Does anyone know what the symptoms of cataracts developing are, after long-term use of inhaled steroids and/or prednisolone? I've heard cataracts are common symptoms, and I wonder how one knows one is developing them. I've been on Trimbow 172.5 for 6 months and on 2 mg prednisone for 2.5 years; prior to that I was on Seretide for almost 20 years. Today I noticed a lot of new "dust particles" and "fibers" floating in front of the "image" in my eyes when looking at the sky. If these are cataracts, are they easy to remove/manage? I was not good with rinsing my mouth after having switched to Trimbow from Seretide. Before, I could feel the Seretide "powder" in my mouth, so I normally would rinse it; with Trimbow I do not feel anything (feels like Vontolin), so I became sloppy.
cataracts b.c. of long-term steroids - Asthma Community ...
cataracts b.c. of long-term steroids
What you are describing doesn’t sound like cataracts. People describe cataracts as like looking through a net curtain. Over time that net curtain grows denser and you need to have lens of the eye replaced.
Cataract surgery is very common and has a high success rate. In uk they will do one eye - usually the worst - followed by the other. Mainly people have bi lateral cataracts, hence the need to do the procedure twice.
It is important to get your eyes regularly checked by an optician who can then monitor not only for cataracts but also for other sight conditions. In the UK it was advised to be seen once a year but now the recommendation is it can go to every two years. I still try to go yearly!
If you have any concerns about your eyes you are best to visit an optometrist/optician for a check. There are many things that can go wrong with eyes but if it is picked up early there are many things that can be done to help.
Many thanks, Bevvy!
I would be a little cautious with the net curtain analogy as this can also describe a retinal detachment, when I developed cataracts I had no noticeable alteration in vision but following surgery it was clear that my colour perception had been affected.
I got a curtain over part of my right eye and by the time I got to see a surgeon I had a macular off retinal detachment with a tear and two holes. Thanks to superb surgeons I have retained my sight in that eye.
Having worked with the visually impaired for 30years I would like to think I have some idea what I was talking about! The description I gave is a common way of describing cataracts. Although as with most conditions there will be some people who have an unusual presentation. A retinal detachment is very different and I would agree with the curtain (not net curtain) analogy. Also a retinal detachment tends to be a sudden change rather than the gradual change of cataracts.
I also made the point that 1. People should visit their optician regularly and 2. If a person is concerned about their vision they should make an appointment straight away.
I will further clarify that if there is any significant pain or a sudden loss of sight people should attend a doctor or A&E.
As said there are very many different eye conditions and I could give warnings and explanations about them but this was a specific question about cataracts, hence my response.
My detached retina was like a net curtain that I could see through and developed over about 10 days. This was exactly one year after I developed cataracts due to high steroid use. Except for my sight changing rapidly over the proceeding year I had no other symptoms prior to being told I had cataracts in both eyes.
Well all I can say is your case is different to most people with a detached retina. Usually a detached retina is noticed straight away and people are operated on extremely quickly rather than a gradual worsening.
Another reason that it’s important people have their eyes checked regularly (and I encourage yearly rather than 2 years) is because unless accompanied by sudden pain - eg with acute glaucoma - people often don’t realise their vision is developing a problem until it’s spotted by an optometrist/optician. I know of people who have driven to optician and been sent straight to hospital (and not by driving) to be told something very serious is happening. Thankfully those situations are not common place but I do know it happens.
I hope your treatment for detached retina was successful and you are able to get out and about with ease.
whatis bi lateral? my sister has to have cataract op she i s terrified we think the ruddy asthma steroid inhalers has caused it she has 2 types of cataract and we dont know what that means, i wasnt with her and she never asked? she is a nervou swreck anyway an d this is sending her over the edge
Ok very simply bi lateral means both eyes. So she will need cataracts removed in both eyes. They usually do one eye at a time, and it will be her worst eye first. Then depending on severity of other eye it will be a number of weeks before they do that eye.
What I will say is that a high proportion of adults over the age of 65ish will require cataract surgery. Therefore it isn’t necessarily the inhalers that have caused the problem. These days cataract surgery is extremely straightforward. She won’t feel any pain and almost straight away will be amazed at how well she is seeing. Especially colours become vibrant and bright. She will need to put in drops several times a day for a few weeks and should be given an “eye dropper “ to assist with this. If not they are easily obtainable from chemists and even Amazon. It’s important not to rub the eye and maybe given an eye patch to wear initially. This is important especially at night when she may unintentionally rub her eye in her sleep.
Hope the above helps her to realise that there really is no need to be really worried about it.
yes thankyou i have been reading a few horror stories myself and i have to have mine done at some point, it shorroble when you are a nervous person thankyou bevvy
Hi.I’ve just had cataracts removed - not sure what caused them, but apparently they advanced very quickly - maybe due to high dose inhalers? Who knows.
At first I didn’t notice anything except my reading sight was getting worse. Eye check showed cataracts but I didn’t really notice although my distance sight was a little worse but not bad enough to need glasses.
