B12 Deficiency and Dry Eyes

[saj8q]

I'm new here but have been a member of the pernicious anemia society for a number of years. I am currently suffering with severe dry eyes and wanted to know whether B12 deficiency could be the cause. I am also vitamin D deficient and regularly take high doses of it.

[RaJender9666]

Hi saj8q,may i know your b12 and D level and what are your symptoms?

[saj8q in reply to RaJender9666]

I am 38 years old and had been suffering with migraines, dizziness, brain fog and fatigue symptoms throughout my teenage years. I had many scans and tests including being admitted into hospital for weeks at a time. My headaches and dizziness would be so bad that I wouldn't be able to function. In 2012 I was diagnosed with B12 deficiency after which I decided to do lots of research. I was started on B12 injections by my GP and now receive them every 3 months. However, I felt they were never enough and started supplementing myself with 5000mcg daily of methylcobalamin. After about one month my headaches, dizziness and all the symptoms I suffered for such a long time disappeared. Similarly, about 1 year ago I found out that I was Vitamin D deficient and had started supplementing myself on 20,000 IU daily which resolved my fatigue symptoms. I had my B12 blood levels tested about a year ago and was told that they are super high 1500+ so I decided to stop taking methylcobalamin but still continued with my 3 monthly injections. However, I am now starting thing that I should resume taking my daily dose of methylcobalamin.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to saj8q]

if you are on injections there is no point in worrying about high B12 levels - serum B12 really isn't a guide at this point and you need to listen to your symptoms - so go back on the methyl sublinguals and see if that resolves the problem

About 40% of people with PA do go on to develop hashimotos (auto-immune hypothyroidism) so it may be worth getting that checked out periodically anyway - better use of funding on testing than doing a serum B12 test.

[saj8q in reply to Gambit62]

I will do Gambit62. Thanks for the advice. Very much appreciated. Its the first time I have joined such a forum but its amazing how much knowledge gets shared. Very impressed.

[MariLiz]

I also have dry eyes and use hypromellose eye drops, available over the counter from pharmacies. I don’t know if it’s the low B12 or the underactive thyroid that has caused this in my case.

You could ask your GP for advice.

[saj8q in reply to MariLiz]

I have asked my GP for advice and all I get told is that it is my excessive computer use being a software engineer. I have tried hypromellose and found they only provided temporary relief of about 10 minutes. I have also tried HycoSan night gel and HycoSan Extra which seem to provide a little longer relief but not a big difference when compared to hypromellose. That is why I started thinking that it may be related to my B12 defiiciency since I had stopped supplementing with methylcobalamin about a year ago. I think I will start having methylcobalamin again.

[helvella in reply to saj8q]

I agree about hypromellose.

Most hypromellose eyedrops contain preservative. It appears that a very large proportion of regular users become sensitive to the preservative even if they tolerated it to begin with.

I used single-dose units of Visco-Tears and LacriLube at night. (Multi-use Visco-Tears contain preservative.)

I doubt anyone uses a screen more I do! Work with two screens and use laptop extensively out of working hours.

(I am something of an occasional visitor here - my "home" forum is ThyroidUK. Am pretty sure that thyroid can also cause dry eyes. I found my eyes improved very considerably as my dose approached adequate.)

[saj8q in reply to helvella]

Wow. I also have 3 screens at work and 4 at home. Sometimes I feel like running away from them and getting a job faraway on a farm somewhere.

I also once tried LacriLube at night and found that in the morning was unable to open my eye lids without using my fingers to lift them. It was like fusing my eye lids to my eye balls after which I stopped using them. However, the HycoSan night gel that I have recently been using has been more tolerable.

[Marz]

Do you have PA or B12D ? The former being auto-immune could be connected to Sjogerns or Hashimotos.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Marz]

just to echo Marz, dry eyes are something I personally associated more with the on set of hashimotos -

saj8q - probably worth speaking to your GP and getting other possibilities checked out

[saj8q in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks Marz and Gambit62 for the suggestions. I think I will go back to my GP and ask about Sjogerns and Hashimotos. Marz I was diagnosed with B12D. However, I have been reading further on symptoms related to autoimmune disease and find that I tick a lot of the boxes including vitiligo, dizziness as well as more skin issues. I have also recently had a biopsy of my gums because they suspect it could be something called lichen planus which has been causing me lots of issues in the mouth even when having the best oral hygiene regime. I am awaiting results but it is also known as an autoimmune disease. I am started to wonder whether all of my issues are related just to a weakened immune system. Another visit to the GP is to be arranged. Thanks.

[Ellen-C]

hi there, I'm new too but I saw your symptom of dry eyes. If your eyes seem very dry, especially at night or during the day they sting or ache from dryness, you should be checked for Sjogrens syndrome. It has two classic symptoms commonly known as B symptoms, that are dry eyes and dry mouth. You can have one or the other or both as I do. Sjogren's is autoimmune so it can also cause muscle pain, joint pain, extreme fatigue, blurry vision, uveitis, etc. you can find info on the sjogren's syndrome. I have Sjogren's but now am being investigated for B12 deficiency... lucky me. Dry eyes though are class Sjogren's. for me I can barely open my eyes at night they are so dry, I have to use drops when getting up to use the washroom. I also have an extremely dry mouth at night, it often feels like the desert or is so dry it starts to burn. There are only I think 2 diseases that cause dry eyes and dry mouth (not medication but disease) and one of them is Sjogrens. So go get checked.

[saj8q in reply to Ellen-C]

Hi Ellen, you described my symptoms really well for Sjogren's. I am the same at night and can barely open my eyes at night because of dryness which produces lots of blurriness. I am started to think whether it is Sjogren's now because I also experience a dry mouth. I will be making an appointment with my GP and will keep you posted. Thanks

[RaJender9666]

Even I'm also having the same problem from 3 months. Just now I'm finding as my dizziness and headaches will be going off.

[CRTM]

Full disclosure: I have no data, only my personal experience to support this posting.

I grew up with dry eyes syndrome. I was prescribed drops and ointments, but when I had an episode, the only thing I could do was to wait for my cornea to heal.

One day, I found an old book about vitamins. Among other things, the book said that 100 mg of daily B6 would help with dry eyes. I did some research to learn about possible adverse effects, and starting taking it.

Since then, I never had another episode of dry eyes. Please understand that I am just sharing my experience. Check with your doctor for possible adverse effects. Also, keep in mind that dry eyes could be due to different causes, and that correlation is not the same as causality.

[Ctb567]

Hi saj8q, did you ever get to the bottom of your dry eyes? I've had b12 injections for 4 years after being diagnosed with very low b12 and I've had severe dry eyes for almost 6 years. I find lacrilube the best but the dryness of my eyes is mostly oil related. As a tip sometimes I mix lacrilube with my eyes drops, ie I will put in some eye drops before bed then wait a minute then put lacrilube in. This works very well for me when my tears are low as well as my oil. I'm still constantly looking for something to cure my dry eyes so please lte me know if you've found anything!