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Fun with Uveitis/Iritis!

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Posted 4/15/2012 12:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hi fellow UCers - it's awesome because now I have Uveitis/Iritis.

Do you all get this? I have had it, off and on, over the years - but - this time it is on my nerves.

On April 5, I received the typical steroid drop - 4x for 3 days, 3x for 3 days, 2....etc. until it tapered to nothing. Except - I read the directions wrong. Like stupid wrong. First, I didn't see that it said 4 drops for the first 3 days - I thought it said 3. So I missed some doses there. Then I didn't space the drops out, I dripped them in all at once. Then I just missed some doses here and there.

It's now April 15th - and, of course, I still have it or have it again. It did get better, but now it's back to being worse.

So, um, do you think it's:

1) A bad case of uveitis - or - a normal case just made worse by my own actions
2) been seriously damaged - like from when I bombing it with steroids? (I know untreated Uveitis causes damage, but, acording to what my doctor said originally, it has to be, like, long-term untreated) or -
3) been aggravated by a day of bright sunlight? Yesterday, I had a red spot on the white of my eye. Then I spent yesterday outside. Now, when I woke up this morning, all the white part of my eye had beome red all over.

Okay, thanks for reading this. I am planning to schedule an eye appointment tomorrow - but, of course, I'm all upset today. I'm a total hypochondriac, too, so nobody try to scare me on principle, either - I swear, I have clinical ADD, so it wasn't entirely stupidity that led me to disregard directions.

Okay <3 you guys, thanks!!!!!!!
Posted 4/15/2012 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
I can't answer your questions but I feel your pain. I have had many repeated eye infections over the years but only one that required steroid eye drops. Please let us know what the eye doc says okay?
Posted 4/15/2012 1:57 PM (GMT 0)
Yup - been there. Had a really horrible case of episcleritis which is in the same class of what you've got going on. I also wasn't as compliant as I should be with the pred eye drops. Not because I read the directions wrong, but rather due to not liking to use the stuff and getting horrible tasting drainage down my throat within a few minutes of using the drops. Anyhooo, within a day or so of using the drops my eye seemed to get better. I tapered really fast after that, then another day or so passed and BAM! Horrible pain and horrible red. Based on my own experience, I doubt the redness in your eye was caused by being outside. Sounds as though that's just part of the condition getting worse.

My vision became really blurry in the problem eye and I was paranoid that my normally perfect vision would be permanently affected. When I went back to the opthamologist, he had me increase the number of drops per day and that time I stuck with it. Cleared up completely within a couple of weeks.

Not sure how bad your case is, but I know with me light made things a lot worse - even when I covered the problem eye. The connection between the okay eye and bad eye was enough that when the good eye's pupil would dilate, the bad eye would automatically do the same and that was intensely painful. Point being, try to give your eyes a rest for the next days and stay compliant with the drops!

Get well soon! :o)
Posted 4/24/2012 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you guys for answering. I'm going ot post what happened - in case someone else is freaking out and comes across it. First of all, my continued problems were not entirely because I didn't follow the medication directions - they were becaue the steroid drop I first received was a low/infrequent dose. First I went to my regular optometrist. Eventually I ended up at an opthamologist. So, lesson one: consider finding an opthomologist. I was given an oral steroid and drops with a higher concentration of steroid and was told to administer them more often it's been almost one week and the symptoms look like they've cleared up.

Lesson two: Uveitis/Iritis is crazy, and it will last awhile. I wrote that, while symptoms *look like* they've improved (the redness is gone), I'm still dealing with intermittent blurred vision, sensitivity to light, etc. I think that's pretty normal - but - I'm checking in with my doctor, now, and so should be anybody who's reading this.

Lesson three: don't wear your contacts. Even if you are going to a fashion show. I wore mine, but that was a mistake. Just don't try it, I had more redness and a tiny bit of "stuff" the next day, and it set me back.

Lesson four: Actively seek support - usually if you have a disease, it's better not to go reading about it on the internet (at least for me - I'll read the weirdest junk and then get scared). With this bout of Uveitis, though, I really felt better when I read about other people's experiences. Both of the posts above made me feel better.

So, anyway, still dealing with it but it's way improved. Good luck to anyone else who gets it, it stinks.
Posted 4/24/2012 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you guys for answering. I'm going ot post what happened - in case someone else is freaking out and comes across it. First of all, my continued problems were not entirely because I didn't follow the medication directions - they were becaue the steroid drop I first received was a low/infrequent dose. First I went to my regular optometrist. Eventually I ended up at an opthamologist. So, lesson one: consider finding an opthomologist. I was given an oral steroid and drops with a higher concentration of steroid and was told to administer them more often it's been almost one week and the symptoms look like they've cleared up.

Lesson two: Uveitis/Iritis is crazy, and it will last awhile. I wrote that, while symptoms *look like* they've improved (the redness is gone), I'm still dealing with intermittent blurred vision, sensitivity to light, etc. I think that's pretty normal - but - I'm checking in with my doctor, now, and so should be anybody who's reading this.

Lesson three: don't wear your contacts. Even if you are going to a fashion show. I wore mine, but that was a mistake. Just don't try it, I had more redness and a tiny bit of "stuff" the next day, and it set me back.

Lesson four: Actively seek support - usually if you have a disease, it's better not to go reading about it on the internet (at least for me - I'll read the weirdest junk and then get scared). With this bout of Uveitis, though, I really felt better when I read about other people's experiences. Both of the posts above made me feel better.

So, anyway, still dealing with it but it's way improved. Good luck to anyone else who gets it, it stinks.
Posted 10/3/2014 10:53 AM (GMT 0)
Goodness, I think I need to post back on this site more often. Apparently I have a wealth of information to share now.

Ulcerative colitis since 1999
Uveitis since 2011

Experience with Prednisone, Prednisolone (eye drops), low-dose naltrexone LDN, and now Imuran.

I hope your uveitis has been better controlled than mine over the past 2 years. Looks like you developed it 4 months after I did. And it has been quite a ride. Finally, getting mine more permanently controlled but required 150mg Imuran dosage to get there.

*wry smile*
Eden
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