Forum Discussion
Anyone had eye problems since having Chemo??
Hey Ladies, I wanted to hear from anyone who has experienced any eye problems. Brenda I recall you did? I had my eyes tested last year after I noticed quite drastic deterioration in my vision, Id never had problems before, so about 6 months post Chemo it was and I then needed reading glasses. I'm not sure what is going on at the moment but In the span of 8 days Ive had 3 episodes of blind spots in both eyes, they can start out as a small spot but get bigger and then like jaggered lines radiating, with this I get random sharp pains in my head at different points. It lasts about 15-25 minutes. Its that bad I cannot see at all. I used to suffer migraines only now and then, not consistently. I am thinking of going to my Optometrist and asking the question..but thought id also ask here. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just purely migraine?
29 Replies
- Hi Mel,
Ive just been reading loss of estrogen can cause eye problems, so if youre on Zoladex and/or Arimidex, this could be contributing.
Might be worth looking into.
Hope this helps.
Kerry - I'm thinking the recent change in my vision, which includes intervals of blurriness and general difficulty focussing, is tied to the muscle damage caused by chemo. It seems to have affected every other muscle in my body, so why not the ones that focus my eyes? If it's something else, I really don't want to know at the moment
- Thanks Kath!!! Hey!!! whens your surgery??
- If sugar levels are high it affects the lens which can dramatically improve once sugar levels gone down and stable for 3 months. So best to get it checked I guess. Kath x.
- OK so I saw the Optometrist today, did eye pressure test, took photos and checked vision. My Retinas are good unchanged from 7 months ago, BUT my right eye has deteriorated ALOT and she doesnt know why. I have yet to have a peripheral eye test but I need new glasses for distance. She's confident that the blind spots etc are from Ocular Migraine. She has also asked me to go get tested for Diabetes. I wouldnt expect anything from that though as a possible cause of the deterioration in under 1yr. She did say its not just age that CHEMO accelerates alot of things unfortunately and I have firmly believed it affected my eyes. She did ask too if I was on TAMOXIFEN hmmmm which I said NO not since June 2015 due to recurrence. Interesting hmmm?
So I'll take the positive and say I'M OK! and that the right eye will slow down whatever is going on!! Melinda xo - Aaaah well best I get off the computer eeeek thanks Brenda xo
- The headache is the other eye trying to compensate. Not too much eye strain reading or it will get worse.
- @au0rei Yes I think its not actually my eyes as such. I do suffer dry eyes normally and I use polyvisc ointment at night when I sleep, but its not that. This is very typical of pre migraine vision, Ive just not had the vision impaired to this degree before, and 3 times in 8 days, having said that I have a headache since then this morning, all over my head and in my neck, so I feel it is migraine.
Thanks Brenda yes I remember now, I'll definitely get it checked out by the Optometrist first and rule that out and if it persists I'll go see my doctor.
xo Melinda - Yes I have a blocked vein at the back of my eye. At its worst it was like grey spots of fog in my vision which came and went intermittently. I started myself on 100mg of aspro daily but that was a bit much for me as I would bleed too easily so now I take half of that daily and it is resolving itself over time. Eye specialist still has no idea why it happened, will it happen again or will it cause long term damage but they have put me on 3mthly checkups. My actual vision is fine, not damage. I got them to check my eye reports against the glasses I currently have and they said there is not enough difference to warrant new glasses yet.
- It sounds like more than the eyes to me. Do you think a MRI of your whole head is better? MRI is safer scan. Good to see a doctor.
