last year, i had an eye infection and was treated with a steroid eye drop thing called prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension. the infection cleared up. i keep the remnants of the medicine around in case my eye gets irritated, and it always makes me feel better. i ran out of the medicine and i was thinking about just getting a supply of it online in case i run into a problem again. however, the only one i can find is on petmeds.com - all other forms of the steroid are in tablet form and are useless to me. will i die if i buy this on petmeds.com? it appears to treat the exact same symptoms and has the same ingredients. thank you.
First of all, IANAD, but even I know you shouldn’t take steroids without good reason supported by a doctor’s advice. Certainly not for an irritation. Nor should you keep old meds around for a year. It may not even be good any more, and it could be harmful. If it’s really just irritation, try one of the OTC artificial tears moisturizers. If that doesn’t help, see your doctor again. I’ve been told by doctors that steroids can mask the *symptoms * of actual infection, without actually affecting the infectious agent itself.
Steroids can have significant side-effects. Use steroid eye drops on an infection, and you may well make the infection far worse. Use it too often, and the corneas may atrophy or opacify.
Incorrect steroid use can lead to blindness. That’s why it’s a prescription medication.
And, since you got some professional medical advice before I closed this one, I hope you decide to heed the warnings.
samclem.