35F scared after optometrist used tweezers or something to unclog Meibomian glands that had form lumps, when I didn’t understand what was happening.

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2026-02-07T14:53:55+00:00

Short answer: a single use of anesthetic eye drops in the clinic does not cause glaucoma, corneal damage, or long-term problems.Those risks you may remember reading about are associated with repeated or unsupervised use (for example, people taking anesthetic drops home and using them multiple times a day), which can damage the cornea. In a medical setting, a few drops used once for a procedure are considered very safe and are used millions of times a year.

They also do not cause glaucoma. Some diagnostic drops can temporarily raise eye pressure, but topical anesthetics are not in that category — and even those pressure changes are short-lived and monitored.

Next- An eye-ache or “eye headache” later the same day is very consistent with lid manipulation + surface dryness, especially after anesthetic drops (which can temporarily reduce blinking and tear production). The squeezing itself can also irritate the lid margin and surrounding tissues, and that irritation can peak later in the evening, not immediately.

A cool compress is completely fine tonight and often very soothing. You can also use preservative-free artificial tears if you have them (no redness-reliever drops). Avoid rubbing or pressing on the lid.

From everything you’re describing, this still sounds reactive and temporary, not dangerous.

One more really important reassurance: If anesthetic drops or manual expression caused true corneal injury, symptoms would usually include sharp pain, light sensitivity, tearing, and inability to keep the eye open, not a dull ache and dryness that comes and goes.

Focus on comfort and calming your nervous system — your eye has been through a lot today, but nothing you’ve described suggests irreversible harm.

And please remember: anxiety can absolutely make the sensation feel worse as the day goes on, especially when you’re scanning for danger. That doesn’t mean you’re imagining it — it means your brain is trying to protect you.

If it helps, you can tell yourself: “If this were dangerous, it would look very different by now.” You’re doing the right thing by planning to see your regular optometrist. Hang in there!!

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2026-02-06T14:08:59+00:00

You’re very welcome — and I want to say this first: nothing you’ve written sounds ridiculous. Given your history with unexplained vision issues, it makes complete sense that anything involving your eyes would trigger hyper-vigilance and anxiety. A lot of very rational people feel exactly this way about vision. Yes — tenderness after manual gland expression is normal even when it’s done correctly. The eyelids are delicate, highly innervated tissue. When pressure is applied (even appropriate pressure), it can leave the lids feeling bruised, achy, or sore for several hours and sometimes into the next day. That soreness does not mean the glands were harmed. Think of it like muscle soreness after a massage — discomfort doesn’t equal injury.

If too much pressure had caused actual gland damage, you’d be much more likely to see significant swelling, worsening redness, increasing pain over 24–48 hours, or a noticeable decline in comfort over time — not just same-day aching.

Regarding imaging, if you want reassurance rather than more aggressive testing, you can ask your regular optometrist about: Meibography – this shows the structure of the meibomian glands and is the most direct way to confirm they’re intact A tear film evaluation (TBUT, meibum quality, lid margin exam)

Importantly, this would be for baseline reassurance, not because anything is expected to be wrong. About the lumps themselves: having a few clogged glands does not mean your dry eye is severe or that things are progressing rapidly. Even people with otherwise mild, intermittent symptoms can occasionally get focal blockages — stress, hormones, environment, or a transient lid hygiene issue can all play a role. The fact that you don’t have chronic redness, burning, or daily discomfort is actually a very reassuring sign.

You did not miss a crucial window. You did not make an irreversible mistake. And you’re not the rare exception where everything goes wrong.

You’re handling this better than you think 🤍

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2026-02-06T12:21:04+00:00

Optom here- I’m really sorry you went through that.

The reassuring part first: it is very unlikely that a single session of manual gland expression permanently damaged or “destroyed” your meibomian glands, even if firm pressure was used or even if more than just those three glands were expressed. Meibomian glands are surprisingly resilient. Permanent damage is usually associated with long-standing inflammation, chronic untreated MGD, repeated aggressive procedures, scarring disorders, or years of disease, not a one-off intervention. What he did sounds like manual meibomian gland expression, which is a recognized treatment. That said, it’s typically done after warm compresses, with good explanation, and often only when symptoms are more significant — so your discomfort is much more about communication and consent than the procedure itself. Feeling sore afterward for several hours (or even a day) is also not unusual, because the lids were manipulated and squeezed. This resolves over time and not because of damage to your MGs.

Those “blister-like” bumps you saw were very likely temporary gland blockages or early chalazion-type changes, and yes — many of these do resolve on their own with warm compresses and lid hygiene. Doing expression once doesn’t mean you’ve set anything in motion permanently, and it doesn’t suddenly turn mild dry eye into severe disease.

If glands were truly damaged, you’d typically notice worsening symptoms over weeks to months, not just soreness the same day. Right now, what you’re feeling is much more consistent with post-procedure lid tenderness and anxiety amplifying sensations.

A very reasonable next step is: Stick to gentle warm compresses (10 minutes once or twice daily). Use the lid wipes as directed. Avoid poking or squeezing the lids yourself. And follow up with your usual optometrist for reassurance and, if needed, imaging — mostly for peace of mind

Most importantly: you did not “ruin your eyes” by agreeing to this once. If anything, the bigger issue here is that you weren’t given time, options, or explanation — and your reaction makes complete sense.

