I recently noticed redness and an unpleasant feeling in my eye. On the urgent advice of my team leader - I really didn't fancy it - I asked my GP for a home visit who, after a thorough examination, realised that my conjunctiva was damaged. He initially wanted to prescribe me a wound-healing ointment, but I expressed concerns as I am dependent on eye control due to my complete paralysis and feared that an ointment like Bepanthen could impair this1Ophthalmology - Treatment of conjunctivitis, https://www.apotheken.de/.
My doctor understood my situation and explained that it could be conjunctivitis or would develop into conjunctivitis if we did nothing2 Medical principles of conjunctivitis, https://www.augenspezialisten.de/konjunktivitis. He therefore decided to prescribe eye drops as they were less likely to affect my eye control3Application of eye drops, https://www.aerzteblatt.de.
I asked whether an eye swab would be useful to identify the exact pathogen. However, he explained that it would take three to five days to culture a smear and that the result would have no immediate impact on the treatment as we would start using the eye drops anyway4Eye swab and pathogen identification, https://www.apotheken-umschau.de.
He advised me to use the drops for five days and to stop the treatment when the symptoms had disappeared5Guidelines for the use of eye drops for conjunctivitis, https://www.medizinfo.de. However, if the symptoms persist, I should use the drops for seven days and consult him again if necessary6Recommended treatment duration for eye drops, ] https://www.medicalnews.com
This experience showed me how important it is to consider individual needs when choosing treatment and to talk openly with the doctor about any concerns.