From there they were small changes. Not being able to read the questions on pointless, not being able to make out what things were in the distance. Then on a drive to the dentist the windscreen seemed murky. Got home and gave it a good clean inside and out. Next time I went out it was just the same. From there things went downhill quite quickly. I saw something on the carpet and went to pick it up - it was the pattern! Halos around lights and the streetlights were like Blackpool illuminations - brilliant red flowers and silver explosions.
The interesting thing about it was my reading sight just got better and better - I could read for the first time in decades without glasses.
The op to remove them was dead simple - about 10 mins or so for the actual op. The change in vision was immediate - lovely bright colours - my house didn’t need decorating at at, and yes, those bright white lightbulbs were too much!
When I had cataracts my main symptom was that when I looked at street lights or car headlights it seemed that the bright light was surrounded with "rays" of light coming out. Signposts got harder to read as well. They remove them with an operation done under local anasthetic. After my operations (one for each eye) I was walking with my husband past a car park & I suddenly stopped & said "look at those cars, the colours"! My husband obviously thought I'd gone mad, but I was just astonished at how vivid they were. You lose the sight gradually & don't notice, but it's wonderful when you get it back.
I discribed it as colour on steroids after I had surgery!!
"Colour on steroids" is A+. 
My optician told me earlier this year that I have early signs of cataracts but I haven't noticed any change in my eyesight yet. They advised me to use good quality sunglasses outdoors as that slows down their progress. Unfortunately, decades of inhaled steroids and occasional Prednisolone use have probably been the cause - cataracts don't run in the family (I assume that one can be genetically predisposed to them).
I have annual eyesight tests as I have glaucoma, another side effect of the LAMA inhaler. I stopped that 2, maybe 3, years ago and my glaucoma has subsided.
I always get asked about floaters but I don't have any to speak of, but that's clearly something that needs checking.
I now cleanse my eyes in a solution daily and also use drops for dry eyes if they feel uncomfortable. Definitely see an optician regularly and ask for advice on how to take care of your eyes now. Prevention is better than cure.
Floaters are the result of the virtuous fluid in the eye aging I believe. If they become really troublesome they can be zapped by a special laser or removed in an operation called a vitrectomy.
My cataracts developed due to a high dosage of steroids after a severe chest infection.
You can tell cataracts are developing as your prescription for glasses alters very quickly, at least it was in my case so I went to see an ophthalmologist. I had cataracts in both eyes and had them removed three days apart. It is not true that the cataract has to be at the “right stage” to be removed and can be done at any time.
I’ve used inhaled steroids for 40 years. I have floaters, which are a nuisance. It sounds more like that to me but always worth getting it checked out.
My floaters got so bad that despite having them zapped by lasers the surgeon could not get them all so recommended I had a vitrectomy which I had done at St Thomas.
Wow, I’ve never had them zapped. Is that done on the NHS?
Sadly not zapped on the NHS and only worth the money if they are sure of getting them all.
If the floaters are really bad then the. Option is to learn to live with them, they drove me mad, or to get a vitrectomy. I paid for mine but the other people having surgery the day I did were all NHS.
>>>If the floaters are really bad then the. Option is to learn to live with them
I wonder if one has lasik done, whether one could have the floaters removed. Sort of like replacing the water pump when replacing the timing belt in the car ("might as well")
Different part of the eye and treated usually by different surgeons. LASIK is the front of the before the lens whilst floaters are in the vitreous in the back of the eye.
However the surgeon that did my lasik surgery also had the lasers to do floaters but couldn’t do the vitrectomy as it was the ‘back’ of the eye!
Thank you, Oldangray. I had no clue where floaters were residing (I thought they were in the front of the eye, for whatever reason). I hope if/when I am having a LASIK the surgeon will at least pay attention to other potential problems, even if he/she cannot deal with them at the time.
Do you regularly visit an optician? If not, book yourself into one. They can spot early signs of cataracts as well as many other eye issues
Thank you, all, for the great responses. Indeed, I need to see an optician, a habit that I haven't yet developed (I do not wear glasses). It is also reassuring that even if the floaters and/or cataracts become a nuisance, they can be removed.
Half the people I know have had cateract operations, none of them are/were on any kind of steroid. As Bevvy says, important to get eyes checked regularly. I think it’s free over retirement age.
Went to optician in November for new distance glasses and my first pair of reading glasses, my lenses were clear at that point. Then got lung infection that wouldn’t shift, had to go through 2 rounds of antibiotics and 30mg per day of prednisone (over 5 days) in December. Went back to opticians yesterday as reading glasses particularly in left eye was still fuzzy. They tested again and struggled to see through my lens due to being opaque! I have now been diagnosed with steroid induced cataracts, which have grown over less than a month!
Definitely go to your opticians, they have all the equipment to give your eyes a thorough check.
I was just told I have a cateract in my left eye, and am developing one in my right. The symptom is that you have blurry vision in that eye. I am young to have this - so they figure it is from the years of steroids for asthma and lupus/RA.
My left eye is the worst, and my vision is so bad - I can’t even read the largest letter they get you to read on vision tests. Night driving is a nightmare! Headlights from vehicles are so bright and flared.
Did they suggest that you have a surgery to remove them?
I will know about that tomorrow at my appointment with the specialist.
I had that problem with headlights due to cataracts,plus large haze round streetlights+ beams.cataract op improves it
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