ADVERTISEMENT
Close
In This Issue, Subscribe, Free Issue, Contact Us
ADVERTISEMENT
 
Symptoms > Inflammation > Arthritis-related Eye Conditions
Text Size Plus Minus | Print Email

Arthritis and Your Eyes

The same inflammation that damages your joints can also affect your eyes. Here’s how to protect your vision.

By Mary Anne Dunkin

While most people think of arthritis as inflammation of the joints, increasingly, research is showing that inflammation can cause damage in unexpected ways and in unexpected places. Unfortunately, the eyes are not immune.

Here are five eye conditions with connections to different forms of arthritis, and what you can do to protect your vision.

Keratitis sicca

What it is: Inflammation of the conjunctiva and the cornea along with decreased tear production

What you may notice: Dryness and perhaps the feeling of having something in your eye; vision may also be blurred

Seen with: Sjögren’s syndrome, adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA), scleroderma

What you can do: For eyes made dry by Sjögren’s syndrome, controlling the underlying inflammation with the medications you take for your arthritis could provide some relief, but you’ll probably also need a topical salve or artificial tears to keep your eyes moist. 

Dryness caused by medications may be relieved by switching the medication or lowering the dose. (But never make any medication changes without consulting your doctor.) Artificial tears can also offset dryness caused by medications.

Page 1 | 2 | 3

Sherrie
18 Jan 2012, 11:01
After experiencing different symptoms for the past several years, I was finally diagnosed with RA, PSA and possibly eczema. I was referred to a rhuematologist that prescribed methotrexate. He said it treats all three. I have been on it for 3 weeks and can already see and feel results. My hands dont hurt and look much better than before. I even painted my nails. I hadnt done that in a long time because I didnt want to draw attention to my ugly hands. My feet and ankles are still hurting some but nothing like they were. At one point, I felt like they were literally on fire. They are much better since I began this treatment. I go to Tennessee Rheumatology 615-321-3277.
Carolan
10 Jan 2012, 14:59
Melissa Jackson, you have what is called "sero-negative RA". This is a legitimate disease. Find another rheumatologist who will treat you and go to bat for you with the insurance company. You don't have to go untreated!
dawn evans
05 Jan 2012, 10:36
ive heard that green tea is good for this condition i found it does help its classed as a antioxident .
Gail
13 Dec 2011, 09:44
I have had pain and many symptoms for years... but the last 5 have been the worst! I was told I had so many things...from Arthritis to fibromyalgia but nothing really helped and it all seemed to come from no-where. I got desperate, found a chiropractor that would test for everything and spent a bundle, but I found out some interesting conclusive things ...Like I have food allergies! So, now I'm eating a very basic (kind of boring) diet. It does wonders for inflammation and takes out any food problems. I only eat fruits, veges, seeds, nuts and meats. It's not that the pain is all the way gone, but sooo much better that I can live!
Lori Sagert
21 Sep 2011, 21:34
@ Sara Hunter

Sara, I have all the same diagnosis's. My doctor calls it MCTD Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. I've been on Pred for over 2 yrs and now I have osteoporitis. I can't get below the 10mg of Pred or my Adrenal gland shuts down and I get so nauses I can't eat. My doc has wanted me to quit work for yrs now but I've been resisting it. I have a (for lack of a better word) high-powered job in which I travel every week. I finally made the decision to go on Short Term Disability because this is just killing me. Once I go off he's going to put me on CellCept. Hsve you tried this? I tried Plaquenal and it didn't work for me...
melissa jackson
13 Sep 2011, 09:37
Insurance! I am one of the 10-15% of RA patients who don't test positive for the disease. Because of this, my medicaid won't pay for Embrel,etc. I'm devastated! I must face a crippling future (my mother was twisted with the disease) and no compassion from either doctors or the insurance company. They are quick to offer me pain killers and antidepressants, though! So sad...
ROGER
06 Jul 2011, 13:20
I HAVE JOINT PAIN DO TO ARTIRTS .ITAKE SHOTS FOR IT IN MY LEG.AND MEDS TO.I HAVE IT IN ALL MY JOINTS.I AM 54YEAR OLD NOW.I NEED HELP TO NO WHAT TO DO A BOUT IT.I HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE TO.I AM ON BLOOD THINNERS PILLS TO.ACID REFLUX PILLS TO.
Sara Hunter
05 Jul 2011, 12:32
Five and one-half years ago I develped non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Type "B" cell and "T" cell cutaneous. Both are now under control.
Even before that I had been diagnosed as having Rheumatoid arthritis and was under the care of two rheumatologissts from our Medical College and took much Predisone. I have been off Prediisone for six or more years. I not have lost 40% of kidney function----CKD. I believe I have lupus but blood tests don't confirm it. I've been diagnosed with every facet of rheumatoid, incluing Sjogern's (sp), polymyalgia rheumatica, fibromyalgia, Rynaud's, on and on, hypothyroidism. I suffer never-ending pain. I have pain medication but it does not help much. I am also a diabetic. Because most of these things are not visually evident, even my family and friends think I am exaggerating. Oh, yes, I also see a cardiologist....and because of the nature of indolent non-Hodgkins I must be checked periodically for that for the remainder of my life. I live 70 miles from my doctors; am a widow with no children.
Linda Kanagawa
05 Jul 2011, 11:48
I agree with S. A. Shields. It took doctors 8 years to diagnose RA because of what the blood tests didn't show. I was in terrible pain. My doctor had to give me a referral to see an arthritis specialist and refused to do so until I couldn't walk. Then the specialist didn't pay attention until he realized i couldn't get out of a chair because my wrists were so painful. When he looked at an xray of my knees he saw there was bone rubbing against bone.

