Painfull Eyeballs

Parent Cafe
1

<p>My son has been working as a lifeguard this summer at a town pool. Works about 4 days a week - 2 full and two half days.</p>

<p>When he got to work yesterday at noon, he texted me that his eyeballs hurt whenever he moved them. They bothered him all day and when he came home he said they still hurt. In spite of that, he went to a friend’s house to hang out but came home on the early side and went to bed early.</p>

<p>He woke me at 5AM to tell me that he’d hardly slept all night with the pain. He also had a fever (101) and a headache. I gave him one ibuprofen tablet and asked him if he could wait until office hours to get in to see the doctor. We waited a little bit and he requested to go to the ER. Woke up DH and we were at the ER by 6:30.</p>

<p>Lungs were clear. Doc said he looked a little dehydrated and set up a saline drip. Took blood and urine and recommended a chest xray to rule out pneumonia (no symptoms of pneu so we advised our son to decline it) and we talked about the possibility that it may be a sinus infection. Doc recommended a CAT scan which we discussed at length for about 15 minutes. Son opted to go with that although my H was beside himself (lots of radiation.) Anyway, that was negative as were the blood tests/samples. Still waiting on lyme and another one - can’t remember. Final recommendation was for him to see an ophthalmologist. </p>

<p>We got home at about 9:30 and son went to bed and slept. Eyes don’t hurt when he is sleeping.</p>

<p>Saw her in the PM and she checked his eyes thoroughly. Nothing. She wanted to consult with a pediatric neurologist re: MRI but he was on vacation so she went ahead and ordered one. Had to get approval from ins co and she called me late afternoon and told me to go ahead to schedule it for tomorrow.</p>

<p>Eyes hurt him all day today and fever returned when ibuprofen wore off. Gave him another when he went to sleep about an hour ago. I’m hoping he gets a good rest tonight.</p>

<p>Hubby thinks it may be some sort of flu virus because of the fever. I am thinking it may be stress/anxiety. Not only is he leaving us and his friends, but he and his girlfriend have been together since 8th grade and I am sure they will miss each other terribly. They are such good friends. I knew this would happen waaaayyyyy back but it is what it is. Who listens to Mom anyway - what does she know??? ;-)</p>

<p>Not that I am asking for a diagnosis here - but we are totally at a loss as to what this could be. Anyone ever heard of anything like this? Any ideas???</p>

2

<p>I am no help, but I do hope there will be a simple explanation. Dehydration can have a bunch of different symptoms.</p>

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<p>This article goes over the basics, including causes for eye pain. </p>

<p>[Eye</a> Pain Causes, Symptoms, Signs, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Risk Factors by eMedicineHealth.com](<a href=“http://www.emedicinehealth.com/eye_pain/article_em.htm]Eye”>http://www.emedicinehealth.com/eye_pain/article_em.htm)</p>

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<p>If it were my kid, I’d want those symptoms to be checked out by an ophthalmologist, just to rule out something more serious.</p>

5

<p>Get him tested for Lyme disease. Any illness with fever in the summer should be checked for Lyme. It has no standard set of symptoms tho some think it has. It is like poison ivy: a man of many disguises. Lyme and its associated codiseases like Erlichiosis and Babesiosis should be checked for. Antibiotics taken early will cure it but it’s better to get it early than to let it drag on.</p>

6

<p>Possibility of herpes infection of the eyes. Herpes is a virus and can produce fever and aches. Are his eyes red? It might not yet have 'developed" enough for the ophthalmologist to be able to see it.</p>

7

<p>Irisitis? But the ophthalmologist should have seen that.</p>

8

<p>my daughter runs “Phantom fevers” about twice a year; her eyes are always very painful due to the fever…never a specific diagnosis; just viral…in fact, whenever her eyes hurt, we watch for the fever to follow…</p>

<p>definitely eliminate other possibilities, but it could be a virus…</p>

9

<p>Hi All,
Thanks for the responses.</p>

<p>He did see an ophthalmologist yesterday and was thoroughly checked. She saw nothing. </p>

<p>Lyme and Ehrlichia smear are pending.</p>

<p>We have an appt with his primary care at noon followed by an MRI.</p>

<p>Hubby suspects a virus as well. Still has eye pain and headache and a on/off fever.</p>

<p>Again, thanks, I appreciate your time. Will keep you posted.</p>

<p>And thank you to the person who PMed me - I will get back to you this afternoon. Have to leave soon for his appts.</p>

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<p>Is the pain outside the eyeball, inside, or both? I have always had a problem with pain on one cornea that was scarred when I was in HS, it is the eyelid rubbing against the corner and sloughing off any cells that grew over (I guess the equivalent of tearing off a scab on your eyeball)</p>

<p>Good luck - hope things turn out OK</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Oops, didn’t see that in your OP when I posted, sorry. It was before I had my coffee :wink:
Hope everything turns out well. Please let us know what happens.</p>

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<p>Shingles - I realize it’s a longshot, but I remembered reading this article about sudden onset eye pain and the diagnosis was the shingles virus.</p>

<p>[Doctor’s</a> ER Ordeal Leads to a Revelation About Health Care - washingtonpost.com](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100502909.html]Doctor’s”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100502909.html)</p>

