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Problem with my eyes

Posted , 12 users are following.

joan83529
joan83529

Hi - have been taking pred for approx eighteen months now for pmr. Am currently taking 11mg daily tho have been down to 8 mg on two occasions whilst trying to taper dose and have now started dead slow stop method . Problem started in my right eye a couple of months after starting steroids. Blood vessels bursting , vision not affected but eye sore for couple of days . Initially it happened in the one eye about every four weeks .Fast forward 15/16 months, blood vessels bursting in both eyes almost fortnightly. Eyes also very dry tbut always watery. Am using Hylo Forte eye drops for lubrication ,the drops help but my eyes feel permanently sore and tired. Doc doesn’t seem interested, have had eyes checked at opticians and only slight change in prescription over two years.I assume that the steroids are causing the problem Wondered if   anyone else has experienced similar problems and if so was there anything that helped other than continuing to try reduce the dose of .pred?

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • lynda62707
    lynda62707 joan83529

    Posted

    Hi Joan, I've only been on prednisone a relatively short time (3mo), but started having double vision in my right eye fairly early on. Have you been to an opthamologist or just an optometrist? The opthamologist is really what's needed. Actually, I went to an opthamologist a couple wks ago and have been referred to a "Neuro-opthamologist" tomorrow! Kinda nervous as I'm not sure what's going on.

  • karenjaninaz
    karenjaninaz joan83529

    Posted

    Joan, The blood spotted eyes are common with pred as is the skin bruising. I found straining or lifting heavy things bring it on. I get my eyes examined every 6 months by an ophthalmologist not an optician. They are also drier from pred and tend to get blurry but not double vision. I am tapering to 8.75 and both are better.
    • joan83529
      joan83529 karenjaninaz

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply . I ll persevere with the tapering and hope the problem disappears eventually . Failing that I could perhaps get work as a vampire !!
  • celia14153
    celia14153 joan83529

    Posted

    Hi Joan, my eyes have been affected by Pred - no more eye make up! I use cleansing pads for blephoritis to stop ‘sticky’ eye and Thealoz duo a couple of times a day to lubricate and protect them. I get both from my optician. I also find shutting them for half an hour in the daytime seems to help   They are still a bit sore but I don’t get the burst blood vessels that, like you, I was prone to. Vision fine. It’s a nuisance but I hope it will go as I reduce Pred. 
    • joan83529
      joan83529 celia14153

      Posted

      Thanks Celia, will persevere with the drops and tapering and hope I actually get the whites white some time in the future 
  • Silver49
    Silver49 joan83529

    Posted

    I had forgotten about the blood vessel problem as it was  on a higher dose. Had the blurry vision and dry eye problem too. I am on 3 mgs and only have the dry eye now but I have hay fever and allergy problem which adds to the mix. The blood vessel problem in the eye was caused by the higher doses of Pred. I know others have  also had the problem. I didn't go  to a GP about it and it cleared up  as did the blurry vision. 

    • joan83529
      joan83529 Silver49

      Posted

      Thanks Silver 49 . It helps to know that it’s happened to other people . Will persevere with drops etc and tapering and hope it goes away 
  • EileenH
    EileenH joan83529

    Posted

    Quite a few people report these episodes but I haven't heard of anyone having them as often as you describe. Of course - once a blood vessel has broken it will probably be more fragile afterwards. Are you on any other medication? 

    http://yoursightmatters.com/burst-blood-vessel-eye/

    I thought this 

    https://www.eyeworld.org/article-a-new---almost-red-herring

    was interesting though.

    Have you any other signs of dry eyes? That is likely to make your eye surface more delicate.

    • joan83529
      joan83529 EileenH

      Posted

      Thanks for replying Eileen, other signs of dry eyes ? They’re sore , feel tired , look watery,  I didn’t realise they were dry until the optician told me they were very dry ,  sticky sometimes and often whites are pink or red because of blood vessel bursting . I’ve bought some reactolight  glasses to try and help myself and obviously am persevering with drops which optician told me to use hourly .I looked at the web sites you listed but got lost in the technical jargon as I have no medical background so I m inclined to blame the Pred and persevere with tapering.  If I feel my sight is being affected I’ll go straight back to doc etc etc  . Thanks again for your input 
  • andre68439
    andre68439 joan83529

    Posted

    Hi Joan. I have had a few issues with my eyes including the bleeds, although for me it was just visual, no soreness.  I am now off prednisone but the vessels are weaker and you can get it again from excessive sneezing or coughing etc. I went to a Neuro-Opthalmologist last month for another issue and when I explained the eye bleeds (Subconjunctival Hemorrhage) he told me to take both vitamin C and Rutin. These, especially Rutin strengthen the blood vessel walls. I have been taking them for a few weeks so too short to report success.   If you cant find Rutin at the pharmacy in the vitamin aisle just go to Amazon and you will have many choices. That's how I got mine. It is also prevalent in many foods so Google "rutin in foods" and get it naturally as well.

    • joan83529
      joan83529 andre68439

      Posted

      Many thanks andre68439 , will certainly try the Vit C and Rutin. Apart from looking like Dracula’s daughter , the really scary bit is worrying about blood vessels bursting elsewhere ie risk of stroke . 
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