Medicine
Your eye doctor may prescribe eye drops or ointment. These will help ease redness, swelling, and irritation. When using these medicines, make sure that the tip of the tube or bottle doesn’t touch your eyelid.
Your doctor may also prescribe oral antibiotics. These medicines can help clear up a bacterial infection, a cyst, or a stye. If you take medicine, you must still use warm compresses and eyelid scrubs as recommended by your doctor.
Follow-up appointments
Your eye doctor needs to recheck your eyes during your treatment. This is to make sure the redness and swelling (inflammation) is under control. Regular eye exams are also the best way to prevent other eye problems. Many eye diseases have no symptoms until the eye is already damaged. Finding and treating a problem early can help prevent something more severe.
Online Medical Reviewer: Chris Haupert MD
Online Medical Reviewer: Raymond Kent Turley BSN MSN RN
Online Medical Reviewer: Rita Sather RN
Date Last Reviewed: 03/01/2024
© 2000-2026 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
Need Help? We're Here for You
Our Member and Recipient Services Team is here to help you understand your benefits, find care, or resolve concerns.
800-510-9132
Call NC Quitline
Need support to quit smoking, vaping, or to quit other nicotine products? You can receive support including medicines free of charge:
800-784-8669
Schedule Transportation
Need transportation to a doctor's office, pharmacy, or other covered healthcare service? Contact us to arrange your ride.
800-510-9132
Provider Directory
Need to find a provider like a Primary Care Physician, Specialist, OB/GYN, or a Psychiatrist?
Provider DirectoryRelated Articles
Having Laser Photocoagulation for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Laser photocoagulation uses a laser to seal off abnormal blood vessels in your eye. This treatment can’t restore eyesight that you already have lost. But it may slow down the damage to your central vision.
Cataract Treatment: Removing the Cloudy Lens
Cataract surgery involves removing the cataract and replacing the lens. Here are the two most common ways that cataracts are removed.
Corneal Ring Implants
Corneal ring implantation is a type of surgery to place a ring of plastic into the middle layer of your cornea to correct your vision.
Having Corneal Ring Implantation
Corneal ring implantation is a surgery to put in a small ring of plastic into the cornea. It is done to fix an eyesight problem and let you see more clearly.
