Right eye impacted by left eye

[Ritualhazard]

hello folks

Well, after a long and difficult journey with my left eye trab it’s finally all working out. The pressure seems to have stabilised at ten and I’m slowly reducing the steroid drops. I’m down to three a day as of today after taking them every two hours for over three months. What’s very interesting though is the pressure in my right eye is now lower than it was before the trab in my left. Both eyes used to regularly spike up to 35 or above, now the right spikes are in the low 20s and sometimes not even that high (note I’m still taking the glaucoma drops in my right)

Has anyone else experienced this or heard of it? I’m hoping I may be able to avoid surgery in my right if I’m lucky.

[whitedog]

Hi

Glad things are improving for you.

I don't know the answer but it's an interesting one, and something I've wondered in the past. Perhaps if the drop gets into your bloodstream it could affect the other slightly?

I've been putting drops in my right eye for many years now and, as well as reducing the IOP, they've made my eye darker and lashes longer but no effects in my left I don't think.

[Ritualhazard in reply to whitedog]

thanks, I think my lashes are longer after years of drop use too. I wonder if I’ll be lopsided now I’m only using the drops in one eye 😊

[Beecalmed]

Glad to hear you are seeing progress! I don’t know if this could be the same with a Trab, but prior to having SLT I read somewhere that having SLT in one eye can sometimes see an improvement in IOP in the other untreated eye. I’ll try and find the article again as I now can’t recall why this would happen.

I have to add it didn’t work for me though. I had to have SLT in the other eye as the pressure drifted up in that eye. I’m not complaining though, as good target pressures in both eyes now and no evidence of progress at last check.

[Ritualhazard in reply to Beecalmed]

thanks, it would be interesting to see if this is a documented effect. Not that it changes anything but we’re all interested in what’s going on with our eyes aren’t we? Great to hear SLT has worked for you, it’s a journey and sometimes we have rest stops along the way

[Beecalmed in reply to Ritualhazard]

It certainly is a journey! Yes I was in the glaucoma fast lane for a while as I had vision loss and fluctuating IOPs and problems with drops, so a year ago discussion started about me having a Trab but as I’m relatively young and my journey will be long, my consultant persisted with SLT first, I settled on combination of eyedrops that I’m not allergic too and I seem to have found some respite. On the side I’ve also started having acupuncture for other issues but wonder if it’s also contributed to IOP improvement. Either way I’m enjoying my respite. Well I would…but I now have sciatica. 🙄 That’s life, hey?!😂

[Cornwalleyes]

Yes, I had my trab at the end of August and the other eye pressure has been consistently lower since then. The consultant has no idea why this may be happening. And sadly yes I now have the trab eye with no drops and short eyelashes whilst the other eye which I’m still taking my normal drops for has nice long fluffy lashes,…. 😉

[Ritualhazard in reply to Cornwalleyes]

thanks. Glad to hear your trab is going so well. Interesting the impact to the other eye isn’t it? I saw the note from Trish below, looks like there is anecdotal evidence of this effect but nothing studied or acknowledged by the experts

[Cornwalleyes in reply to Ritualhazard]

I guess if each consultant only has one patient where it happens they don’t think much of it. I’m back to see mine in March - to check on the non operated eye. If the pressures are low again I’ll mention it to him and tell him there are others on the forum that it’s happened to.

[PBX142]

I find that when one eye pressure is lower (my trab eye), the other tends to be lower, and when my trab eye is higher, the other is higher. I asked the specialist about this - if there is a corelation - but she thinks not. So who knows. It may be coincidence, maybe not - but there is so much about glaucoma, especially NTG which I have - that is still a mystery.

[Ritualhazard in reply to PBX142]

thanks. That seems to be the general gist - no real understanding but no evidence of one eye impacting the other

[RunnerWithPG]

I recently had a trab on my right eye, the day after the trab my left eye was at 10mmHg. Previously it'd been 15 - 18. It's crept up again now though, and is actually now 21, and I'm booked in for a trab on that eye too now. Pressure in my right eye seems good now, but unfortunately I lost a lot of vision in it before the trab was done.

[Ritualhazard in reply to RunnerWithPG]

good luck with your second trab.

[Trish_GlaucomaUK Partner]

Hello Ritualhazard,

I'm glad to read your trab is now settling. I have just asked a consultant regarding the lower IOP in your other eye since the Trab. They have commented that it is probably just a coincidence, as it isnt something that normally happens.

[Ritualhazard in reply to Trish_GlaucomaUK]

thanks. There seems to be some anecdotal evidence but nothing more. Appreciate the teply

[Efabear]

Interestingly my good eye has started behaving since I had cataract surgery on the other. The pressure was always in the low 20s despite 3 x drops. Now on just 1 x drops it is often under 18?! All very strange and difficult to explain me thinks but good news all the same

[Ritualhazard in reply to Efabear]

good news indeed. We’ll take it!

[Eahldt]

I also can identify with this as the same thing happened to me. After a trab in my left eye the pressure in my right eye reduced to a similar level to the left eye. I discussed this with my consultant who said there is current research into this and the part played by the brain in controlling eye pressure. However I don’t have any references to papers on the subject. When I first started using Lumigan about 15 years ago I got the same lopsided eyelashes effect. I asked my then consultant if I could put the drops in both eyes and he agreed so I got lovely balanced eyelashes. However, I now currently only need drops in my right eye and don’t feel like using drops unnecessarily so I’m back to the lopsided effect and extra mascara on one side!

[Ritualhazard in reply to Eahldt]

thanks. I haven’t dared to use make up post surgery yet. But it’s an option 😀