PLEASE HELP. Fibromyalgia and eye pain?? Anyone else? Is this normal?

[sarahliz]

I have Fibromyalgia and have been experiencing horrible eye pain for 6 months now. I have gone to several eye doctors and my eyes check out to be perfectly fine. I do wear glasses, but my prescription is up-to-date. I am no longer able to read the way I used to and my eyes are constantly tired and feel heavy. It hurts to gently touch my eyelids and movement worsens the pain. Please please help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Does anyone else have this problem?

[Hidden]

Hi Sarah

Are you sensitive to bright light?

I used to get severe eye pain too and have them checked regularly because of the flashes and floaters that I also get. I was classified as being clinically photophobic a few years ago and now get tinted lenses. They've been marvelous at reducing my eye pain.

Of course we are different people so what helps me won't necessarily help you but it is a pause for thought!

I thought you may be interested in this link to a 'Post from the Past' discussing eye problems:

healthunlocked.com/fibroact...

Wishing you wellness and sending lucky shamrock fluffies to you

xxxsianxxx

[Julie63]

Hi sarahliz, I have been having problems with my eyes and have posted about going to have them dilated on 31st. Hopefully they'll just say it's fibro as there seems to be a lot of us who get eye probs. Gentle hugs. Julie xxx

[Hidden]

Hi, so sooty to hear about your eye pain. I too can totally sympathise. I have dreadful photophobia all year round with natural and artificial light, and it doesn't even need to be sunny to hurt my eyes. They also ache a lot, and the eyelids feel bruised and tender. I'm told there is nothing visibly wrong with my eyes, other than really massive pupils which let in all the light - they have no idea why so I guess it could be Fibro related. I have had meningitis twice though which has probably contributed to it, but the pain was definitely there before the meningitis, just worse afterwards. I'd be interested to see if many other people get this as I've always so dered if it was just the way my eyes are made or if it's come with Fibro x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Sorry not sooty! Autocorrect strikes again xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi hunny how are doing? I chuckled, sorry

[cervasa in reply to Hidden]

Hello,

I to suffer with Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and multiple chemical sensitivity. I was seen by a doctor at women's college hospital in Toronto Ontario and she told me to take magnesium, it is supposed to help with pupil dialation. I guess out eyes have muscles just like the rest of our body and we all suffer from muscle pain. I haven't found a Magnesium that doesn't floor me or give me diarrhea, the pharmacist said that your doctor can order a Magnesium from a lab and it will be tailored to your needs. Going to look into that.

[Mandypandy1969 in reply to Hidden]

my eyes are sore and heavy and my weakest eye eyelid seems to be partially over my eye, lazy eye. x

[phlebo123]

Hi Sarah,

I often feel like I have been "punched" in both eyes. ... a sort of heavy, tired feeling. As my glasses prescription is ok and I get my eyes checked yearly I have always assumed it is another of my fibromyalgia symptoms.

I find that I can only read for short periods of time, as my eyes get tired and I start to lose concentration.

I also seem to find that my eyes are either too dry or too watery a lot of the time.

Sorry I can't really offer any advice... just "pacing" and resting your eyes frequently.

Xx

[lekcam]

Hello, I would get this from to time. I then need to turn the light down in my rooms, kindle and ipad. Wearing sunglasses also helps and lying down with an eye mask which I keep in the fridge also helps me.

[TheAuthor]

Hi sarahliz

I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? I am so sorry to read that you are having eye problems at this time.

I was personally told by my GP that my eye muscles were getting tired, and just like other muscles, they were being affected by my Fibro. However, whenever we get a new pain or an increase in pain, we should always have it checked out by our GP, just to ensure it is nothing else and also have our minds put at ease.

Take care

Ken x

[Jjudith]

OMG I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was my first symptom and the first time I experienced medical staff treating me like an idiot - one doctor at Moorfields even asked me if I wanted her to make up a diagnosis, as there was nothing wrong with my eye. I had horrible, horrible, horrible, pain in my left eye. Nothing helped it at all - I tried everything. Eventually after a few months of researching and the symptoms spreading to the left side of my face, and the help of my wonderful dentist, I realised I had myofascial pain syndrome, I diagnosed myself and it was later confirmed by a specialist, I also have symptoms of fibro and interstitial cystitis now. 70% of people with fibro have myofascial pain syndrome. Muscles go into knots and the fascia becomes distorted and causes pain which can be referred - in my case, to the eye. It also causes tinnitus, dizziness, balance issues, and it can cause distortions of vision such as blurring, double vision and eye pain. I treat it with trigger point therapy, I use the book of Clare Davies called TRigger Point Therapy Workbook. Basically when I get eye pain I find the trigger point, which in my case is usually the edge of the temporal muscle, and I massage it. I get instant relief. My vision was so badly affected, I had to carry about 8 pairs of glasses with me everywhere I went to read, because the accommodation of my eye kept changing from hour to hour, so in effect my eyesight was useless. It caused me so many problems that eventually I had to have the lens changed in my eye, the same as a cataract operation, but I didn't have cataracts. Then they did my right eye afterwards to protect it in case the same thing happened on the right side of my face. My eyes are wonderful now. I don't think many people will have the extreme problems I had, but just to tell you so that if you have any of these symptoms, you know what is happening. You need to get your eyes checked in case the pain is anything else. You can try eye drops as sometimes with Myofascial Pain and fibro you can get dry eyes. Oh, I really feel for you, but I don't have much eye pain or eye symptoms now, so please keep your spirits up. Love and soft hugs. x

[Mandypandy1969 in reply to Jjudith]

I have a funny feeling over my face and forehead, hard to describe. x

[omshanti12]

Hello Sarahliz,

Yes, indeed! I also have fibromyalgia and before treatment had lots of eye pain, blurring, photosensitivity, dizziness, etc. It is a very common symptom with fibro and it's very frustrating when doctors say things like that. The pain was excruciating at one time, piercing and made me stop what I was doing. This has decreased greatly since I started treatment with Cymbalta (Duloxetine) about 2 years ago. The main eye symptom I have now is the photosensitivity which comes and goes willy-nilly, like so many fibro symptoms! I try to remember my sunglasses when I go out, even on a grey day as it's not always bright when it happens. I spend quite a bit of time on-line or reading so I need to remember to "exercise my eyes" from time to time, eg slow eye-rolling, shifting focus, looking side to side and up and down.

