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From: dyer@wivax.UUCP (Stephen Dyer)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Patricia Collins: Question on Prednison: help!
Message-ID: <19546@wivax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 26-May-84 00:26:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: wivax.19546
Posted: Sat May 26 00:26:50 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 26-May-84 08:09:26 EDT
References: <749@phoenix.UUCP>
Organization: Wang Institute, Tyngsboro, Ma.  01879
Lines: 26

It's probably a good question to ask why you went for (up to) seven weeks before
using the eyedrops your doctor prescribed for your eye infection!  How, pray
tell, is a visit to your doctor going to help at all, if you don't follow the
instructions she gives you?  Ideally, you should be able to ask your doctor
the very same questions that you sent out to the impersonal, unlicensed
net.  If not, you should investigate getting another doctor!

Taking someone's anecdotal reports of side-effects as a reason to stop or
avoid treatment is a very bad idea.  All treatments have risks, and occasionally
a treatment may have adverse reactions.  In the case of prednisone eye drops,
these have very specific indications and contraindications.  Misuse of them
UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES can damage one's eyes.  More usually, when used
properly according to a doctor's prescription, they can reduce the inflammation
enough to allow your body to get on with healing.  On the other hand, I
can think of something sure to damage your eyes--letting a severe eye infection
go untreated.

Walk, don't run, back to your original doctor (or a new one, if you choose),
mention your apprehensions, and if it has been a long time since you first
got the prescription, get examined again.  If the infection has gone on a long
time since a treatment was prescribed, the doctor might possibly want to
change the it.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
decvax!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca