I have been on apixaban for over 5 years. Over the past 4 months I've been experiencing bleeding in one eye. After many scans, an angiogram and even an ultrasound, the Drs have been unable to locate the source of the bleed.This condition causes me to lose complete vision in one eye.
Has anyone else experienced this?
The NHS have something somewhere that enables a patient to check out their medication and side effects. Suggest you put in your search engine something like " Apixaban and side effects".
I've only tried one of these new DOAC's - Edoxaban - and had such vile side effects I wrote to my GP and TOLD her I would never accept any of these new DOAC's ever again. I elected to remain with my good old buddy .... Warfarin. Job done - sorted.
In my purely personal view none of these new DOAC's were researched long enough in the labroratories before being lurched/launched into the market place. Further, in my view your doctors haven't tried hard enough to find the cause of your problem.
Good wishes for the future.
Hi Doug,
It sounds as if there is an enormous lack of care here. There must be a reason for your eye to bleed and considering you are on an anticoagulant, l think l would keep pursuing this until you have the answer.
I note you are in Canada, so don’t know how your health system works, but there must be a higher authority that you can turn to for help, or to make a complaint. I think you need to keep making some noise until you get some answers. I would not be happy with a situation that was threatening my eyesight. Best of luck.
Why did they do an angiogram if the bleed is in your eye? I don’t understand the ultrasound either. I would think a specialist ophthalmologist might be needed to determine why it may be happening. I’d seek a referral asap before permanent damage is done.
Hi forensicfairy, just to say that I too have a retinal bleed and all the above tests are on the eye. Because I opted for lasering what you can see today instead of waiting for an appt at another hospital for an angiogram to be more exact and enable them to see all the leaking blood vessels, I apparently forfeited my angiogram. (UK) I am horrified to learn that you can totally lose your sight! I had blurred vision and a big black splodge in the centre so couldn't focus for depth & fell down a couple of steps in a restaurant in France last May. They couldn't use laser then as couldn't see the problem area. A month ago after gradual clearing up of the trillion black pin pricks and the splodge, it started again. I have refused a vitrectomy but asked if they couldn't laser anything to try and stop it, which they did at that same appointment a month ago. But the black dots continued to appear and grow. I tried Apixaban and got horrendous side effects. Take herbal remedies now and my prothrombin time is very high.
How is an angiogram conducted on an eye?
Hi Doug, I've been on Apixaban for a couple of years now. Prior to that I was on Xarelto. My vision in one eye began to distort so much so that I wasn't able to see straight lines. I also began experiencing fractured colors, like looking through a kaleidoscope. My optometrist luckily got me into seeing an ophthalmologist who informed me I had a retina bleed in my right eye and I required eye injections to stop the bleed. Did you also go for the injections? I now have macular degeneration in the same eye, and the injections are every 3 months now. But it's very concerning as my vision has become so poor in that one eye.
I was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration in my right eye when my vision distorted suddenly. I asked the consultant if the Edoxoban I started taking in January 2023 for atrial fibrillation (sudden onset of AF ). He couldn’t say definitely but did say better to be on the blood thinner than not with the risk of stroke which made sense to me. I have injections presently every 8 weeks and a careful watch is made on my unaffected eye to ensure the same doesn’t occur.
Thos is what I read after my retina bleed and caused me such concern about taking Xarelto: Xarelto, a blood thinner, can have several side effects related to the eyes, including eye hemorrhage (bleeding in the eye), conjunctival hemorrhage, vitreous hemorrhage, and nonfatal intraocular bleeding. These can sometimes lead to blurred vision or sudden loss of vision. Additionally, yellowing of the eyes or skin (jaundice) can be a sign of liver problems, which can also be a side effect of Xarelto. Scary stuff!
Wonderful isn’t it? Pills given to help one thing cause other problems and side effects! I hate taking medicines but they are perhaps a necessary evil!
