Eye worries - help!

[BritishBeef]

Hi all!
I've suffered from Health Anxiety for the last 20 years or so. I also suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

I have worried about every part of my body over the years. My big worry is cancer. I am often convinced I have it or will have it soon :(

My latest worry is my right eye and I'm driving myself nuts!

Last week I had a routine eye test to get an up to date glasses prescription.

During the part of the examination where the optician looks into your eye with the help of that very bright light thingy I noticed that the optician was taking longer than usual on my right eye.

The optician then said 'have you ever been told that you have some stray pigment in your right eye' (something like that but I have worried myself so much that I can't remember exactly).

'No' I said. 'Is it common?'

'No' she replied. 'You're going to need to go to the eye hospital to get it checked out'.

'you usualy see this sort of thing after a head injury' she said.

I haven't had any head injury that I'm aware of?!

Internally I freaked out. The rest of the exam was a blur and all I could think about was what could it be?

At the end she said that apart from what she found my eyes were fine and healthy and that she'd send a referral for the hospital to my doctor.

I left and went into full panic mode - 'I've got eye cancer' was all I could think.

Ten minutes later I had to go back and tell the optician that I suffered from health anxiety and that I would be really worrying about this. She told me not to worry about it and that 'she wasn't worried' and that 'she had referred patients with a lot worse'. She also stated that she had referred some other patients with similar problems and they were fine. She ended by saying 'you're not going to go blind put it that way'.

I guess that should have reassured me but it hasn't. I just didn't like the wy she talked about it during the exam, like there was something to be worried about.

I keep thinking that if there isn't anything to be worried about, why refer me to the hospital??

I am driving myself mad and worrying myself silly.

To make things worse, ever since the eye test I have been getting pain in my right eye and every now and then it waters on it's own.

So here I am convinced that I have cancer of the eye or something equally horrible and because I'm in the UK, my hospital appointment isn't likely to be for months as it's a 'routine' referral. I can't wait that long!!!!

Thanks for reading this far - I just wanted to share my concerns. If you have any advice it is very much appreciated.

Regards,

Geoff.

[boy]

I have no idea what stray pigment is. I remember at my last eye checkup they seemed to take longer on one of my eyes, though he didn't say anything. I hope someone replies who can help. Any other opticians you can drop into to ask for advice?

[nomorepanic]

Geoff

You must ask them all the questions you need answering at the time as otherwise this happens and you go away and worry for months.

My partner was recently told he had cataracts in both eyes and he is only 38 so I was worried but he went to the eye clinic and they said they don't need operating on yet and to come back in 6 months.

I have never heard of eye cancer to be honest.

I am betting you are willing on the pain and it is psychosomatic and you are making it worse.

Have you been referred yet ?

If you had no symptoms before the eye exam then there is no reason why you should get them now - except for you imagining them to be there.

Calm down and don't worry - you won't go blind or die in the meantime.



Nicola

[vernon]

Hi British beef, you have nothing at all to worry about with stray pigment in your eye, In the side of your eye there is pigment that stop to much light getting into the back of the eye, they act like a light filter on a camera. If little parts of these come astray they are just like the common floaters you hear about that does no harm at all, the reason the optician stopped and took more time was she or he would have had to wait for the pigment to move slightly so they could see the back of the eye for a good examination. The same would happen with floaters they stop the optician seeing to the back of the eye until they float away. It’s very common for opticians to send people to eye hospital for a second opinion it safe guards them. If it was anything at all to worry about they wouldn’t have wrote to your doctor they would have gave you a letter and told you to attend the A & E eye hospital there and then. I have been registered blind for many ears now and have had eye surgery for macular damage, cataracts and had a growth removed from my eye, the last surgery only made me se much better than I have for years. I can say from experience if you had any eye problems other than just needing glasses you would know about it as your vision would be greatly decreased, and the optician said your sight was fine so no worries? One time an optician wrote me a letter and told me to go to hospital right away as the back of one of my eyes was bleeding, this was a horrible worry to me as I suffer health anxiety too. But after going straight to the hospital and long waiting the specialist said it was just a broken blood vessel in the back of the eye and it would clear up, which it did. We do worry far too much about nothing and I can guarantee you if the optician was at all concerned they would have sent you to the eye hospital there and then to cover there own back. So don’t worry about it, you can’t go blind as the doctor said and any damage or cancer in your eye would have been seen right away by the optician and you would have been in the eye hospital by now. Hope you feel better soon, I know health anxiety is really scary, but at the end of the day it’s just us who scare ourselves. Take care. Vernon

[BritishBeef]

Hello again,
thank you soooo much for the replies - what a quick response!

Boy - I haven't got the nerve to go to another optician for advice.

noorepanic - There's a good chance I am bringing this pain on myself, I've experienced it before with other things. Good point, thanks. No I haven't been referred yet.

Vernon - Thanks very much for your reply, you've helped put it into better perspective. I am lucky compared to you and your sight. What you said made a lot of sense. I feel much more reassured having read your post, thanks, much appreciated.