An Optometrist's own story about his eye problem

by Dr Hashim Ali Khan B.SOpt, FAAO

I was in my office , seeing patients. Mmm, its story of five days back. The cold last days of November 2012 (the 1st and last November of the year.

Before I had finished with my patients, rather there were atleast 4 patients with 8 attendants in my waiting room area, I felt my Left eye was very painful. Something was irritating my eye. I rubbed my eye wildly I went to the washroom, washed my eye and came out, but pain and irritation were beyond the limits of my tolerance. I just ran to the room of GP to look at my eye and he indeed looked said “O Doctor, how an eye doctor can have an eye problem? (I wish if we people may never had eye problem. It’s nothing I then again ran to another one person. He everted my lid but the pain of lid eversion was more than that I actually had (I thought by that moment, is lid eversion really that much painful?) I told him I feel like having a lash in my upper fornix. He although said I didn’t see anything sir, but I can make a power wash (was without a LEMON MAX :). He washed; I kept tearing, sneezing and all those painful. The wash actually was unsuccessful as he didn’t use any detergent. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any eye doctor other than me. I self everted my lid and couldn’t see anything inside.
I excused all patients and requested them to come back next day, asked the driver to start my Car, instilled a drop of local aanesthetic and made a call to one of my Favorite Eye Doctor. This was the first time in history my driver took so long to reach the place (atleast I felt). My Eye Doctor (an Optometric colleague of mine) everted my lid again inside my car (lid eversion isn’t really painful or even it doesn’t cause discomfort, believe me). He pulled out that nuisance lash with some mucus which I suppose had arrived there for bad romance with that vagabond lash. I kissed my doctor’s hands went back to home and started to instill antibiotic eye drops qid to cover inflammation of my conjuctiva and to prevent any possible infection.
Next morning, I had some lid edema and forign body sensation. Being an astute clinician I examined my palpebral conjuctiva using a mirror and saw something (Follicles or papillae?) I assumed them to be papillae and considered it an allergic reaction and continued same medication with the addition of antiallergic eye drops b.i.d.Two days passed and my symptoms were on the rise. I saw my doc again he diagnose them papillae and I started taking oral Levocetirizine along with aforementioned drops. Aaaahhhh my bad luck. Nothing worked. Things kept on worsening. The oral levocetirizine, however, made me dizzy and sleepy all those days.
I saw another eye doctor (ophthalmologist) who confirmed the Diagnosis of my original doc. Now three docs (I, optom and an ophth) had the same opinion the Allergic conjuctivitis but we all were wrong.
Two days back I developed periauricular lymphadenopathy and same symptoms and lesions in fellow eye as well. So what actually I had was chlamydial conjuctivitis(my own DX). Those grape bunches inside were large follicles. I missed because I can't see my eye on slit lamp and my optometric colleague examined me all times on any Klatsch. My Ophthalmologist colleague however looked my eyes through Slit lamp (Another Painful experience. I’ll not let do any Dilated Fundus biomicroscopy on myself 😛 )
I’m on Azithromycin (bactizith) 1 gram stat. ill repeat after a week to get back my eye’s prurient look

Dr Khan is a consultative optometrist and specializes in retinal disorders. He speaks frequently to many Optometric groups. Also, he provides consultation to numerous optometrists across the country. He is founding Editor in chief of Pakistan's first peer reviewed optometric journal "Inside Optometry" Optometry in Pakistan