Eye pressure & prednisone | Arthritis Information

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ok... so you can tell I have been really exploring this topic for 36 hours... I
thought i was ready to slow down when i read a few old postings about
Prednisone and eye pressure.

I have had glaucoma for years and no meds would reduce my pressure so I
had surgury to reduce my eye pressure 8 years ago. It was a major success
and my pressure was normal for 6 years ... I had had it at that point and it
hasn't been checked for 2 years (no lectures please!!!) but I am now really
worried about the prednisone... ANY experience with this?

I had been on prednisone for about three months when I flunked my driver's license exam for vision.  Tore off to the dr to get a slip of approval only to find out my eye pressure was about 40...yikes!  Diagnosis was steriod induced glaucoma.  I have been on eye drops ever since which at the last visit several months ago had the pressure down to 20.  I see the eye dr again this coming week..hopefully the pressure will be lower since the prednisone dose has decreased from 8 to 4 in the meantime.  The eye dr said the glaucoma may go away once I am off the prednisone...one can only hope.  It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to get rechecked...have you had any vision problems?  Take care...just started the pred 3 days ago... My pressures ran 30's and 40's from age
19 till I had surgury at 43! Guess it is time to get to the eye doctor
(remember NO lectures). Thank You Gma. I feel like I really need to get to
the rheumy... PCP dianosed and I am waiting for te referral.

I had glaucoma for about 15 years.  The pressure ran between 21/22 when I first was checked.  The doctor said that we should keep it in that range.  So I went with that idea for about four or five years.  Then, there was talk at my office about doing away with the department I had worked for 15 years.  I had been going to a different doctor of my contact lenses, and he also did pressure checks.  I asked him if we could do something while I still had insurance, rather than wait until I didn't have insurance and then someone would decide to have the laser work done.  The laser made more holes in the mesh work, so they drained better.

The laser work brought my pressure down to 14/17 it varied each time between those numbers.  After three months on prednisone, one eye was 14 and the other 21.  I was being weaned off the prednisone so I went a bit faster to get off of it.   I have a pressure check next week.  The doctor thought it would be down....I sure hope so. 

I can't take prednisone because it raises my eye pressure and Methotrexate increased my liver count.  So I am now on Tylenol, which still leaves me stiff and achy.  The other Enbrel, is ,000 a year.  My rheumatologist said she could get it for me.  But I decided to try it just this way for awhile.  It is livable, but could be better.    Mary

My pressure was up on pred. It was a horrible feeling as if my eyes were going to pop out! (it was 20 "on the high side of normal) so no medication but it still felt terrible.  Thanks all - talked to my doc (not yet the opthamologist) who says the
worry is in long term use, not to worry yet... How long were you on before
the pressures rose?An update on eye pressure and prednsone: I went to have my pressure
checked yesterday so I would have a baseline number. I was concerned
because glaucoma meds had preciously not worked for me. Thankfully my
pressures are at 14/15 now... what they were at every check since my
surgery 9 years ago.

The interesting thing they told me though was that some people are
"prednisone reactors" and others are not. They suggested that if my
pressures don't rise frm the pred in a few months, they most likely will not
no matter how long I am on it.

Any experience? How long before most saw their pressures rise? I am going
back in 6 weeks. I had my pressure checked yesteday too and it was about 18-20.  I had hoped that w/the eye drops and the decrease in prednisone from 7 to 4 during the previous three months it would go a little lower but oh, well...dr said again that once I am off prednisone he will do a test run w/drops in only one eye to see if the other eye pressure does ok...sometimes the glaucoma will go away after prednisone is stopped...and sometimes not.  I had been on it for only three months when this showed up.  My vision has decreased some more but he thinks it is due to the cataracts which are also exacerbated by prednisone...aarrrggghh!Arghhhhhh is right! I had cataract surgery at the same time i had glaucoma
surgery. I also had laser for secondary cataracts 2 years ago. They tell me
the cataracs shouldn't be able to come back again... we'll see!

Enkoy the Hawaiin sunshine

Went to the eye doctor yesterday, and the pressure in my left eye had not gone down. I've been off of Prednisone and Methotrexate since June 4th.  He said he wasn't going to change anything just yet, and made an appointment for me to see him in three months. 

How long should it take to go down?  It was between 14/17 before the Prednisone.   I had glaucoma laser about 7 years ago.  The pressure before was between 22/24.  The laser work brought it down, but I still have to take drops twice a day.  Mary

how disappointing that the pressures haven't gone down! Is the ;left eye still
at 21? Have they talked about changing the drops at all?

I did not have laser surgery for the glaucoma, I had a "triblomectomy" where
they created drains. That was after 25 known years (from 1st pressure check
at age 19) of pressures that never went below 32!!! That is not a typo - they
often ran 40. Drops didn't touch them either. They tried MANY different
drops at different doses. On the other hand, they changed drops for my
father and it made all the difference for him.

It ssems the worst for you is that off the meds you have both the pressure
and the pain of the pmr...
hope you feel better

The pressure in my left eye is still 22, the same as last month.  I had the pressure readings for 21/22/23 for many years and just used drops.

Then there were rumors of my department being downsized, so  asked the doctor about doing the laser when I had good insurance, rather than waiting until I didn't have a job and lousy insurance.

So I had the "triblomectomy" too.  I had to copy your spelling of it.  I was disapointed that when I had it, that I still had to use the drops.  I'm glad it stabilized though at 14/15.  I suppose if it doesn't go down, his next step is using drops one more time a day.

Not too long after the June appointment, I went to a free medical checkup session put on by the  Lions and the pressure in that eye then was 17. The other day, I had scratched my eye with a contact lens and had a bloodshot area.  He thought that might have a bearing on the pressure too.   My other doctor was never too upset with the 22/23...nor was the one I have now.  I just didn't want to lose my job and then a month later, he would decide I should have the laser surgery.

I suppose your eye really didn't change even with that pressure, so they didn't do anything. 

I keep hoping that the pain I feel now does not esclate to the point it was in December.   I also hope that I am one of the lucky people that has it go away after awhile.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyway. 

My fingers are crossed with yours for the both of us... that you don't return
to the higher pain level you had, that both of us will be among the lucky
ones who have this go away, that your pressures go down, my pain levels go
even lower than they are...

Don't rely on my spelling of that word! I just figured I would be close enough
you would know what I meant

Take care

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