Eye issues.

EZLiving66 said:

No glaucoma but major eye

No glaucoma but major eye problems. In the 2.5 years since chemo I've had to have my prescription changed FIVE times and I can't see with my current glasses again. The ones I have now,  I got in April.  On top of that,  my eyes are extremely dry and I needed multiple drops a day.

My medical team just ignored it. 

Love, 

Eldri 

I've been itching a lot for the past several months, which may or may not have started with an allergic reaction I had to steroid shots.  Last night, I googled itching at night, which is when the worst itching happens, and I found something that mentioned problems with either the liver or the kidneys which can be caused by a couple of different things, including exposure to toxins.  I thought of both the steroid shots I had in Jan. and Feb. and the chemo I finished last Sept.and wondered if either of them could have caused the problem.  However, I didn't have most of the other symptoms that go along with the itching.  An associated symptom  I do have had is dry eyes and a dry mouth.  I've had dry eyes for years, though,  and was told by my dental hygienist that I had a dry mouth while I was last undergoing chemo.  My optometrist has told me that he thinks I sleep with my eyes partially open and has me on Restasis eye drops with gel eye drops used ten minutes after I put the Restasis ones in at bedtime.  They have certainly helped.

There is another condition that causes dry eyes.  If I recall correctly, it's sarcoidosis.  I was tested for that a few years ago but came up negative.     

Yes, I have. I had incipient glaucoma but of the "5-10 years down the road" type. Then along came chemo and, ever since completing it last April, I noticed my vision rapidly getting worse. Assessment concluded that chemo-related steroids had pushed me into the active glaucoma range: in other words chemo accelerated my natural process by several years. I don't think it's a given that this will happen to you, it can just increase your likelihood. Unfortunately, for me that was true.  

Like derMaus, my ophthalmologist has been monitoring me for glaucoma for several years due to my "high but still normal" range pressure as a result of my type 2 Diabetes. The pressure level spiked into the "high-high" zone when I was doing chemo (and steroids) last year, but has since reverted to the level it had been prior to chemo after I concluded the cancer treatment.

I did get a new eye glass prescription earlier this year – I don't know if this change had anything to do with the cancer treatment. However, I did have the watery eyes during chemo – very annoying, especially without eye lashes to help clear the tears away.

barnyardgal said:

The only issue I had was

The only issue I had was runny eyes. It drove me crazy. But it went away after I took a chemo break.

Sometimes it was hard to keep up with. Between actual crying and my watery eyes running down my face. My nurse had not heard of that as a side effect. It went away when my chemo ended.

Jairoldi said:

Me too

Sometimes it was hard to keep up with. Between actual crying and my watery eyes running down my face. My nurse had not heard of that as a side effect. It went away when my chemo ended.

that your profile picture makes me smile so big!  Those babies are beautiful.  Praying I get some grandchildren one day!

Wannabeatit said:

Neuropathy and your eyes

Went  to the ophthalmologist today. Apparently you can get chemo related neuropathy in your eyes. I think it is carboplatin that is the culprit. I have some pretty hefty damage to my optic nerve but not sure if it was the chemo or if it is glaucoma. There are other possibilities that they are going to try to rule out. I just thought it was interesting that it is another potential side effect of chemo. 

About week 14 of my chemo I had bilateral optic nerve neuropathy. It took a year to resolve and I have some permanent damage. My neuroophmologist thought it was due to the amiaderone I was on for afib after my stroke. I ask her specifically if it could have been from chemo and she said she had seen a lot of chemo patients on taxol/carboplatan and never saw this. But now I wonder because of what you’ve experienced. Unfortunately there’s no treatment. just have to wait for the swelling to go down. I took steroids. Did no good. Very frustrating.