Thanks for your article. Sounds like getting born might have something to do with it and the research just hasn't caught up with the facts.
I've had RA only 2.5 yrs, but scleritis for about 25 years (ugly, makes my eyes look bloody when active), but now with the RA I was also diagnosed with Sjorgrens..... it's drying out my eyes way too fast and the rheumie is always concerned. I'm changing opthmalogist next month to someone NOT 410 years old, comes well recommended and comes to Little Town America..... don't have to drive into the big city. I'm curious what changes he'll see, and will refer back here at that time. Thanks for your articles - it truly caught my attention.
Laurie
Awesome post. Very informative. I have just been diagnosed with Graves. It has nothing to do with RA but a small link being with the thyroid. My vision is the same as it has been for 10 years according to the eye exam 20/25. Can't prove that by me. But all the test I trust and feel ok with knowing I ain't goin blind.. But dang it hurts. My eyeballs feel like they're gonna explode some days. Nothin makes it worse(except bright lights) or better, except hot wash cloths on my eyes and keepin them closed for a long while... He gave refresh OTC drops that help temporarily, like 5 minutes. But again the treatment of choice is guess what, prednisone,woohooo!!! I hate it, it makes me crazy. But I have to take short treatments for my RA flares. But it scares me because I've been hearing alot lately of people dying from "prednisone showers".... Anyways for now I'm just buggin my docs and tryin to cope... Boy, aren't we special. But in the wise words of my daughter who has Aspergers says," God gave it to us cause he knows we are strong enough to handle it and make good come out of it". And Joel Osteens message this past Sunday about pray BOLDLY. Well, I always been afraid too, but NOT NOW! Thank you for posting this and giving me an opportunity to vent once again so that I can recharge my battery for another day. God Bless
Hmm, I have a friend with Grave's disease who was treated with a radioactive substance to 'kill' her thyroid. I didn't realize that it's not the same treatment for all (should I be surprised? No....just igorant!) SHe seems to be fine, but it was an interesting process while happening.... we live in northern NYS and one weekend when she went to Canada - she set off the radiation detectors on the way back! The treatment had been 3 weeks before so she wasn't even thinking about it and it took a while - they kept asking her if she'd had any lab tests (nuclear medicine scan, for instance) and finally it dawned on her what the problem was.
If the patient has a cat, they have to stay away from their cats for 3 weeks - they cats are very sensitive to radiation and can end up with leukemia - whew!
So - as they say, pick your poison....I know I like to have choices for my RA treatment because I don't respond like everyone else (and even with antibiotics, etc - I always seem to need LESS and get in trouble if I get the 'standard' dose...
I tried hydrochloroquine (Plaquenil) last spring and quit after 2-3 days - HORRIBLE stomach pain, like pancreatitis. Glad it works for some! I do now visit an ophthamologist once a year because I have a beginning cataract (I'm 61). My mom had her lenses replaced, and I was there to help her afterward and she had no problem, so when it gets bad enough, I will probably do the same...
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Leslie,
Thank for writing about eye health. Your post is a great complement to - Rheumatoid Arthritis and Eye Health: Complications to Watch Out For.
Like you, I was born premature, but by only 3 weeks not by months. I also spent my childhood with regular visits to the optometrist and opthalmologist. My first pair of glasses were prescribed when I started kindergarten. My current prescription has leveled out at -12.00 (rt) and -11.50 (lft).
It's a different experience when you grow up paying attention to your eyes. I hope that others who live with autoimmune disease, and who may have "perfect" vision, will be more inclined to add an eye doctor to their regular team of medical professionals after reading your post. Protecting your health and vision is so very important!!
Great post, lots of good info! Makes me wonder, I was not premature, but was born breach and nearly did not live. I also started wearing glasses in elementary school and I never remember a visit to the eye doc where my RX did not change requiring a new pair of lenses. I also have Sjogrens and find the Gel type eyedrops help a lot with the dryness. I am fortunate that my eye doc lives next door to me, so I get pestered into an exam! Thanks for all the info, Leslie.
Its also odd, my mother has Retinitis Pigmatosis and is completely blind now, but she has no auto immune issues. RP is genetic. I have no signs of RP, yet have a ton of auto immune issues. Life is mysterious if nothing else.
Thanks for both of your comments. I think it is so important that people who have RA are cognizant of the fact that it affects more than joints. I wonder what other commonalities we can come up with in our medical histories. This is very interesting to me. I remember when I first started seeing my rheumatologist, he was shocked at some of things in my history that no one ever really paid attention to, like small things that pointed to more serious immune system issues. Anyway, it's kind of a chicken-egg thing, like I said. Don't know if I feel better or worse hearing that our eye health is so similar.
I always find it so intresting when I get to talking to someone in a support group site and you start seeing these similarities popping up left and right. Many of us seemed stamped out of the same mold. I think there is a lot more to the genetic end of the RA picture than we realize. I dont know where it all leads, but it is interesting to follow the trail!