I still remember all the pain and the doctors' ho-hum attitude toward. Now I have a compassionate arthritis specialist who is alert to my symptoms and concerns.
marilyn miller
10 Jun 2011, 21:37
I am trying to learn about arthritis I have it and I have had both knees replaced, my hands and feet are both very painful and i do not have good use of my hands, swelling pain my hands are 1/2 again as large as they were. my feet swell and the bottom of the feet are so tender i wore a size 8and a half now I buy a size eleven. in the morning i start my day with one size shoe and end my day three sizes larger. not that i care about the size until i must hunt threw shoes before fnding the ones i can wear. i had never connected my failing vision with my arthritis but now i am try to learn all i can.
vida milton
18 Jan 2011, 19:31
this is what i wnt debbie to read. xoxoxo charlyn
hayley
18 Jun 2010, 10:09
My name is Hayley and I am a young teen at 17 years old and has had diffculty with my left eye since Febuary 14 2009 that morning i woke up with discomfort like redness, pain, heat, and discharge coming out the lefr which at first i didn't think it was a big deal i just thought i had pink eye which i never had that before so i went to my family doctor which he told me that i did have pink eye so i used the eye drops the first 48 hours which within 48 hours the infection is suppose to go away because its a surface infection to the eye well by the third day since the left eye i had messed up i was in a dark room crying because this with my eye was so very painful which at the time i was culess of what this was that was going on inb my eye, so as time went on my eye had build up inflammation in the back and front of the eye so they didn't have no idea to what this was so they sent me into surgrey which they took a sample of the fluid out my eye to see if it was cancer which normally when u have a high blood cell count its cancer well thank god it didn't come back as cancer well week then months rolled around and they still couldn't figure it out so they thought it was uveitis which thats not what it was then they thought the disease i had was causes glaucoma which that causes you to go blind, well of course i was so aggravated because i didn't have a answer to what was wrong with my eye , well this past week which today is June 18 2010 i have done research on my eye and come to found out i almost believe i have this disease called (Reiter's Disease) which as i was reading it was talking about all this stuff that i have complications with. Which this disease is well off caused by the bladder which its very rare for woman to get men get it more then woman only 10% of women get this disease, so as the doctors kept doing blood work the only thing that came back pos. was HLA B27 marker well this marker is gentic and it is passed from parent to child which not everyone gets this disease on;ly most of B27 marker get this disease which i also believe i have this is because my dad has inflammation in his joints which this disease talks about how it first happens in your knees, hands, ankles and figures which i t most likely happens in your left side, which as i read i have had complications in the bladder area since i was a kid and i would have never thought i could some research and maybe have found out what the cause is to my eye which this disease causes weak immune system , there is so much to this disease and so much research and i could go on and on but i'm almost 110 precent sure i have this disease which if i do have this then i will be so proud of myself for what i have research and come and come to achieve, pray for me ! Hopefully i came right down to what i may have....
sherry
30 May 2010, 06:40
MAY30,2010

I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LAST YEAR,BUT WAS SO VERY BLESSED TO FIND A COMPASSIONATE RA DOCTOR. HE HAS KEPT MY SPIRIT UPLIFTED AS HAS HIS STAFF, TOO.