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<p>Glaucoma - I would also see a specialist re glaucoma - very unusual in a young person - but worth ruling out. The following is a excerpt from a Washington Post article bout a fairly young woman who experienced acute eye pain and loss of vision and it was a special type of glaucoma.</p>

<p>"But her third ER visit was different: Doctors focused on her eyes, not her headache, and discovered that her intraocular pressure, the fluid pressure inside the eye, was dangerously high. They sent her straight to a nearby ophthalmologist, who quickly diagnosed the problem: narrow angle glaucoma, the most severe form of a disease that is uncommon in people younger than 40. In Goodrich’s case, farsightedness and Asian ancestry were risk factors.</p>

<p>Steve Goodrich, up in the air on his way home, knew none of this. “I had no cellphone access. It was absolutely nerve-wracking for me, and I knew how scary this was for her,” he said.</p>

<p>The glaucoma was intermittent, which had made it harder to diagnose. Ophthalmologists believe it had been developing for at least four years, probably before the New Hampshire episode. But every time Goodrich’s optometrist measured her eye pressure it was normal, and doctors did not check it on her first two ER visits. Nor did the neurologist consider it: He treated her for migraines.</p>

<p>Narrow angle, also known as angle closure, glaucoma is considered a medical emergency, according to the Merck Manual, one of the world’s most widely used medical texts. It occurs when the fluid at the front of the eye becomes blocked by part of the iris, which causes an increase in eye pressure as well as severe pain, nausea and halos. The increased pressure can damage the optic nerve and reduce the visual field. Intermittent glaucoma can resolve spontaneously after several hours, usually after people fall asleep in a supine position."</p>

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<p>Turned out the light last night at 1AM and woke up at 5 with the thought of meningitis. So, of course, I had to get up and consult my good friend Google. :wink: </p>

<p>We went to see my son’s primary doc at noon and he did a thorough exam asking lots of questions. He was of the opinion that it was a virus of some sort (because of the intermittant fever.) He ordered a test for West Nile. </p>

<p>He sent us over to the imaging place for the MRI and told us he wanted to consult with a neurologist and to come back after the MRI. MRI took 2 hours!</p>

<p>Back to primary doc - he spoke with neurologist and sent us there for a neurological exam and he (neuro) pretty much ruled out meningitis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Neurologist concurred with primary doc that it’s probably a virus and that it would run its course. Keep an eye on it and should anything change drastically - high fever, really bad headache, stiff neck, joint pains to immediately seek medical attention. He also ordered a few more blood tests.</p>

<p>We discussed a spinal tap but because the headache seemed to be getting better he suggested waiting 24 hours to see what happens. </p>

<p>If it is West Nile, there is not much they can do anyway because it is a virus. </p>

<p>Regarding glaucoma - I don’t rememember her mentioning it but if the eye symptoms continue after a couple of days I will find out more about it.</p>

<p>Re: Shingles. That’s interesting. Doesn’t it manifest itself as blisters on the body as well? </p>

<p>Herpes: Neurologist also mentioned this but didn’t seem to think that is what it is. Again, should things not clear up in a couple of days then we will have to check deeper. </p>

<p>Eyes looked completely normal. Eyeball pain was when he moved his eyes around. That was the only symptom that didn’t respond to ibuprofen. The good news is that he hasn’t complained of the headache for a while and the last dose has long worn off.</p>

<p>Lyme and Ehrlichia smear: negative</p>

<p>It was an extremely long afternoon with son not having anything to eat all day. :frowning: We were finished at about 5PM. I was happy to learn that he doesn’t have a major issue going on. Everyone has been fed and son is downstairs with GF and so far so good. I am keeping my fingers crossed and am getting ready to rub some tiger balm on my poor trapezius muscles which are so tight you can bounce a quarter off them. I am so ready for a good night’s sleep.</p>

<p>Thanks again for your thoughts and good wishes.</p>

15

<p>Not sure how relevant,but does/did he wear sunglasses during his lifeguard shifts? I am under the impression eyes can get sunburned, but I will have to verify. I am guessing it is self-limiting.</p>

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<p>Oh yes! Definitely wears sunglasses and sits under an umbrella. He only has a couple of shifts left - didn’t work today. Due to work Sat and Sun and another day next week and that is it for the summer.</p>

<p>Although he may not be working this weekend depending on how things go. We shall see.</p>

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<p>Eyes can get sunburned and it’s very painful. I don’t think an ophthalmologist would miss that, though. FWIW my dad had shingles that caused ear (and maybe eye) pain, but not the typical rash. He felt really really bad. Best to your son.</p>

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<p>Glad to hear that you followed through with the primary and the neurologist today and that you’ve likely ruled out meningitis and other worrisome things. Hope your son feels much better soon!</p>

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<p>posting good wishes, too. glad the scarier stuff on the list has been ruled out. hopefully it’s just a weird little virus that will resolve itself.</p>

20

<p>Your list of what to watch for sounded like meningitis symptoms to me. Another one is if lights bother him (photosensitivity?).</p>

<p>Hope it passes soon!</p>