Friday, February 25, 2011

the thing on my eyelid

I woke up this morning to a new houseguest: a zit-like whitehead sitting saucily on the edge of my lower left eyelid. My right eye had been infected three days ago; I still have plenty of the medicine that I'd bought last year to combat it, and the infection was gone within a single day. I'm not sure whether the infection in my left eye is the same thing; it might be. Then again, I had no whiteheads on my right eyelids, so this might be a different beastie altogether. I was tempted to think, at first, that today's invader was a zit that had chosen a radically different place to hang out, but the surrounding redness, too wide for normal zittity, convinced me that I was dealing with a full-on infection similar to, if not exactly the same as, the one on Monday.

So I've got goop in my left eye, an ointment that disinfects without irritating. I'm keeping that eye shut since the goop needs to rest against the zitoid to be effective. I'm also wishing I had an eyepatch to go with the Popeye squint. I don't think CafePress has gotten into the eyepatch business yet, but a Google search turns up plenty of online eyepatch resources.

I'll be washing my pillowcases today, just to be sure. What I'm not doing is driving out to the bank: that's going to have to wait until I feel like opening my left eye again. I'd rather have full peripheral vision, especially when changing lanes at 80 miles an hour. (Sixty-- I mean 60 miles an hour.)


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2 comments:

Maven said...

I have had the need occasionally to use a hot compress. I brew up a cup of tea (using a Lipton type tea bag). While the teabag is still hot (not scalding, mind you), I press the moist hot bag on my eye (or wherever the offending pustule may be). It softens the skin and helps draw out the BLECH. It's a tried and true remedy I rely upon, and have recommended to friends.

Kevin Kim said...

Thanks; I may indeed do that next time. As it was, my problem cleared up in less than 24 hours with ointment and warm compress, thank goodness.