eyesight affected by chemo

Sundanceh said:

Very Common

Yes, aside from aging of the eye...most of us experience some loss of vision during chemo treatments...mostly when you read...even with readers on, it can still be a challenge sometimes.

Not unusual at all...make sure you put it on record with your doctor...report all symptoms.

Yep....and with night vision, especially on rainy nights with reflections!!!

My eyesight got really bad after about one year into chemo. I had surgery on both eyes to removecataracts.  Once they were removed my eyesights has been good.  Ask your eye dr to check you for cataracts.  Jeff

Used to be that I'd be able to put aside my glasses and still read (but with some strain) now I'm not only wearing glasses to read always but to see anything anymore.  Was just thinking of going back to eye doctor for stronger glasses.  It's a pain, because I've got sinus problems and wearing glasses just adds more weight on an already sensitive sinus situation.  Get your eyes checked.  My doctor told me there was no correlation so if you tell your doctor and they say it has no bearing, don't be surprised.

Kim

Coppercent said:

Very common

It is very common to have vision problems through chemo. My eye doctor had me wait till after being off chemo for six months before she wrote me a script. For me it got better once treatment ended. 

I had serious problems with vision during and after chemo.  I had not heard of it at the time, and my oncologist insisted that chemo does not damage your vision, so I felt very worried since the loss of vision I knew I was experiencing was not being validated by anyone.

Fortunately after chemo ended, I went under the care of a doctor of physical and rehabilitative medicine who had been brought into my research/teaching hospital to work with cancer survivors after chemo.   She basically took an inventory of all my side effects from chemo and sent me to providers and specialists for evaluation and to see what could be done.  This included physical therapists, opthamologist, cognitive therapist and a foot specialist for nerve damage to my feet.

The rehab doctor said the same thing as your doctor did -- wait a while after chemo for evaluation by the opthamologist because I was likely to experience more visual changes once chemo ended and I  needed to give my vision time to settle into whatever it was going to be after chemo. I went three months after chemo ended.

I found that opthamologists, even at a major hospital with a cancer center, don't necessarily have a lot of training and knowledge in dealing with vision damage caused by chemo, but the one I saw really tried to help anyway.  One thing I was told was that chemo might cause dry eyes, and that the condition of dry eye does really make vision problems worse.  He prescribed over the counter products like Sustane initially, and said if it did not improve my condition in three weeks he would prescribe a stronger RX version.  He also said never use other over the counter products, like eye wash or Visine.

I was skeptical about whether any of this was going to help, considering how much my vision had declined, but pleasantly surprised at how much the over the counter eye moisturizing solution he recommended helped immediately, and how I could see my computer screen so much more clearly without so much blurring.

It seems like someone could tell you to try the eye moisturizing drops like Sustane earlier, like while you are actually in chemo instead of after!

He also said to get new glasses, but to wait another three months before doing so to make sure my vision changes had settled out after chemo.  I did that.  So it sounds like six months post chemo is some kind of benchmark for visual recovery.

I can't say that my vision is back to normal like it was before chemo, and I have to have my glasses to see anything when before I could still read without them.  I also can tell that the dry eye thing is semi-permanent and I may need the moisturizer for some time to clear up temporary blurriness.  I make a lot typos when writing online and in posts and emails, and sometimes don't even see them when before I was a careful proofreader.

K1

hippiechicks said:

My eyes did really weird

My eyes did really weird things that again were not validated by the eye doctor (at a cancer clinic hospital).  I had also started with my eyes tearing, but part way through the treatments the tears hurt.  They felt like pebbles coming out of my eyes. If that wasn't bad enough my vision started doing strange things.  The only way I could ever explain it was as if my vision was taking snap shots of scenes.  It freaked me right out. My oncologist (although never really validated hearing of this) immediately kicked down my oxaly and the side effect went away. I also became very very light sensitive.  That has not gone away and I wear shades most of the time now...sometimes even in the house...lol.  

Soon after my chemo ended, I tried to go back to work which required reading all day and doing computer work.  This did not go well as the muscles behind my eyes pulled so badly they gave me migrains.  The muscles then began to pull up above the eyes.  I would have muscle spasms like this up to 30 times per hour! With some life changes made things are improving, but my vision has definately changed. 

Good luck to you. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I too feel like pebbles in my eyes......  Reading now gives me a headache...   Dry eyes ALL thetime readers now a must when not before.  AND I haven't had as much chemo as many of you!  Now use a kindle so I can make the print larger......

My doctor doesn'tyay yeah or nay to chemo dry eyes BUT my dentist diagnosed perpetual dry mouth cased by chemo.  .??????  I alo use over the counter eye moisturisors ..  Also mouth sprays....   15 months out of tx ....

I've had 2 x 6 day cycles of 5FU and my long distance sight seems to be improved! I find I can see better without my glasses but for reading it's appears to be the same as before and my glasses are needed. I'm assuming this is a temporary improvement! I've finished chemo now and had a CT scan yesterday. So now I'm waiting on the surgical team! 

I have had two days in a row of what I call "splotchy vision" - watery-like splotches.  Can't see well.  The only thing that seems to help is tear drops and close eyes with cover until stops.  Also my left eye has definitely changed -  not as clear for distance, blurry.  Told by my Onco that chemo affects my vision.  But for those of us who have ongoing chemo, I worry about my deteriorating vision.  Any other recommendations?

Onco that 

I've experienced vision changes, but more importantly was diagnosed with cataracts caused by the steroids given prior to chemo. I was 47 at the time. I did experience dry eyes with lots of tearing when I was on folfox & folfiri.