in my right arm and I sometimes felt very tired
A little blister formed on my wrist (just one) which I thought looked like a shingle blister (had mild shingles 20 yrs ago)
I let it go for a couple of days because I had no other issues, and just kept it covered
I woke up that Saturday with my eye very sensitive to light and red
I went to the urgicenter because it was right around the holidays and my primary dr. was away
urgicenter doctor presribed aciclovyr and predisone
I started taking the prescriptions immediately and felt better immediately...the eye pain went away
The day after I was finished with the meds, I woke up with the red eye again, but no vision loss
I went to Sears Optical (I know....) because it was the holidays, and the optometrist prescribed Lotemax 4 drops per day
He said my eyes looked fine and such...
I started doing the 4x per day but was getting better, so maybe on day 2 or 3 I may have only done 2 or 3x per day
I woke up one day with decreased vision, pain, redness, floaters...which brings me to the first day visit with opthalmologist who I am seeing now.
I saw my primary doctor the same day as the opthalmologist. She did not think it was shingles. One important note: I had a tiny tiny blister on the lid of the affected eye...it never produced any "puss" like a shingle bilster. It was just a tiny little hardly noticeable pimple kind of thing. Not sure if is related to this ordeal. My primary doctor took a blood test and a few days later her office called and said that I did not have an active case of shingles but my past history with it showed. It sure felt like shingles (the arm tingly)...the case that I had 20 years ago was mild and did not affect my eyes at all. Just a very small cluster of blisters on my right arm near my wrist. Back then, I was having a stressful time when it happened.
P.S. My primary dr prescribed Valcyclovir just in case it was shingles...I am currently on day 8 of 10.
I am healthy, not overweight. Active. I just turned 50. I do not have any history of any inflamatory type conditions.
One thing to note is I have been very stressed emotionally, and worrying since about September. Do you think stress
could have brought this all out.
I'm sorry if this is long and winded....any help would be appreciated.
