Hi
I have heard that RA can affect the eyes and have recently been having a problem where one pupil looks bigger than the other and seems to dilate slower.Has anyone heard of this or had it happen to them?going to see my specialist next week but any help in the meantime would be much appreciated.
Welcome Bobble!!
I recently had problems with my eyes. I had what can only be described as a "fog" that would come and go. Blurred vision and pain behind my eyes now and then.
Finally I made an appointment with an eye doctor and it turns out I have "dry eye". It seemed strange to me; because my eyes would tear more than they would feel dry.
They gave me some drops that I use several times a day and they do help some. It's another "progressive" thing I'll have to deal with. They said it doesn't go away....but hopefully won't be too bad.
RA can cause inflamation in the eyes. The severity varies. For some people it can be very serious...and in other's it's just an aggrevation.
I'm not fimiluar with the problem you've decribed, but I would definatly have it looked at. The answer to your main question is YES; RA can effect our eyes and we should take special care to insure it doesn't become too serious.
Best of luck to you Bobble. I hope to see more of you here. You'll enjoy this group. We've all become really good friends.
Lovie
Hi Bobby,
Welcome to the group!!
Are seeing your Ophthalmologist next week?
Did you make the Dr's office aware of these symptoms at the time you made this apt and did they feel comfortable having you wait until next week?
I would just be sure that your Ophthalmologist is aware of these symptoms asap. Always best to play it safe.
Please let us know how it goes.....glad you found us!
When the first symptoms of RA arrived I had eye inflammation. My eyes
turned red and they hurt BAD. They gave me some eye drops and it went
away after a while. Now I just have foggy vision, doc said it was
because of the plaquenil. I made the mistake of not getting my eyes
checked on a regular basis.
I went to have my eyes checked on Thursday, and the guy said that my right
pupil dilates very quickly and erratically compared to my left eye. Weird huh?
With any eye problems, I would see your dr. asap.
Bobbie; agree with Lovie. RA can cause eye problems with inflammation. I was having eye problems. Somewhat better with Restasis but not totally gone. Yours seems unusual. See an eye dr right away and keep us posted!! Hope your feeling better soon!!Bobble,
I hope you have checked back in to read your replies. Please listen to the advice of friends here. I was an Ophthalmic Tech for 14 years and the symptoms you describe can sometimes indicate something serious. If you have not made your Ophthalmologist aware of your symptoms please do right away. I'm glad you have an apt next week. Please let us know how it goes.
I've recently had a problem with very sensitive eyes. Even with
sunglasses it's hard to keep my eyes open (kinda hard when you're
driving
Mina
Bobble--
You may have Adies Syndrome. I do. You've described my pupil. My neurologist told me not to worry about it. It's not a big deal. I'm a bit sensitive to the light sometimes. One of the weird symptoms, though, is a lack of deep reflexes. When they bonk me on the knee to get a reflex reaction, nothing happens. Sometimes they bonk me harder, and I have to tell them to cut it out--I have Adies. Just ask your doc to check you for that. Don't know if a regular doc will know what to look for, but a neurologist or opthamologist certainly will.
Don't forget to let us know what happens with the doc...
Lovie, You just answered one of my puzzles.When I got real sick back in June I noticed my vision was blurry at times, like being in a fog.It still comes and goes depending on how bad I feel.Thanks for sharing that.Yep; mine never really feel "dry" they just get real "foggy" or blurry. The doctor did the little dry eye test where they put these little strips of paper in your eyes to test the tear production. It's pretty simple and really doesn't hurt at all when they do it.
Have it checked out. There's no cure for it; but they do have things that can help...and hopefully stop it from getting worse.