Eyes

Last night my eyes were absolutely killing me—it felt like someone had literally thrown a handful of glass shards right into them. It got so bad I couldn't even keep them open, so I just crawled into bed. Woke up this morning feeling slightly less stinging, but my eyes were so crusty I could barely pry them open. Plus, my eyelids are super swollen. Honestly, I wouldn't be this freaked out if my little guy hadn't woken me up complaining about his eye, too. When I checked, his left eyelid was swollen as well, though not quite as intense as mine. We've never dealt with anything like this before. I initially thought maybe it was my fault because I'd been sleeping in my mascara for two nights straight and only washing it off in the morning... but now that he's got it too? I'm stumped.
I wouldn't normally stress, but it's New Year's, so there's no way any doctors are working until Monday. Does anyone have a clue what this might be or how we can fix it?
I'm sure staring at my screen all day is a genius move on my part.

I wouldn't dream of playing doctor here; you really need a professional to handle this, especially when a child is involved.

There’s bound to be an on-call pediatrician available somewhere. You might even mention that you're dealing with the exact same symptoms.

On a practical note, some Dexamethasone drops from the pharmacy could help. Just to be safe—if this turns out to be conjunctivitis—swap out all the towels and pillowcases. And honestly? Toss any mascara you've been wearing lately.

Search on Google: stinging eyes
(http://www.google.com/search?sourceid...stinging+eyes

Ugh, I guess I really am getting old if my first instinct isn't to just Google everything immediately. I did some digging online and it looks like I've got conjunctivitis. Thanks, hiddenviper9!
Kenneth Hernandez67, don't worry—the towels are already in the wash, the mascara is in the trash, and I’m tossing the sheets in the machine the second my roommates finally roll out of bed.

My advice? Get that child to an on-call ophthalmologist at your local hospital immediately... Based on your description, it is impossible to distinguish whether this is simple conjunctivitis or keratitis, which is a significantly more serious matter.
It is reckless to start using Dexamethasone drops without first ruling out viral keratitis.

Josh, I’m only going to say this once: get to an ER immediately! If you won't do it for your own sake, do it for the kid's.

Honestly, just go see a doctor. If it's just conjunctivitis, it's usually an easy fix, but if it turns out to be something else, you really want to start treatment right away. With pink eye, it mostly feels itchy, especially in the corners of your eyes... but if it’s more of a stinging sensation... I don't know, maybe just head to urgent care just to be safe.

You definitely need to step up the hygiene at home. Everyone needs to stick strictly to their own towel so this doesn't spread or turn into a game of ping-pong within the house.

As for that eye makeup you've been using lately, you'll probably have to toss it and get something new, especially your mascara.

I mean, I don't know... you definitely need to go see a doctor at some point, but in the meantime, applying chamomile compresses—using the tea, just make sure it isn't scalding—can actually help quite a bit.

The Romans used to settle everything with black onions; back in the day, they believed that when you chop them up, the vapors trigger tears... which opens up the tear ducts and basically flushes everything out naturally...

bipolar2000: I don't know... you should definitely see a doctor either way, but applying chamomile compresses—using tea that isn't too hot—is a good move. 👍

That's solid advice. Chamomile compresses can help in just about any situation, and they aren't going to cause any swelling.

Uh, I'm heading out tomorrow.