Dilation Drops Used For Eye Exam- Are The gluten-free?

[Judyin Philly]

UPDATE- DX IS RETINOPATHY

DILATION DROPS- MYDRIACYO (they really couldn't spell it )

any new ideas--???

I've had my eyes dilated before for this exam but before I was dx'd with celiac disease.

called 2 times to make sure the 'new for me' dr knew about celiac disease and was assured they'd tell her about my concerns. Love the opthalmologist but this was a dr who just did the eye exam for glasses.

Just too tired to list all the insults but these 4 are the ones i really resented.

1. Asked..are the dilation drops gluten free?- "how would i know?"

2. Asked..about dry eyes and had blood test done for sjogren's disease..eyes so dry..what about 'schirmer's test' .."if you had sjogren's disease, you'd be sitting here with a bottle of water and drinking all during the apt...my other patients do.. so you don't have it... " you'd be dried out everywhere..eyes, skin, nose, vaginal area, mouth esp..I said 'dentist said to ck it...tried to tell her other things and she dismissed me and asked more questions brushing me off...

3. Durning the exam, she said, "I've never seen eyes so dry. you need drops in your eyes every 10 min..(did she give me a sample, tell me what drops to use,,of course not) 'Dr says, your tear ducts are totally pulgged up and your not getting any tears at all to lubricate your eyes...I don't need a schirmer's test, your eyes are too dry to even do the test" i can tell by looking...'TELL WHAT--PRAY TELL??? NEVER DID FIND OUT..

4.DR checked the repaired detached retina in the R eye. She didn't like the 'freckle' on the L retina..Want's the L retina ck'd on Friday by retina surgeon IN THEIR OFFICE. I Wanted to see my Opthalmologist THERE and she said no

'he's not an expert on this..." ON WHAT...NEVER DID FIND OUT...

I'M A ASSERTIVE PERSON WITH DR'S AND I JUST GAVE UP AND TOLD RECEPTIONS I'D CALL MY INTERNIST TOMORROW. THEY BOOKED AN APT WITH THEIR DR ON fRIDAY. iF I DIDN'T TAKE THAT ONE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT TILL JUNE TO GET IN.

IF I WAS TO ANSWER A POST LIKE THIS ONE FROM ONE OF YOU.......I'D KNOW WHAT TO SAY...BUT I'M TIRED AND WANT TO GO BACK TO BED. GOT HOME AT 6:00 AND GOT DINNER ON - CLEANED UP AND WENT TO BED FOR 4 HRS. MY EYES' ACHED SO BADLY AND HAD SUCH A HEADACHE...HAD ICE PACKS ON THEM. SLEEPED FROM 8:30- 12:30..UP TO POST AND STILL ACHES BUT NOT DILATED ANYLONGER.

PLAN TO CALL OFFICE TOMORROW AND GET THE NAME OF THE DILATION DROP AND FIND OUT WHEN THE REPORT WILL BE SENT TO MY INTERNIST AND CHIRO..IF IT'S READY I'M GOING TO PICK IT UP.

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE DX WAS THAT SHE WANTED TO RETINA SURGON TO CK.

ANY AND ALL IDEAS WOULD BE SOOOO APPRECIATED...ESP ABOUT THE DROPS. IF I FIND THE NAME OF THEM I'LL POST IT HERE.

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ ALL THIS.

JUDY IN PHILLY

[debbiewil]

Oh Judy,

So sorry to hear what you went through. Drs. can be such A**es. Don't have any help for you, but you've given me one more thing to think about. I haven't had an eye appointment since being gluten-free, but I'm due for one in a couple of months. Hopefully, my doctor will be a little bit more savvy about the drops and more considerate than yours.

Debbie

[lovegrov]

The eye drops are almost certainly gluten-free. And unless the drops are running into your mouth it wouldn't matter anyway.

richard

[mommida]

I have seen a person react from skin contact of gluten. If a person needs to verify a products gluten free status, we should just give the answer. The person will now how they need to avoid the product.

Laura

[jerseyangel]

Judy--Debbie's right, the doctor is an a$$. I can't stand that kind of arrogance. If they don't know the answer to something, why can't they just say so, instead of getting all high and mighty like it's your fault for asking. And saying you can't have something just because you're not sitting there drinking water is the same as telling a Celiac is all in their head because they're not underweight. I wish I could be more help on the drops--Richard says they're ok, so I believe that. I would speak to the doctor you feel comfortable with (the one you said you love) and tell him what happened and that you got sick after the appt, and are still confused about some of the things she told you. I'll be sending you a PM later--just got yours

[Judyin Philly]

Hi Everyone

Thanks for the replys.

Richard--I have a cold or allergies and my nose was running non stopat apt--- if I couldn't get a tissure fast enough some of nasel drip, did get into my mouth. (know this is gross, sorry) but the dr wouldn't let me get a tissue. Of course, after the drops handed me one but then...couldn't use it fast enough for her..sure didn't want to slow down her exam as she had to be at theother office across town and was 'in a hurry' Told her i was sorry i to be taking so much of her time with my questions..she said-

"Well I just keep taking deep breaths"

question, can the drops in eyes go into nasel passage and come down through nasel drip thus, swallowing it?

Deb, thanks for the support..just so tired of getting looked at like a 'freak' or a pain in the a-- becasue i come in with questions-(last 2 pair of glasses in a year out of pocket were over $250 each) and still couldn't see. She said 'this is as good as your vision will get.. Made the mistake of asking her why.."think i already answered that question once"

Patti- thanks for the support. talk to you later. going to call the office now.

