Out of focus steriods or GCA

[Woodiesmum]

Can anyone else confirm this x I am fed up of trying to focus and it’s like a switch that just pushes it out x getting really fed up now x all I do is squint and I have new glasses x but I have noticed it’s worse on the night x

[Kath567]

I have been told for me the blurriness is the steroids. It drives me crazy. I used to be able to see the tv just in September, now have trouble. My eyes are way worse. Have you been to an ophthalmologist?

[SnazzyD]

Hello,

My eyes are rubbish since the steroids. My glasses don’t quite work properly as it is so variable. I get my pressures checked every three months and the optician said not to bother getting new glasses unless desperate because my focus is like moving sands. Night is worse. When theGCA started my eyesight just shut down rather than being bright but fuzzy.

[Woodiesmum in reply to SnazzyD]

I thought I was going crazy x I was going to go back down to get them checked again not for lenses but to make sure there isn’t anything else going on

[SnazzyD in reply to Woodiesmum]

Well, it never hurts to get them checked. There are other problems other then GCA! 🙂

[Woodiesmum in reply to SnazzyD]

Well when I went last month I was told I have cataracts now x I am only 53 and angry at docs for leaving me so long as I was begging for help in 2009

[Hidden]

Hello Woodiesmum. Yes more early morning blurring for myself on steroids but have now gone into diabetic territory & think it could be either or the GCA! The one positive side for myself is another excuse to beat off the sales pitch at the opticians for a new pair of glasses. I now have 4 pair including varifocals & at least one pair does the job at that moment. ATB

[Woodiesmum in reply to Hidden]

Aw bless x I am checking for diabetes too x but I am on s low carb diet which my hubby and me started when he became type 2 x but after years on it he has now deresgistrared so he is no longer diabetic x

He has even done a diploma in nutrition to help others as it was so easy to stop x

I have under active thyroid too but managed to lose 4 stone x

It’s back in now with the steriods x but I am looking forward to when the are a lot lower to get weight under control again x

[Hidden in reply to Woodiesmum]

Weight loss is a tough journey well done for losing that 4 stone. Gained a stone myself on steroids. It's difficult balance when you love your grub & not a lettuce leaf person. ATB

[Marilyn1959]

I have had very similar problems with focus / vision. Had eye test in June (scarey episode with flashing lights in peripheral vision). Eyesight same as previous test a year earlier. Still had focus problems. Went back to same opticians three months later to be retested. Significant changes in three months. Was told early signs of cateracts, close to onset of Glucoma and vision in both eyes 1.0pt change. This time frame coincided with taking pred, so optician assumed pred induced.

Since things were changing quite quickly didn't rush out for new glasses. Three months later went to different opticians. The new optician said that according to his test my current glasses and the new prescription from my old opticians were too strong which is why I am having the problems! He also checked for cataracts and Glucoma and said I have absolutely nothing to worry about! I ordered new glasses from new opticians last week, so will know better next week.

Since you have new glasses I thought I'd share my experiences as you may want to invest in a second opinion by having another eye test with a different optician and comparing prescriptions. It could be that your optician got it wrong.

Just a thought.

[Griggser]

Blurry vision is just another un welcome side affect of taking pred. I find it particularly frustrating and tend to rub my eyes a lot more these days. I did read that pred can increase the risk of cataracts due to the uv Ray's harmful affects, so I have ordered a pair of reactolite variafocals as this should offer some protection. I've never been good at keeping my sunglasses with me so hopefully this will help.

[Woodiesmum in reply to Griggser]

Thanks you but luckily our local support group had brought an optiction in for a talk and he advised that x so I was in the next morning and that’s when I found out I have already got cataracts xx but I do have the reactor glasses now xx so hopefully no more damage from the sun x I wouldn’t care I never have sat in the sun I get headaches so I tend to shut away xx hope fully they won’t get worse xx

[Hidden]

At the time I was diagnosed with diabetes many years ago I hadn't realised how blurry vision was. I got eyes checked as told and spent fortune of varifocals. Once glucose settled a bit I couldn't see a thing out of specs and had to have them tested again and new weaker prescription...i just had new lenses in the frames I already paid a fortune for. Since steroids I have had blurred vision..even went to walk in thinking I might be developing GCA. As steroids have come down vision less blurry to extent that I can again see tv clearly without my glasses. Just need for driving and reading again. Hoping that as I go down (10mg) it will mean fewer periods of blurry vision. Once every thing settles i will see if I need new prescription. However I do have my eye health checked by diabetes clinic every 12 months. So far so good. Oh and since April I have lost a stone doing low carbish diet. I need to have occasionally carb to keep me on track but I can't say I miss pasta etc. But if I go for meal I eat what I want. Fortunately I have only been on 15mg pred downwards but the first year or less I put significant weight on.

[Woodiesmum in reply to Hidden]

I was on 60 pred and got to 40 and all my symptoms came back x so back up I went and started again x so managed to get to 10 mg as they wanted to do s Doppler scan and oh I still have thickening x so back on 60mg and now I am down 35mg

But head is getting sore again x

But just waiting for appointment and see where we go from here x

I am on low carb eating to try and keep diabetics away as I have piled the wright on x

So watch this space lol x

[Hidden in reply to Woodiesmum]

I wish you best of luck. I don't know how those of you on high dose of pred manage it. I accidentally took double dose at 13mg. The day was ok I got jobs done but then came palpitations and feeling of impending doom.

Hope you get it sorted.

[Amkoffee]

I have had trouble seeing up close and it is incredibly frustrating. I got new glasses even though I knew that this was possibly going to correct itself once I got off of prednisone. But even with a new prescription (bifocals) it is just not helping at all. I even went back to my eye doctor who checked my vision again and I can see just fine through. But I get home and I try to see my tablet or try to read something I have found that I read better without my glasses then with my glasses. Which means I'm taking them off and on all day long.

[daworm]

Just had an eye exam yesterday for that same reason...eyes and everything in them checked out fine, doc said it a combo of prednisone use and the PMR...dry eyes and slight astigmatism going on, got some lube drops he said do not use anything like visine or drops for red eyes, just lube or fake tears....these can be used as much as needed....it's the prednisone with me I was worried about GCA but the arterial system was normal in the eyes.