Optic Neuritis?

Has anyone had optic neuritis? I had it in both eyes several years ago.

I'm just curious about others' symptoms... I have so many autoimmune diagnoses... but none of them can explain all of the extreme things I've experienced over the years.

Am I alone with this? Thanks for responding!

georgiabird said:

Has anyone had optic neuritis? I had it in both eyes several years ago.

I'm just curious about others' symptoms... I have so many autoimmune diagnoses... but none of them can explain all of the extreme things I've experienced over the years.

Am I alone with this? Thanks for responding!

Click to expand...

My eye doctor said crohns can cause inflamation in the eyes. I notice sometimes my right eye is all but useless, I see a blur when I close my left. Then after time it comes back to being better.

Hi Georgiabird

I was diagnosed with optic neuritis about 23 years ago. I'm not sure if it was a prelude for Crohn's disease or MS. At the time, my doctor said it was linked to MS since I was diagnosed with MS six months later. I was diagnosed with Crohn's about 10 years ago

The optic neuritis is in my right eye. I have no central vision with just a slight amount of peripheral vision. The amount of vision I lost has never been regained.

So...no, you're not alone with this!

Kismet

I thinks that the only place in my eye that has not been inflamed, but when i was getting my million second options it was part of a doctor dialogue. So it is an option, if that helps. Sorry, and good luck.

My reading has led me to believe that ON is mostly associated with MS. IBD tends to cause iritis and uveitis. Have you been checked for MS? I know it is one that no one likes to say outloud, but it is not always severe and is rarely a death sentence especially with all the new meds

Thank you all for the feedback.

Yes, I was watched following the ON for signs of MS, but that was all that happened. (thank goodness!)

I don't know what the dx is on my eyes, but I have very bad problems. They get inflamed, over dry, then my cornea? gets all scratched and not smooth and I can't see. I have lacrimal plugs in the inner corners of my eyes to try to keep tears on my eye balls, but I don't make many tears. sometimes it feels like the pressure in my eyes is going to make them explode, but the pressure tests have never shown extremely increased pressure which I guess means it's not in the eyeball but outside of it thats causing the pressure problem. I also have restasis but it doesn't help much.

Have your doctors checked you for Sjogren's? It is a common secondary condition and causes dry eyes, dry mouth and some other less common symptoms. Sjogren's can also be a primary illness. It is less common in IBD than it is with other conditons like RA, but it does happen. Your condition sounds serious. Are the doctors looking into better treatments for you? If not, maybe you should seek another opinion for your eyes. I am so protective of my eyes because I only have normal sight in one of them.

I'm about to seek out new doctors. I have to make an ophthalmologist soon, and I'll press them about the sjogren's thing.