Conjunctival telangiectasia

[boyandhisdog]

New to the Ocular Rosacea section- lucky me I guess. I have had rosacea for quite a few years now and have been fortunate to not have any ocular symptoms. I have a fairly large amount of telangiectasia on my face but the flushing and p&p component I am fortunate to be able to largely keep under control.
However, a month or so ago my wife mentioned to me the corner of my eye was red. Not her fault but of course since I am obsessed with the appearance of my face (as is common to all Rosacea sufferers) I have now become obsessed with my eyes. While I have no other symptoms, my wife is correct. I have significant amounts of veins in my eyes that weren't previously visible. The area under my eyelids is a mess of large vessels but they are slowly but surely growing into the whites of my eyes. It is not consistent with an allergy or irritation but is clearly like the spider veins on the cheeks or nose. No chance of blasting these with a laser of course.
Anyway, sorry for the long post but part of it is to pour my heart out a little, and the other is to ask if anyone out there has anything similar. Misery loves company I guess, but at this rate it will look like I have two meatballs where my eyes used to be.
Thanks.

[Melissa W]

Hi,

What have you been using to treat your eyes?
Do you wear contact lenses?

I would recommend lots of preserv-free rewetting drops all day long, cool compresses, and then depending on your symptoms maybe allergy drops.

It could be due to constant inflammation causing the bvs to dilate and show up as red.

Or it could be neovascularization which means your cornea isn't getting enough oxygen for some reason. If you are a contact lens wearer that would make more sense.

Best wishes,
Melissa

[boyandhisdog]

Melissa,
Good advice and very much appreciated.
Yes, I am a contact lens wearer for going on 20 years now. So, I am sure that isn't helping. I work next to the computer all day and reading blueprints. I have allergies. All bad all the time.
That said, I will definitely follow your advice and try to start being far more kind to my eyes. Hopefully, I can stave off further worsening.
Yours,
Rob

[Melissa W]

Hi Rob,

I would highly recommend getting your eyes checked because what you may have may be neovascularization and then your contact lens wear needs to be changed.

If what you have is neo it means your corneas aren't getting enough oxygen and either your contact lenses have too many deposits or you are wearing them too long each day.

I would see an eye doctor and switch to a more oxygen permeable contact lens and also decrease your wearing time. Definitely get this checked out.

Please keep us posted and best of luck.

Best wishes,
Melissa

PS When you are working on the computer you don't blink as much so debris gets in your eyes and your eyes get more irritated. I recommend every 10 min or so looking away from the computer and refocusing for distance also so your eyes don't get "locked" into focusing up close. It will make a difference in your comfort level. Also, if possible, I would recommend NOT wearing your cl's at the computer since they are more likely to dry out while doing computer work and/or frequent use of those rewetting drops while at the computer. Also, you have to focus harder through contact lenses than glasses so wearing glasses at the computer is a good idea if you can.

PPS Please get your eyes checked because it's hard to diagnose just from a description.