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Get your eyes checked

W

webbica

Hi Everyone
Can I urge everyone to get a regular eye checkup.
My Crohns affected my eyes in the form of Uveitis, this is inflammation within the eye, strangely I had no symptoms - usually people get red itchy and irritated eyes, all clues that something is wrong, but not in my case so it went unchecked. This led to a detached retina and subsequent loss of 80% vision in one eye. This was many years ago now, over the last three years my optician picked up that there was a lot of inflammation in my other eye and referred me to an eye specialist. Following bad reactions to the steroids to reduce the inflammation the pressure in my 'good ' eye was dangerously high, this didn't respond to treatment and I ended up having another operation on this eye to get the pressure down.
So please go and see an optician and mention that you have Crohns and ask them to check for inflammation
Love to all Carol x
 
ameslouise

ameslouise

Moderator
Good post - thanks for the reminder that we all need to keep our eyes in mind while managing our Crohns!

- Amy
 
moogie

moogie

Is there something we do not have to manage when we have this plague? Shees...

Thnaks for the heads up
 
carey

carey

i have been noticing lately that my right eye leaks alot. i have bad vision as it is. just one more thing to do on the crohns list!
 
sherry3535

sherry3535

Wow, good to know! Although I am only being treated for crohns, I do always get irritated blood shot eyes, and the past few weeks or more its constant with my eyes being blood shot and irritated, I was going to post to ask about it, but u guess now I need to make an appt, as I am over due anyways!
Thanks for the great advice!
 
Cat-a-Tonic

Cat-a-Tonic

Super Moderator
I saw my eye doc a couple months ago and I mentioned that I might have IBD (still undiagnosed). My eye doc checked but didn't see any inflammation or other problems with my eyes. In fact, my vision had improved in both eyes! I was shocked, that's never happened to me before. I'm wondering if it's due to inflammation and/or steroids (I'm currently on Entocort). It's weird how illnesses like this can affect so many other areas of the body! Before I got sick, if you had told me that an intestinal illness could affect the eyes (and the joints, and the bones, and the skin, and so on...) I wouldn't have believed you!
 
outlier

outlier

My crohn's started and focused on my eyes. I probley would have never been digonesed with crohn's if it weren't for my eye issues.

I have had scleritis, and uvitis which makes your eyes blood shoot. my scleritis has been nodular scleritis so only part of my eye get's red and little bumps form.

Infact all my anti inflammation meds are focused on my eyes. the fun part is because my eyes are inflamed, Doctors don't question my issues, since it's obvious i have inflammation.

i agree go to an eye doctor and get it checked out. it can cause damage if it's left to long.

if your on steroids the inflamation in your eye should go away. in addtion if you use steriod drops it can incresse the pressure in your eyes
 
Terriernut

Terriernut

Moderator
As I posted on another thread, a few days before I ended up in hospital in November I woke up with my left eye having several broken blood vessels. In the lower left part of my eye. 3 days later in hospital, perforated bowel...guess where...lower left sigmoid with a fistula thru my left fallopian tube. Sometimes our eyes are trying to tell us something!!! (i knew that at the time...but damned if i could figure out what it was...now I look at my eyes more. course that way i can avoid looking at the sagging jowls...very helpful! LOL)
Misty
 
S

Saphira

I took your advice and took Brandon to the eye Doctor. He had mild redness in his L eye but has had dry eyes at night for about a month. They found inflammation episcleritis. He's on Remicaid and Methotrexate, but inflammation appears to be breaking through.
 
H

hawkeye

Moderator
Staff member
Our local CCFC chapter had a seminar last night and one of the topics was extra intestinal manifestations - the three they focused on were joints / MSK, eyes and skin.

It was very informaive - some serious things can happen with the vision. One of the big takeaways from the session for me was if there are eye pain or vision issues get into see the doctor right away.
 
Jennifer

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
I got glasses recently and can now read things from far away. Eye doctor said it was Crohn's related.
 
