Iritis

I have been having alot of pain and light sensitivity in my right eye for the last four days as well as it's getting red.  I went to emerg yesterday because my family doctor is away and the doctor there said that it sounds like I could have Iritis, but because I'm on Plaquenil he called my eye specialist to see about getting me looked at the in next day or so.  I didn't realized until I started reading about Iritis that it can be related to autoimmune diseases and Lupus being one of them.  I guess my two uncles and my grandfather have had this before and all three of them have arthritis and my one uncle has ulcerative colitis.  I'm hoping that my eye problem isn't related to the plaquenil because I really don't want to have to go off of it because it has helped me so much.  I was wondering if many people on here have had a problem like this before. 

Hi Kara,

I have experienced this a few years ago in my right eye. The opthomologist said it had nothing to do with the plaquenil, but attibrutited it inflammation that comes with lupus. Needless to say I could not work for over a week while I being treated and waiting for my eye to clear up, main reason, my eyes were so sensitive I couldn't even look at the computer screen. My eye would burn, turn red, water and swell up to where I could barely see.

I can understand your pain, truly, it is not something I ever want to have again. I hope you are on the mend soon!

Melissa

Hey Kara,

I have not had this problem myself.  My mother got pink eye often.  she was diabetic, and totally paralyzed on her right side.  do not know if she really had pink eye, or something like you have had.  I was not educated enough to give her the best care maybe.  I didn't have internet either though, so I accepted what the doctor called it.

I have the opposite eye problems.  Too dry.  I have to take restacin every day twice a day due to Sjogren's.  Sjogren's dried everything up.  at least it has done this with me.

I did have light sensitivity however, when I first started taking plaquenil, but it was a side effect of the meds, and it went away.

Hope your day will be good to you

Hester

I went to the eye specialist on Friday and he said that I do have Iritis and I have it in both of my eyes. My left eye is a very mild case, but my right eye is a little worse. I have to take prednisone drops in both my eyes 4 times a day and another drop twice a day in just my right eye to dialiate my pupil in that eye so that I'm not experiencing as much pain. I have been working all weekend and I've been walking around half blind because my right eye is so blurry. I have noticed that I don't have as much pain, but I'm still getting some headaches probably because I'm straining to see all the time. The eye specialist told me that this is definitely from having an autoimmune disease and is nothing to do with the plaquenil. I have to keep the treatments up until I see the eye specialist in two weeks. Thanks for all your feedback everyone!