What a worry for you, yes I have had bleeding in one eye but only the once, put it down to a small blood vessel bleed, I hope they are carrying out further investigations with yours. Good luck x
Hi,
Do you have diabetes? I had a vitreous haemorrhage in my left eye last year and I went completely blind. My eye filled up with blood because the blood vessels were bleeding. I needed surgery to treat the haemorrhage and laser eye treatment to stop the blood vessels bleeding. I have diabetic retinopathy whereby the small blood vessels leak but I had a major haemorrhage leading to the blindness. Perhaps, you need to be referred to a specialist ophthalmologist for further support. Or you could visit your local high street opticians and request a thorough eye examination.
Take care and good luck. I hope you get better soon.
TTxx.
I've not lost vision but have had two eye bleeds. One on holiday so no going to optician. The other , they checked out, said nothing to worry about. I can't be of more help
I don't know if Apixaban causes more spontaneous subcutaneous bleeding. I was on it for a while and my legs were always erupting in petechiae and purpura, when I changed back to Rivaroxaban, they are far less frequent. It is probably just coincidence.
Hi Doug, I have a vitreous haemorrhage caused by neovascular retinal leakage. But not to the extent of losing complete vision-how awful for you! I could see shapes and colours round the edges and after about 3 weeks the blurring began to clear up. So I've been very lucky compared to yourself. I'm left with swirling black lacy cobweb in the centre of my vision and a myriad grey dots that used to be black. But it focuses properly. Have you been offered a Vitrectomy? One of the Opthalmologist Consultants here in West Sussex is very keen to do this on me, but as I can see pretty well, with just slight lacy cobwebs to look through, I'm not tempted. But he says they replace the vitreous humour with sea water and all the bits and bobs would be gone. However,I know someone who lost their sight completely through a botched op. I hope your bad bleed clears up all by itself like my moderate one partly has!
A photo of my husband's eye. He's not on blood thinners but he is diabetic and takes various tablets for That and BP. The ophthalmologist said to ignore it and it would clear which it did in a couple of weeks. No reason was ever given.
Hi Doug - Apixaban for 8 years and I do experience eye bleeds 2 or 3 times per year but I don’t lose vision. Also occasional Ocular Migraines. I put it down to hypertension.
I have had two bleeds in the eye. I take warfarin. I went straight to my optician and he arranged for me to go straight to A and E at the eye hospital where they found a small tear at the back of the eye and followed up with immediate laser treatment so I was back at home a few hours later.
I want to thank all of you who replied. As I am in Canada and a Senior, I am subject to our rationed healthcare system. The two special tests that I had (Ocular Angiogram & Ocular Ultrasound) took over 3 months to complete due to our wait times.
My Ophthalmologist (who is pretty good), is considered the best retinal specialist in the Province (BC) has put my next appointment off 6 months so he can deal with his other 10,000 patients - now you all can see what we are dealing with here in Canada.
My next course of action is to go to my local E. R. (A & E?) when I am having a bad bleeding episode. I am told that they usually have an Ophthalmologist on call. Just to get a second opinion.
Thanks again to you all for the support.
Doug
I am also from BC. In addressing waiting times, the current government got its way, and we do not have private clinics here. Won't it be wonderful to have a private AF clinic here. If you have some money set aside, you may want to have a consultation out of country or even out of province.
I did that some years ago when my family doctor kept me to persistent AF before he would refer me. At referral, the waiting time for ablation would surely have got me to long-standing AF. I packed it in for Canada as I was 5 months persistent . The waiting time for Bordeaux, France (actually Pessac) was one month. Unfortunately, I was so far gone that I had to have three ablations total -- all in France.
I am fine now - best choice I made, but big bucks involved for three total ablations for which I have absolutely no regrets. Yes, we have health care in Canada, but in some areas, it is truly lacking.
Wish you well in getting sorted out in BC
Beta blockers for Glaucoma
Bleeding on anticoagulants
PROBLEM WITH APIXABAN - ADVICE NEEDED
A week since my first cataract op.
