Just returned from the Punta Cana Princess and was bitten all on one side of my face. This happened in the late afternoon on the beach. They were like little pimples, not itchy but really, really unsightly. They caused some swelling around my eye socket. I took antihistamine by mouth and they improved.
After this, we left the beach around 3.30pm and sat by the pool. However, one afternoon we had a light shower and went to sit in the beach bar to have a drink. When I got back to the room I had been bitten on my eyelid, eyebrow and my earlobe. This was on the other side of my face. They were not too bad at this point.
However, when I got up the next morning my eyelid was completely swollen and my eye almost shut. It was horrendous. I took antihistamine table and waited a couple of hours but it made no different.
I decided I needed a trip to the Doctors. I had a shot comprising of a steroid, anti-inflammatory and antihistamine. Also, some anti-inflammatory tablets and antibiotic eye drops. By the evening the swelling had reduced dramatically but it took a couple of days to go completely.
This incident put a damper on a superb holiday. We protected ourselves from bites at night but not normally during the day. I was never bitten at night. However, even if I was using repellant during the day, surely you do not apply to your face and certainly not eyelids.
The Dominican doctor we saw suggested that we take vitamin B supplement for a week before our next trip and also during our stay. Advice I will be heeding as I do not want a repeat of this experience.