SELF MEDICATION AND INDISCRIMINATE USE OF STEROID DROPS COULD BE DANGEROUS AND VISION THREATENING
SELF MEDICATION AND INDISCRIMINATE USE OF STEROID DROPS COULD BE DANGEROUS AND VISION THREATENING An 18-year-old bright student consulted me recently as he found a sudden onset diminition of vision and pain in his eyes. He has been having redness in his eyes on and off since last 10 months and has been using a steroid eyedrop which he purchased over the counter at a pharmacy shop. Due to the COVID-19 -19 Pandemic, he was scared to visit any hospital. The drops used to give him relief like a magic in few days but the redness used to recur after stopping it and the vicious cycle continued When I examined him, his eye pressures were highly elevated and the optic nerve severely affected. Raised intra ocular pressure can cause irreversible damage to the Optic nerve. Now we have stopped his steroid drops and started him on drops to reduce the eye pressures. Redness of eyes is a common symptom which could be due to various causes. It is usually caused due to allergy, eye fatigue, over-w...