Vision

[PJR1126]

Has anyone had any issues with blurred vision? If so, how long does it last?  No one has gone blind on this treatment have they??

[pooh55811]

Welcome to the forum.

This thread has more to do with vision changes, especially blurred vision, due to taking the Hep C meds.

I do not know if Hep C can cause blurred vision. I have never heard that it can, but that does not mean that it cannot. There can be many things that can cause blurred vision, including dry eyes or normally changing vision as we age.

You will be seeing an opthamologist soon for your full pretreatment eye exam. It is best to discuss your concerns with the opthamologist as he/she will be thoroughly examining your eyes and he/she is a specialist in the field.

Best of luck with your treatment when you do start it.

[skippy16]

I get blurred eye vision on a regular basis. Is this due to my Hepatitis? I am awaiting a full eye examination in the next few weeks, I am hoping to be able to start a new course of treatment with in the a month or so. I am concerned about the eye exam though.

[Gerbils]

I had vision changes (significantly more blurry) during tx which required that I get new classes as my vision was so blurred I could not read at all. This lasted throughout my treatment. After finishing treatment I am now back to the way I was (visually anyway) and use my old glasses! You should definitely talk to your doctor about though.Good luck!
G

[Advocate1955]

Here is a link to some information that another forum member, hrsepwrguy, shared recently, and I posted it in my journals, about treatment and vision problems:
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/332523/Interferon-and-Vision-Problems
Advocate1955

[Dee1956]

Hello, yes I had blurry vision during treatment which did get better after I finished. I also had very dry eyes so used eye drops which helped a little. It was mainly small print or figures at work on spreadsheets.  
I had my eyes checked by an Ophthalmologist before treating and then during when I complained of blurry vision.
You might want to mention to your doctor and or go see an Ophthalmologist
to be on the safe side
Good luck
Dee

[working dog]

one day when going to a docs appointment my eye sight almost was gone...it was scary...it got so i couldn't see much at all but light...lasted about a half hour during the drive...most of the time on tx my eye sight wasn't too bad...later in tx they took an eye exam because of stinging pain in my eyes and that was it...right off tx...retina bleeding and lots of cotton wool spots too...at the start of tx i took a exam and my eyes were fine...at one month after tx my eyes were not getting worse...in fact the doc said it looked like they were getting a little better...i get another exam in a month ...i think if i had cut back a little on the interferon i may have been able to avoid this...who knows though...stopped at 19+ weeks...you should compare the before tx exam to the new exam....good luck...billy

[suezeeque]

Sunglasses here, too.  I had to wear them all the time during the day for the first couple of months or so?  Whether there was sunlight or not, inside or outside, I had my sunglasses on.

[brianmo]

My eye doctor set me up every two months during tx. I complained about blurry vision all the time to him but he said my eyes are staying healhty (he would check my retinas) and its from my RBC dropping. Said my eyes are "anemic". I was hoping with all the sitting around I would get a lot of reading done, took up "listening" to books.    At 20 weeks w/Victrelis. Stay on top of it.......Mo

[pooh55811]

I have found that I am light sensitive and it was worse when I was on Incivek. I had to have the visor down all of the time, even when the sun was high overhead (still do). I also squint more. I think that is a common problem on treatment.

[leebambee]

I've been squinting lots...hope I'm fine at the end like you suez. Its gotten worse as the weeks progressed. At 14 weeks now on triple therapy

[pooh55811]

Both Interferon and Ribavirin can cause eye issues (cotton wool spots, retinal detachment) so it is good to be alert to any eye changes/problems.

Hopefully you had a thorough baseline eye exam by an opthamologist prior to starting treatment.

If it was me, if the blurred vision is new, I would call the opthamologist and explain exactly what your symptoms are and that you are on Interferon and Ribavirin. He may want to see you very soon. I had problems with blurred vision even before I started treatment, also feeling like I had sand in my eyes. My opthamologist said that the blurred vision can be caused my dry eyes, something which happens often on treatment. He started me on Restasis before I even started treatment and he is keeping me on it for my entire treatment time.

Also, I hope by blurred vision you mean a little blurry, like when you raise your head out of the water and open your eyes. I am hoping you are not talking about grey shadows, or like you are looking through curtains, or an opaque spot because those are serious symptoms that need immediate treatment.

I don't think anyone has gone blind on this treatment but I don't have the stats in front of me. Some people on this forum have had eye issues (pain, retinal bleeding, cotton wool spots) and these problems needed immediate attention.

I hope this helps.

[suezeeque]

I had some slight blurred vision while on treatment.  Got my eyes checked the day I stopped and they are fine.

However, I think there is a risk of eye damage so if you're experiencing vision problems, get your eyes checked ASAP.