RECENTLY I WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR AN UNRELATED ILLNESS. FIVE WEEKS LATER, I WAS DISCHARGED, HAPPY DAY!!

DURING THIS TIME I KEPT A JOURNAL. IT HAS BEEN THE BEST FREE THERAPEUTIC AVENUE FOR ME. IT HELPS ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS.

ALSO, I FIND IF I TRY TO STAY POSITIVE,REST AND SWIM IN A HEATED POOL IT TRULY HELPS TO REDUCE THE SWELLING AND JOINT PAIN.

FURTHERMORE, ICE BAGS ARE SO VERY BENEFICIAL. MY DR. KEEPS A CONTAINER FILLED IN HIS OUTER OFFICE.

IN CONCLUSION, MY HUBBY BOUGHT ME THE APRIL 2010 ISSUE OF "ARTHRITIS TODAY" THERE WERE SO MANY "UPLIFTING" ARTICLES I HAVE PLACED A SUBSCRIPTION. THANK YOU "AT"

PRAYING FOR A CURE, but will never give up!!

PEACE AND JOY,
SHERRY
Brenda Cheney
24 May 2010, 17:08
I was told I had Osteo arthritis by 1 dr then my current dr did blood work cause my hands and wrists hurt so bad I could not do much of anything and was so tired most of the time I had to force myself to get out of bed and do things. My eyes are so dry and ache so much of the time. Well, it seems I have Both types of the Dreaded stuff! RA and Osteo. My vision is bad but now on Restatis, thank the Lord for special programs...I could not afford $234 a month for that. I wear compression gloves most of the time to help my pain. I have to resort to Lortab some nites to sleep. But I will NOT just sit and get old and stiff. I try to garden every chance the weather allows. ( this spring not too cooperative). I am finding differnt was to do things to help ease injury and pain to my hands, they hurt ALL the time and are so mis-shappen, but I will go on and I will not let this get the best of me. I just wish there was more that could be done for it. Beside scary drugs that warn of such dire possible side effects I chose not to use them.
Billie Lewis
18 May 2010, 21:29
I just got out of the hospital and I went by ambulance 4 days ago. I suffer from chronic pain due to an accident that happened 5 yrs. ago. but this was a very serious trip to the hospital this time. I had told my husband the night before I thought I was gonna die,but I still waited till the next morning because My husband was to tired to take me to the hospital so I told him that I'd go first thing in the morning and afer I woke up that was the first thing I done I had already packed my clothes to stay because I knew whatever it was it was serious. when got to the hospital I was told I had went unconcious and my blood pressure had dropped to 30 that is just about dead. But when i came to My legs was so swollen You couldent tell I had knees or ankles they had swelled up so much. I was devastated. So my doctor came in and asked if this had ever happened to me before I said yes but not anything like this, so they ran alot of test and at fisrt it was rhumatoid arthritis but a spedialist came in and he looked real close and said you dont have rhumotoid you have osteo. Im not that old but Iso gratefull to be able to talk to someone else that knows how i feel thank you so much for sharing your story I really need someone I can connect with because It's been almost 5 days and my feet are still pretty much swollen and I was also diagnosed with lung infection, and told I have a spot of emph
ezema on my lungs.
But Im not gonna have that Im beleivingthaat they diagnosed me wrong. Well God bless u all.
S.A. Shields
14 Apr 2010, 14:52
Isn't it about time that physicians are allowed to treat patients based on symptoms only and not the results of some blood test that does not indicate treatment. I have been borderline hypothyroid for years and have a history of rheumatoid disease in my maternal family. I am soon to be 57 and last winter was the worst, and my joints are enlarging and my vision deteriorating. Talk about health care crisis. It's a very cold day in our economy when a physician can order a comprehensive drug or alcohol screen and have some government entity pay for it without permission of the patient, but an acute rheumatic process cannot be curbed and my longevity be enhanced because the lab doesn't indicate it.

Leave a Comment

The comment function provides the opportunity to comment on the content above.

General comments or questions to Arthritis Today editors and medical experts can be submitted here. Past medical questions and answers are available here.

Promotion of products and services and other inappropriate comments are prohibited and will be removed. If you spot one of these before we do, please send an alert.

All fields are required but only your name and comment will be displayed. Your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose.

Name:
Email:
Text:

ADVERTISEMENT