Red inflamed Eyes after shower or eye wash

Eye care
1

My husband has been dealing with this same issue for 1.5 years now. He's been to multiple docs, taken allergy shots, and every eyedrop that has been prescribed. All with only temporary relief.

Below is a typical day. This day happens 3-4 times per week:

1) he wakes with no symptoms

2) he works at various construction sites, various environments, inside & outdoors. No issues.

3) he comes home, immediately showers or washes his face.

4) his eyes then "flare" when he gets out of the shower.

"Flare" = whites are now blood red, they are inflamed and swollen, they have a clear fluid that comes out (not tears, not pus), they itch slightly, they hurt, they have light sensitivity.

Sometimes this happens to just one eye, but often it's both.

With eye drops and an hour using a cold compress, they Flare dies down.

After 2 hours, it's usually done for the day.

Can ANYONE please help to give ideas what this could be?

We've changed detergents, soaps, shampoos, we've actually moved houses since this started, he's changed job sites, started full-on allergy shots (7 months in now) and no relief.

He takes a steriod eyedrop + lubricant eyedrop + oral allergy meds, all prescribed.

2

Hi,i have something called mgd,just google it,its where the glands along the rim of the eye dont work right,my eyes dont hurt sfter a shower,but will blur,most people find rlief from heat,some dont. Just an idea,or perhaps if you have a water softner,it may be contaminated? Just some ideas,good luck.

3

It sounds like blepharitis to me......maybe a combination of a severe dust allergy also............especially if he is working on building sites....did he see an Ophtamologist, best person to see.....

4

I think when you have already tried various changes like soap, house, job site etc, now the proper thing would be to see the eye specialist (Opthalmologist)

5

This is a serious suggestion. Can he wear eye proection whilst taking a shower etc. It may be worthwhile getting soap, shampoo etc from a Natural Foods shop online or otherwise .

I would keep any soap away from his face. I realise this is hard because of his job but it is worth a try. Just use water to see if it makkes any difference. Also  avoid hair washing for a few days just to see what happens.

Perhaps invest in a new shower head for they can harbour bacteria and irritants.

 

6

Try avoiding shower water of face for one day and just for that day try bottled water to see if there us something in water supply that is causing the problem.  Good luck.

7

I also thought the same initially but Gandergirl's family have tried to change the environments i.e changing houses, job sites, soaps etc. Anyway your suggestion also need trying.

8

I was thinking the same actually There is lots of info  on the forum under blepharitis on ways of dealing with this problem too.

 

9

I suggested it because I didn't know if she had well water.

10

Thank you all for the wonderful responses.

I've looked into the suggestions, and it prompted us to try another doc. I'll let you know after the appt.

Thanks again!!!

11

This happens to me and my father for as long as i can remember. After i realized i have problems with heat and hot water because the warmth dilates your veins and i have bad circulation, i had always just figured that's where it comes from. When ever the blood has trouble getting high enough to the brain when i'm on my feet long enough i have blood shot and swollen eyes. And when I take a shower with warm water and definitely hot it is at its worse. I always just lay straight for a few minutes after and i'm good to go. In the beginning when i began having really bad bad circulation i asked the doctors about my eyes and told them all my issues and of course the first thing they thought was allergies... something directly irritating the eye instead of some deeper issue. So i suffered with it as if i was loosing my mind for a long time. It's worth looking into but if he's like my father it doesn't effect his life, just red eyes for a few minutes and after his body regulates the blood he's good. But if he's like me, it has effected everything in my life from grocery shopping to keeping a job where i did a lot of standing even my social life, so i just wanted to come on here just to let you know another possibility just in case. Hope all is well.