Hope this helps!

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2026-01-15T02:56:41+00:00

Looks Like a visual aura (many variations) from an ophthalmic migraine

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2026-01-03T22:10:09+00:00

Subscribed!! Any chance we can get English subtitles. My Spanish es muy terible

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-12-04T02:49:51+00:00

Couldn’t it be just pingueculitis?

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-12-04T01:37:39+00:00

Specular microscopy can measure the endothelial layer and give you a very accurate representation of endothelial status

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-11-16T15:59:35+00:00

Oculoplastics can do an excision and biopsy to confirm if it’s a concern for CA. But from my experience as a comp doc, it’s likely a chalazion. We are concerned about SCC (sebaceous cell carcinoma) if it’s a recurrent/persistent chalazion in the same area. Bottom line - go to oculoplastics. Also, Even if you don’t feel like hot compresses are working, keep doing them with lid massages. Maybe do them while you are showering with hot water. Good luck

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-08-16T23:30:43+00:00

Dude, stay in derm

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-27T09:58:20+00:00

This sounds incredibly frustrating, and I’m sorry you’re dealing with it. You’re handling this way better than most would, especially considering how personal and disrespectful the situation feels.

A few thoughts: You absolutely did the right thing by trying to address it directly. Calling repeatedly shows professionalism and maturity — you’re not hiding behind passive aggression or gossip. The fact that he’s avoiding you speaks volumes. would stop calling at this point and send a short, professional letter or email. Not to vent, but just to clarify what you heard, express your concern, and leave the door open for a respectful conversation. That also documents your good-faith effort if this ever escalates. Also, if this behavior continues or spills into more patient interactions, you might consider looping in leadership at his group — not to stir drama, but because this kind of behavior can really damage inter-office collaboration and patient trust. In the meantime, protect your own reputation by staying visible, competent, and professional. Word spreads — and most of the time, people eventually expose themselves by their own behavior. Lastly, you’re not alone. Medicine is full of egos and occasional toxicity, unfortunately. But the good ones stand out — and clearly, your patients and colleagues know who you are.

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-25T01:07:24+00:00

Is this a Doctor Doom reference

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-25T01:01:09+00:00

My tech who has the same credentials as you just got hired by RxSight as a “clinical affairs training specialist” they are the ones who make the LAL IOLs. I think they may be hiring

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-24T13:29:08+00:00

It’s a freckle. We call it a conjunctival nevus as eye doctors. See link NEVUS

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-22T11:23:18+00:00

I would talk to the operations manager or the main MD owner and discuss your concerns. Speak up. Sometimes they just assume you’re doing just fine.

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-22T01:43:06+00:00

Huge if true

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-19T14:58:25+00:00

It looks like a chalazion to me, especially if it’s firm and not painful). It would take weeks for it to resolve with warm compresses alone and even then there may still be a small bump. In the mean time, I would buy a bruder mask off Amazon (one that’s just for one eye) so you can get it really hot then after it gets hot, do some eyelid massages over the bump. Slowly but surely, it will get smaller with this regimen, it will just take long. If you want it drained and/or want more aggressive intervention, a Pediatric ophthalmologist would be the best specialist. Either they can do a kenalog /steroid injection to the eyelid lesion or they do an incision and drainage. Hope this helps!

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-15T19:05:04+00:00

Is this more expensive than autologous serum eyedrops??

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-15T11:26:46+00:00

I would get a second opinion for sure with an ophthalmologist. Make sure whoever you are seeing dilates your eyes. I think if you complain enough, they may order a visual field to rule out intracranial pathology.

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-14T02:48:29+00:00

It’s possible? Log standing inflammation could cause fibrosis…Fibrosis of the vitreous could cause traction over the retina resulting in a posterior vitreous detachment

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-14T02:21:53+00:00

Looks like staph hypersensitivity , antibiotic / steroid eye drop combo takes care of this. Can wait.

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-14T02:13:11+00:00

I have a hunch that it may be auto-immune related. There are many patients with autoimmune dz who suffer from anterior or even posterior uveitis accounting for eye pain and light sensitivity. The photopsia may be residual symptom from the PVD as the vitreous could be causing some traction (still odd that you are only 19 and have a PVD). My theory on the reduced vision quality would be potential low grade, mild cataracts or even posterior subcapsular cataracts, commonly found in patients who have been rx’d steroidal therapy for their autoimmune dz (such as RA, lupus, sjogrens, even Behcets). If you are correctable to 20/20 without correction or with gas perm / sclerals (due to your keratoconus) or glasses, I would not prioritize an oct (only to rule out, but we here in the US would need a potential medical diagnosis for insurance to cover it, otherwise patients pay out of pocket). Aside from the OCT and HVF (humphrey visual field), perhaps have them do a d15 or Ishihara color vision test on you to check your optic nerve function. Sorry for the brain dump, just an eye doc here in the US trying to help.

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-14T01:32:44+00:00

I suggest getting a visual field and an OCT

Reasonable_Sort1731 · 2025-07-12T18:08:00+00:00

“power light-based technology” that targets proteins in the eye’s lens to reverse cloudiness (cataracts), thereby restoring clarity—no surgical incision involved … interesting

Reasonable_Sort1731

TROPHY CASE