Hugs to you all.

Judy

[tiffjake]

Oh judy, so sorry to hear about that crummy appointment! To the best of my pharmacy technician knowledge, eye drops must be gluten free. The reason is this: Eye drops must be isotonic solutions. They have to be the same saline/salt ratio as your blood so that they don't burst blood vesels that they come into contact with (by either drawing water out-too much salt, or letting it in-too little salt). That is why eye drops can be used in the ear, but ear drops can NOT be used in the eye. The eye is a permeable membrane. That being said, gluten is not isotonic (it can not pass through the blood vesels) so it would just lay on top of your eye, if it were in an eyedrop. That does not mean that you didn't have a reaction to something else in the solution. And many people can not handle the vertigo-type effect of dialation. I, for one, must go home and go to bed. I get a terrible headache and feel very ill, from the inability to focus and see clearly. Just a thought, hope it helps, Tiffany

[Judyin Philly]

And many people can not handle the vertigo-type effect of dialation. I, for one, must go home and go to bed. I get a terrible headache and feel very ill, from the inability to focus and see clearly. Just a thought, hope it helps, Tiffany HAD HORRID HEADACHE AND EYES HURT SO BADLY..HAD TO USE ICE FOR 4 HRS.

Ah, and I tried to talk you out of leaving this crappy job see there was a reason you didn't take my advice and split..you stayed on to learn more so you could help me.

ok one piece of the puzzel.

thanks for caring.

judy

[mouse]

Judy,

You will probably read this tomorrow. But, I am now using the RX Restasis for my dry eyes. It has helped my vision and the pain in the eyes is almost totally gone. The pain only comes when I read far too much. If you don't get any satisfactory answers, why don't you ask your primary care doctor to refer you to a neuro opthamologist. At least I got a fantastic eye exam and found what was really wrong with my eyes. No, TG, no neuro problems. But, he took photo's for future reference.

Hope you are getting a good night sleep as I write this and I hope you get a doctor on Friday that is caring.

[tiffjake]

And many people can not handle the vertigo-type effect of dialation. I, for one, must go home and go to bed. I get a terrible headache and feel very ill, from the inability to focus and see clearly. Just a thought, hope it helps, Tiffany HAD HORRID HEADACHE AND EYES HURT SO BADLY..HAD TO USE ICE FOR 4 HRS.

Ah, and I tried to talk you out of leaving this crappy job see there was a reason you didn't take my advice and split..you stayed on to learn more so you could help me.

ok one piece of the puzzel.

thanks for caring.

judy

Hey, just found your post.....I am so sorry about your headache....hm.....I am not a doctor, so I don't want to give you bad advice, but I know some people take anti-inflam.s before even going so they will be able to stay ahead of the pain. It could be caused by many things, including expired eye drops, if the office isn't careful about that stuff!!!

And by the way, I did quit that job....but I am going to nursing school now, so I am feeling better about that choice. I am "moving up" on the medical food chain! LOL. I really hope you are feeling better (especially since it is the 5th of april, and I think your post was from a week ago!) Tiffany

[Lynxear]

You have my sympathies

I had a bad experience with an eye doctor as well....rather it was an assistant who did a test on me.

The stupid assistant thought she had missed my right (the good one) eye with the drops to dilate my eye....so she dosed me again, causing my eye to burn and feel uncomfortable...It was so bad that I went back the next day and had the eye doctor look at the eye....he muttered to himself (almost with relif) that no permanent damage had been done. He gave me artificial tears.

It was 3 weeks until I felt the last discomfort. I was very p!$$ed off. I can tell you!

I doubt though that there is gluten in the drops...antibiotics yes....chloride type chemicals probably.

Take care of those eyes....you only get one set of them

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Judy,

So sorry to hear about your hideous experience. One doesn't expect to end up feeling violated by the medical professionals one goes to for help!

Only helpful thing I can think of (at least, I hope it's helpful) is to drink lots and lots of water--if you're at all dehydrated, your eyes will feel it way before you get thirsty.

Hope you feel much better very soon!

[darlindeb25]

Another snap judgment call--I think the dilation drops are gluten-free, but it does matter Richard---some of us have contact problems with gluten, maybe you don't. At any rate hun--find a new doctor. I work for an optomitrist and you would never get treatment like that here. He is a wonderful doctor and if he can't help you, he sends you to the best in the business. I get glowing reports from all our patients--many of our patients that have insurance that we don't participate with come anyways for the exam. You should of refused treatment with her and walked out. That's terrible, you should report her. I have dry eye too, celiacs is an autoimmune disease and dry eye is caused by allergies, illnesses, and especially autoimmune diseases. I asked! I have not had my eyes dilated since being here, he checks out eyes for free during work hours and I couldn't work with dilated eyes . How far are you from Long Island--we have a family that comes here from Pennsylvania--they won't give him up as their eye doc. Deb

[Judyin Philly]

HI GUYS

DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE STILL POSTING TO ME ON THIS..NOT GETTING ALERTS FROM EMAIL/

APPRECIATE ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND COMMENTS. JUST WROTE AND LONG POST AND LOST IT. SOOOOO GET OFF TO PUT SOME DROPS IN AND LET MY EYES CALM DOWN.

WROTE A POST ABOUT THE FRI RETINAL SPECIALIST APT. SHE WAS WONDERFUL..THE IDIOT DR..HAD EVERYTHING WRONG.. DIDN'T SURPRISE ME IN THE LEAST.

JUDY