GCA Worries

[Lenore58]

Hopefully you’ll recall that 2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with GCA and put on 60 mg. Prednisone after a positive temporary biopsy. My vision has been ok, except the last couple of days I’m having a strange phenomenon. It seems my eyes are having trouble focusing at a distance. Up close is fine, and if I cover one eye the other seems fine (close and distance,) but it seems like together distance vision is off, like when you cross your eyes a bit. I am still awaiting approval from my insurance to see an ophthalmologist. I see my rheumatologist on the 31st. Any thoughts?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Could be the effect of high dose of Pred -but I would be hastening your insurance company -you do need to see ophthalmologist -and the sooner the better.

Obviously if things deteriorate then a trip to ED is required.

[Lenore58 in reply to DorsetLady]

Yes, will do. The week before I had just been to my optometrist for my regular check up. She did thorough exams in light of my PMR which I mentioned I am always mindful of GCA. It’s crazy that it hit me a week later! She said everything looked great, but she is an optometrist not an ophthalmologist. So I will make a call to my insurance company today.

[SnazzyD]

On these doses of Pred, my ability to focus was impaired, particularly going from one depth of field to another. I remember the first time scared myself when I looked up from reading to the garden and it was blurry. I am long sighted so I thought my GCA was flaring. I decided for various reasons it wasn’t. My optician said this was normal because of the effect of a Pred on the eye muscles. He did however, check my eye pressures every 3 months.

From then on I found that I had to give it a minute when going from one distance to another for the focus to catch up. A side effect of that was becoming dizzy if I walked past something like a row of trees because my eyes couldn’t keep track of focusing on them, so I had to look down. My long distancec vision got worse and my close vision got better but it didn’t stay exactly the same. He said I would find it would keep changing with reduction of dose so unless I really had to, there was no point in changing my glasses every 3 months. He was right. It did get better with dose drops but it had to get closer to 10mg to find it not to be a constant if reducing problem.

I wasn’t worried because my eyes’ type of behaviour was predictable and didn’t change. It didn’t have any pre-GCA diagnosis issues like sparks of light, one eye greying out, double vision or black spots.

[Lenore58 in reply to SnazzyD]

0h SnazzyD I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you writing all this out for me. It helped relieve my anxiety a lot! What you describe is very much what I am experiencing. Thank you! I will, however, get myself to the ophthalmologist ASAP to be checked.

[SnazzyD in reply to Lenore58]

Always a good idea.

[mullochs in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you v much for describing exactly the symptoms I have been worrying about . I am at 12mg and reassuring as your post was I will still be attending the Opthalmologist appointment I had made for next week - better safe than sorry??

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to mullochs]

Always better safe than sorry...

[PMRpro Ambassador]

High dose pred can have strange effects on vision - the optometrist is probably as useful to check things out as a doctor and easier to access since it doesn't involve the insurance. If she finds anything that needs the doctor - it gives you some backing for the insurance to hurry up.

[prunus]

I would agree with what Snazzy D is saying. Although I am almost eleven years down the line from the biopsy I still get blurring when changing focus in the evenings and my eyes are tired. This is why I feel scans are better than biopsys. I could see things at the side it was done on which were not there. It has gone now but was upsetting at the time.

[Lenore58]

Thank you!

[potterylady]

Hi Lenore, same here. Ever since starting pred, my vision is weird. It seems like it's always changing. I've seen an ophthalmologist and all is ok. I don't plan on getting new glasses until I'm on a lower dose.