There was also a reply to you from Jjudith recommending the book about trigger point therapy by Clare Davies - I also have this and I agree with Jjudith that it's very helpful.

I have a fibro friend who is so light sensitive that she wears sunglasses all the time indoors and out, as well as a baseball cap to stop light getting in from above, extreme but at least this prevents the crippling migraines she had before!

Hope all things sinister have been ruled out and maybe you could tell that doctor about our replies, she may consider a diagnosis of fibro in a future consultation and this can only be helpful to her patients.

God bless you and keep you safe dear Sarahliz,

Om Shanti 12

[Mandypandy1969 in reply to omshanti12]

I wear sunglasses and a cap too. my eyes have car headlights too and fluorescent lighting. when I worked in my first job years ago, my bulb in the fluorescent light had to be removed as I kept getting migraine. I was in my teens obviously and now 49. this has been going inn for years. x

[itsdebs]

I feel your pain. No only did my eyes ache, but the strain on my eyes caused me to update my script yet again... The eye ache and the headaches are quite the pair... If you can control your eye ache, the headache pain isn't far behind...

[Ginsing]

I have a similar problem . Reading was always a joy now it is increasing difficult. I ave increased the strength also use a prism but my eyes get hot itch an have floaters Now what I do is relax with cucumber or a piece of cotton wool that has been in the fridge so it is cold placed over the eye lids stay put for fifteen mins. Then whipe eye with baby wipe you should feel more refreshed.

Good luck

xgins

[lcm27]

Hi,

I also have trouble with my eyes, blurred vision, dry, gritty, tired, cant focus and my glasses hurt. My gp gave me eye drops, a phial per eye so I don't have to throw the tube away after so many days. This was after my optician said I wasn't making the right type of tears although my eyes watered. My gp said this was a classic fibro symptom. Last week the muscle in the near corner of my eye (next to the nose) went into spasm, real spasm and it was like my eye was juddering, I couldn't drive, read, do anything, it lasted about 10 days in all and finally calmed down, this was the first time it had been really bad like this, not just the usual tic you get when your eyes are tired. So if it comes again, I might see if I can get to my optician, but I reckon its probably just part of the good old fibromyalgia.

Gentle hugs x

[RIBBONPINK]

i have same problem,my eyes feel like a bruised feeling and face muscles.my eyes get very dry i use spray.

[LyndelJO]

I'm not encouraged reading how old these posts are but here goes. I've had stabbing intermittent eye pain for over 3 years. I've seen 3 ophthalmologists and they tell me it's "dry eyes". Restasis has helped the dry part but the stabbing in one area of my left eye which began when I was hospitalized for blood loss. The reason for loosing blood for 7 days via bowel was never found. I spent 9 days in the hospital undergoing tests. It feels like an ice pick being stuck in the left corner of my left eye. And it's driving me crazy. I would love to find the reason.

[nelliebelle]

Hello! I stumbled upon this thread in my google searches and hope to offer some insight for anyone who suffers from fibro and eye pain.

Research is beginning to establish a link between fibro and histamine intolerance (HIT): healthrising.org/blog/2015/.... Histamine is a neurotransmitter associated with inflammatory processes, such as those that occur in response to contact with allergens. Histamine itself isn't bad, but if you can't break it down it just builds up and circulates throughout the entire body, leading to chronic inflammation.

This makes sense when you think about it, as the pain felt in patients with fibro is generalized to the entire body, and is even described as a "flare" due to its association with inflammation. This also makes sense when the pain is centralized to certain areas. Due to the sensitivity of ocular tissue to histamine-related inflammation, allergy sufferers experience symptoms in the eye similar to what has been described here: dryness, redness, burning, watering, swelling, pain. I'm fuzzy on the science (has to do with the concentration of mast cells vs. histamine in the eye), but someone by the name of Nowak published a lot about this in the 80s if you want to read about it yourself (e.g. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/323....

I've found wonderful relief from enzymes that break down histamine (such as DAO) for my symptoms such as eye pain, mental fog, and restless leg syndrome. The problem is that these enzymes cost a buck a pill and have an extremely short half life, so it ends up costing me upwards of $10 a day to function when I'm having a flare. However, the first website I mentioned states that a patient with fibromyalgia took ketotifen, an antihistamine, and said she was pain free for the first time in years. A Google search indicates that one can purchase these OTC in the form of eye drops and by prescription for oral use. Perhaps this is something eye pain sufferers can benefit from--I know I'll be making my way to Walgreens as soon as I hit post on this thread!

Also, websites recommend a low histamine diet to reduce inflammation, and a diet rich in DAO-producing foods in order to help the body "right" itself. You can read more about it here: bodyecology.com/articles/do....

TL;DR

Try eye drops with ketotifen as the active ingredient, and talk to your doctor about getting a script for ketotifen oral.