Eye problems, what works and does it go away?

[CMcH]

The TX has made my eyes and skin very sensitive to light. This last week my eyes hurt so bad that by noon at work I get a terrible headache. My NP said to wear tinted glasses indoors and I will be going to get my eyes checked next week. I can barely open my eyes outside with sunglasses on. I am not sure if it is because they are so dried out like everything else in my body. Eye drops don't seem to help and sometimes hurt.
I hope this gets better after TX? I have been hesitant to get new glasses thinking that it might get better later?

[sierranvgrl]

I am about 2/3 through TX and have eye issue from the get go. Extreme sensitivity to light, TV light, even too much of a computer monitor causes me pain. I started to notice some real vision changes around week 19, turn out it was just eye strain. The muscles behind my eyes were so fatigued, it was causing me to squint and read everything at close range. I have adjusted to it, I just don't do much reading, TV watching, and I always have sunglasses on outside...even inside sometimes.  If it makes you feel better, I look like a real idiot with my sunglasses on and heating pad on my head because my HAIR hurts!  You are right...you just have to laugh!

[epiphiny]

I also have the light sensitivity issue both indoors and out and simply cannot go anywhere with out sun glasses.  We have a lot of natural light inside our house which is painted a cool white in the interior and I have had to start wearing a pair of graduated sunglasses INSIDE as well.  It makes my husband laugh, especially when I also tie my frozen gel pack on top of my head to stop my burning, itching scalp.

Lol, sometimes you just gotta laugh at what this treatment forces us to do!

[meakea]

I had painful and sensitive eyes within 3 days of starting my TX.  I made an appt with my eye doc right away (and I had already had a pre-TX exam) and he said he believed it was all caused from dry eyes.  I've been using Refresh Tears ever since and it really does help.  

[justme53]

I've had sensitive eyes since day one of tx. Since I didn't have it before and my baseline eye exan was pretty normal for my age, I assume it is from the meds. It feels much like I have just had my eyes dilated for an eye exam...very sensitive to light and rapid movement. Here in MN with the snow on a sunny day, sunglasses are a must. I have had some probs with dry eye syndrome on and off in the past and this is now back full force.  The eye Dr. gave me some gel drops that woirk pretty good. I also know I need prescription glasses now, but am going to get by with the magnifying ones until tx is over since it may change again over the next year. I hope it goes away too. It was one of the sx that concerned me the most.......

Hope the eye exam will help pinpoint your problems.........Pam

[geterdone]

I had hit a period of vision problems as well about half way through treatment to where my eyes were sensitive to indoor light and much more so to sun light and had several bouts of migraines because of it. The sun glasses did help and it did subside in the coming weeks except for the blurred vision in which there was a slight preexisting condition of cataracts found the year before treatment that did not effect my vision before, but did during the course of treatment and did not clear up after treatment. Subsequently in the last four months I have had both optic lenses replaced. I do have my suspicions that it was interferon that may have had something to do with it but have no evidence or research to back it up other than what I have posted here onn the threads and just might be an incident only relating to me. I did ask the surgeon if the interferon may have had something to do with it and with a pause he said he didn’t think so which was not reassuring but didn’t think he would if it did.

The good news is, I will not have to worry about this preexisting condition in the future.

Just have to get your eye checked and go from there, Good Luck and hope all subsides after treatment.

jasper

[chevyelcam79]

I also had some eye problems while treating.  My eyes just plain HURT!!  They were very very dry also.

My eye doc said that since the treatment made my "body" hurt (flu like symptoms) then it could also make the muscles in the back of my eyes sore.  

Good news, it did subside!  Ibuprofen helped and I also had to take percocet for my aches.

I still have dry eyes, especially in the morning.  Usually use artificial tears in the morning which does help some.  Doesn't help that I am on a computer all day.

Do keep an eye on your eyes!  I have heard that sometimes treatment can affect your eyes.

Best of luck!
Shari

[fretboard]

That's terrible, good thing you're getting your eyes checked soon.  I only tx'ed for a short time because I had too many QOL issues popping up all at once.  I started after the first couple of weeks having dry eyes and I used Isotonic flush drops to get relief.  It may be good to use drops even if it hurts a little because your eyes need to tear up.  Your eye ducts are dryer than you could imagine, you definitely need to see a professional.  Oh don't worry about those cotton wool spots, that's different.  Most eye issues are related to the inteferon and it may be strongly suggested that you lower your dosage or make some other adjustment.  good luck

[Max60]

I developed the same kind of sensitivity both to light and rapid movement. Watching tv became stressful during sequences of rapid scene changes. I wore sunglasses always when outside.

I had my eyes tested at about week 12 and the doc found 'cotton wool spots' that were remnants of small hemorrhages. He chalked it up to aging, but was unaware that I was on tx.

I strongly advise an eye check. Some people report eye 'pain' post tx. Sometimes it takes a while for things to get back to normal.