Soybean

Soybean

Thanks for this post, it's another nudge for me to have my eyes tested and GET SOME GLASSES!!! When I was going through the process of being diagnosed my eyes developed cysts. I was sent to the optician and they found that I was even more short sighted than a year before. I think it's even worse now (8 months on) it's annoying cos I've had laser surgery to correct it TWICE! I guess my eyes just like being blurry...spose it makes everything look nicer ;)
 
Terriernut

Terriernut

Moderator
Siobhan, I can categorically state this....it's good to be short sighted as you get older. (not that you have that problem yet!) I personally think its Gods favour to us, so we cant see our chin hairs and wrinkles so well. And the flabby bits, and the....I could go on but you get it by now.

Strangely enough when I was younger my eyesight went to hell in a handbasket. Needed new glasses every three months! Then I stopped wearing my glasses and my eyes got better. Weird eh? ( i did still wear my glasses for night driving) But eyesight problems and crohns flares did tend to go hand in hand...and I could never explain why????
Misty
 
Jennifer

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
Terriernut said:
Siobhan, I can categorically state this....it's good to be short sighted as you get older. (not that you have that problem yet!) I personally think its Gods favour to us, so we cant see our chin hairs and wrinkles so well. And the flabby bits, and the....I could go on but you get it by now.
Click to expand...
I had a hard time looking at some people's faces (not mine) cause their pores were so large making it look like some skin disease. I also always put my glasses on and check how I did with my hair cause hair spray looks so obvious now. Didn't look wet before I put the glasses on. :p
 
W

webbica

The other point to my posting was that some eye inflammation can be unnoticed by the sufferer (a bit like some unknown effects of CD) so my suggestion is that if you have CD then make sure to mention it during any eye exam, and if you dont wear glasses or have eye exams take yourself along just to know its all OK. I lost the sight in one eye from a detached retina - resulting from undetected inflammation. and then lovely optician picked up this inflammation again 3 years back and although I had a nightmare with resulting glaucoma my sight has not suffered further.
 
C

Crohn's 35

Inactive Account
David said:
If you haven't already, I'd strongly suggest discussing that dosage with your doctor and making sure your vitamin D levels are ok. And give this thread a read.

*hugs*
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info David...ugh I bought them good thing they were on sale ....usually I research more but Vitamin D is far more important. I can't win :yfaint:
 
KWalker

KWalker

Moderator
I just went to the doctor not too long ago after developing really bad headaches while at school, and a hard time focusing so I was given glasses. The doctor said I've got really weak eyes, but he didn't mention anything about being crohn's related.. Interesting though
 
Sunny Gal

Sunny Gal

Retinal suto hole or wrinkle

webbica said:
Hi Everyone
Can I urge everyone to get a regular eye checkup.
My Crohns affected my eyes in the form of Uveitis, this is inflammation within the eye, strangely I had no symptoms - usually people get red itchy and irritated eyes, all clues that something is wrong, but not in my case so it went unchecked. This led to a detached retina and subsequent loss of 80% vision in one eye. This was many years ago now, over the last three years my optician picked up that there was a lot of inflammation in my other eye and referred me to an eye specialist. Following bad reactions to the steroids to reduce the inflammation the pressure in my 'good ' eye was dangerously high, this didn't respond to treatment and I ended up having another operation on this eye to get the pressure down.
So please go and see an optician and mention that you have Crohns and ask them to check for inflammation
Love to all Carol x
Click to expand...
I never related my retinal issues with having Crohns. But now I wonder
 
SarahAnne

SarahAnne

Absolutely have to go get my eyes checked! Grandma and Aunt on mother's side both had glaucoma. My mom has problems with her eyes too, she has Sjogren's syndrome and her pressure is high. She is near-sighted and has really bad astigmatism. She's been wearing glasses since she was in middle school.

The last time I went to the eye doctor (3 years ago!), I was slightly near sighted and I got glasses, mostly for reading and driving at night. My eyesight is much worse now. Also when I had my eye exam, they tested my eye pressure 3 times! It was so high the first time they thought it was a bad reading. The second time they thought the machine was broken so they got a different one. The third reading was just as high, but I couldn't explain it. At that time I had no idea about the family history.

Yikes! Don't want to have surgery on my eyes!
 
T

ThanksP

It is so important to get the eyes checked. I had Uveitis a few days before I got sick from Crohn's.

Also, prolonged steroid use can cause Glaucoma. My eye doc has me come in for a Glaucoma test every 2 months while on Prednisone just to be sure.
 
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