Rapidly progressing problem with vision

[TiredNerd]

I have listed my conditions in my profile (to save space here). I was curious if anyone else has had this problem and what they might have done... My vision has had always been pretty good. A few months ago I started having trouble focusing my eyes on a target - this only occurred periodically and was only for a few minutes. However, over the past few weeks it has become an almost daily occurrence and is pretty constant. The eye doctor said there is nothing physically wrong with the eyeballs themselves and the optic nerves seems to be functioning correctly.

Part of the problem for the doctors is that I know the vision is blurry, but I can still make things out in such a way that my brain fills in the blurry spots (so I can pass a vision test for example). The letters may be blurry, but the definition is enough so I can piece together what they are. I just can't focus on them (or much else).

When this was just a periodic issue, I didn't really give it much thought - it was an annoyance. But now that it is occurring frequently and worsening I figured I would reach out. The docs don't seem to be able to help much since physically the eyeballs appear to be ok. Not totally sure where to go from here. Any ideas/feedback would be much appreciated!

[AgedCrone]

Did this happen post your Covid vaccinations?….I am still having problems with my eyes & my ears after my first two AZ vaccinations.

[TiredNerd in reply to AgedCrone]

Thanks for the reply. It all started pre-vaccination. It’s been 4 months since my booster and has only escalated lately.

[chelseabird]

Hi there,I assume the eye doctor tested for dry eye? Mine was tested via Schirmers and I have no tear production. It causes me varying levels of blurriness and seems worsening.

[TiredNerd in reply to chelseabird]

He did due to the Sjogrens diagnosis. Interestingly, he said my eyes have little-to-no issue with dry eyes. I get them on occasion, but usually if I’ve been exposed to the sun for too long.

[rituximabtoo]

Reduced central acuity (focus) for no apparent reason is symptomatic, and a first sign of MS. Nobody wants to hear or make this diagnosis, but it is a possibility. A visit to a neurologist might be advised. Good luck.

[SwimmerBTC]

I'm interested to hear what others have to say as I also have been suffering from blurred vision and difficulty focusing. I had my last annual eye test in June 2021 and the optician has referred me (via my GP) for further investigation at the eye hospital as she fears Glaucoma. My initial appointment came through for December 2022 and has since been triaged and bought forward to June 2022, but I wonder if I should be more proactive as I am finding my vision challenging .

Hope we both get some good suggestions from others' experience.

[janmary in reply to SwimmerBTC]

A glaucoma referral should be much quicker- did the optician do the pressure test? did your GP mention glaucoma specifically in the referral letter ?

[SwimmerBTC in reply to janmary]

Yes the pressure test was done and glaucoma was in the referral letter. 🤫

[Mandalou]

Hi TiredNerd,

I’m so sorry you are experiencing this rotten thing with your eyes.

I presume because your profile says you are on Plaquinel that you are having special and specific eye test screening for that?

Are you on oral steroids? Have you been tested for Diabetes?

This can cause problems with vision.

I hope you get some relief and an answer very soon.

Mx

[TiredNerd in reply to Mandalou]

Than you for the reply! I get to see the eye doc every 9 months thanks to Plaquinil. But I am on a low dose which is probably why he is never too concerned (but yes he does do some screenings related to it). I am not on steroids, and actually can’t be on them unless it’s life threatening because it triggers rapid mood swings. I get blood drawn every 3-4 weeks; so far, it seems like diabetes is one of the few things I never get

Thanks again for the reply!

[nomoreheels]

Sorry to hear this on top of all you cope with daily.

Just another angle from other suggestions you've received. I had terribly dry eyes on hydroxychloroquine, & sensitivity to the sun which affected my vision. Fortunately (or not) I was living in a sunny country at the time so didn't stand out too much wearing my RayBans outside all year round. It did mean I’d to stop wearing contact lenses as no matter how much I lubricated them my eyes were not having any of it. My Consultant arranged for me to have regular eye exams by the Opthalmologist in the same hospital. Everything went back to normal when I came off HCQ.

Don't know if any of this helps.

[TiredNerd in reply to nomoreheels]

Thank you for the reply! I will check with my rheumatologist (he put me on HCQ) and get his thoughts. He talked about taking me off it and changing things anyway since it had no effect. We will see soon I guess. :-). Thanks again

[nomoreheels in reply to TiredNerd]

That's basically what happened with me. It worked well initially but less so the longer I stayed on it & I was needing steroids so after around a year we decided to change it for MTX. I think I gave it long enough considering. No problem with my eyes since, except age related shape change meaning I no longer have shortsightedness but do need reading glasses.

I hope whatever it is can be resolved, better still resolves itself if it is HCQ, so coming off it will be interesting to see (pun not intended!).

[Braecoon]

Yes, I am seropositive for RA and suffered with several dozen ‘frozen’ (tendonitis) shoulders, bilateral ‘tennis’ elbows, carpal tunnel and De Quevins wrist joint episodes and a bursitis behind my Achilles’ tendon in the 1st few years of diagnosis. At one point Rheumatologist was considering PsA but because of my high factor count for RA has stuck with RA.

My right wrist remains slightly swollen and I have episodes of pins and needles in my thumb and first 2 fingers, but no further episodes of severe pain. Pre covid Rheumy appointments always involved an ultra sound scan of my wrist which always showed some inflammation. With covid and no F2F, this check has not been done for 2 years. I do worry, even with low level inflammation that eventually the tendon maybe damaged beyond repair despite continuing with Metoject 25mg keeping a lid on the RA. Keep a diary of your symptoms, phone photo of any visible tendon swelling and take along to your Rheumy appointments whatever form they are taking.

[Leics]

I’ve found that certain antibiotics play havoc with my eyes especially doxycycline I end up with flashing lights black spots (where I think there is a fly in front of my face) to name a few but the worse thing was diclofenic or Voltarol as this made my pupils dilate and I couldn’t see the floor had no depth perception at all. Everything went back to normal when it was stopped so as hydroxy is known for eye issues if you ask me, low dose or not it’s the culprit.