i have been having eye pain for some time. Went to eye dr and had alot of tests ran. Says he has this complaint with people on prednisone or people with RA. He told me may be due to dry eye syndrom and gave me RX for Restasis which I haven't gotten filled yet. Told the Rheumy about this and noticed she did a blood test for Sjoldren's antibody or something but it came back neg. I am starting to have blurred vision as well. Anybody else have eyes problems as well?Well when I first had RA my eyes were red, my doc said it was due to inflammation. And they hurt pretty bad. They also gave me some eye drops which im sorry I dont remember the name and it took care of it. Then I started taking Plaquenil and that made my vision blurry, usually when I woke up it took a while for my eyes to be able to focus. I unfortunatly didnt get a regular eye exam which you are supposed to get while on Plaquenil. :/ But now im off of it and my eyes are still blurry sometimes. But im not sure if thats gonna stay like that forever. Just make sure to get your eyes checked out regularly. Good luck! :) YES THEY CAN BE AFFECTED BY RA!!! First of all you need to find out if the meds are affecting your eyes. You need to see an eye dr right away. My eyes are examed once a year, due to having ra. i was told by the eye dr, if I had any type of severe pain in my eyes i am to contact him right away. When ra affects the eyes it can happen very quickly and since they are important you must not disregard the problems you are having. i don't want to alarm you, it could just be the meds causing problems, but go get your eyes examed just for peace of mind and let us know what happens. OK meme
I'm in the process of making an appointment myself because of everything I've heard lately. It can be very dangerous.
I've recently heard of a lady that had to have a cornia (Not sure how to spell that) transplant due to RA complications. It's not just the medicine that can cause it; but the disease itself.
Karen; I've had some pain in my eyes recently too...and my left one gets blurry at times too....sortof like a fog comes over it. Scary stuff; I'm setting up an appointment. Let us know how things go with you.
If any of you find information on RA and eye related problems post it in the new section on the front page. I'd be very interested to see further information on this issue.
Karen; you'll be in my prayers.
Lovie
Hi Karen,
Yes, our friends are right. I was an Ophthalmic Tech. for 14 years. RA can definately affect the eyes. It is important to have yearly exams and it is important if you experience any symptoms of pain, discomfort, blurred vision, or light sensitivity you should see your Ophthalmologist ASAP. RA can cause suface problems and problems within the eye Don't let a GP tell you he can see what's going on with his little 99 cent store scope, he cannot. If you have Ra and have not seen an Opthalmologist, I would suggest getting an exam to check the general health of your eyes and keep your eyes on your yearly checkup list. Once seen your Dr may put you on a more frequent schedule depending on findings.
Some medications can cause problems too. It has been a long time since I have worked and don't know which does what, but Jealousy is right about plaquenil. Our plaquenil patients had to be watched carefully and given regular visual field tests.
I was just reading something last night about RA and eyes and as always I can't find it to save my life this morning.
Thanks Lovie, I will now have a place to post these items of interest, before loosing them forever
Have a good day all,
Hi Karen.
I have had dry eyes for about 2 years due to ra, and you need to see an eye doctor. During the past 2 years I have used refresh, steriods drops, and had plugs. My last eye appt he gave be a script for restasis, have'nt started using the drops, but we let you know how it goes.
Now I have blurred vision seems to get worst every other year. When I get insurance again I am off to the eye doctor to get another pair of glasses, I was thinking contacts, but I do not know about them
joonie; I'm sure we've heard you say before but how old were you when you got RA?
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