# Eye problems caused by IBD



## crohnicaly stinky (Jul 27, 2010)

*eye problems caused by IBD*

So I had to go see the eye doc today, got some junk in my eyes at work.  Once he fixed me up I asked the question, can my crohns disease affect my eyes.  He said yes, in a flare there is a 15% chance you will have some inflammation in the eyes.  So a little more googling I found the following.  Not trying to scare anyone or anything but just something to be aware of.

http://www.ccfa.org/frameviewer/?url=/media/pdf/FactSheets/eyes.pdf

p.s. In case another person thinks to ask...my safety glasses were in a safe place, ok?   So yes I should have had them on and I will wear them all day tomorrow!   :duh:


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## Astra (Jul 27, 2010)

Thanks for that Scott
interesting stuff, I get styes all the time and have to be extra careful with my contact lenses too, I ended up in the eye hospital with an infection years ago and the doc threw my lenses down the sink! bloody hell! they cost a bomb! but she said they were gonna crawl off on their own anyway!
so now I use One Day Acuvue disposables lenses.
don't forget your safety glasses in future! (slap on the hand)
xxx


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## Rebecca85 (Jul 27, 2010)

Yes, very interesting. About a month before I got ill, I had a routine eye checkup for my glasses, and the optician noticed some abnormalities in my eyes. I was referred to an opthalmologist at a local hospital, but before I could attend, I was taken ill, admitted to hospital and put on Pred. When my appointment came, the opthalmologist couldn't find anything abnormal, except for those abnormalities associated with shortsightedness. She put it down to an error on the part of the optician, but I am more inclined to think it was a precursor to the Crohn's flare.


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## starla (Jul 28, 2010)

crikey!!..
i havent been diagnosed as yet..but ive had 2 very sore swollen styes on my eye in a matter of weeks!!..im 35~never had a sty in my LIFE!!
i still have a small one now..ooh maybe i should tell my GI??


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## belle1999 (Jul 28, 2010)

Wow! Very interesting stuff. I have eye issues anyway and have to watch out for certain things. Now, I'll just add the crohn's stuff to the list.


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## Swirl (Jul 28, 2010)

Ok so I really do need my eyes checked.
 My eyes get to the point where I have to blink often and wipe my eyes because I can't see. It becomes cloudy. I had this for around 3 months now I think. 

So many issues this disease brings!


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## crohnicaly stinky (Jul 28, 2010)

I'm glad posting this information turned out to be helpfull!


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## ukstephieandcolette (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi there - great thread you started with great info. I had to visit the eye doctor who informed me that i have more pressure in my right eye and I am constantly battling eye migraines which cannot be treated according to the doc. It feels like I am constantly looking through a kaleidascope and all I can do is just wait for it to go away. I started keeping track of the timing of these with my crohns and they do seem to coincide with my flares, oh joy!.

Hope you're eyes are feeling better.

All the best,

Colette & Stephie


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## Beckylou (Jul 29, 2010)

I had Iritis - inflamation of part of the eye - back when I was three (so nearly 40 years ago now!) and had to have surgery to make a new pupil.  Apparently it was extremely rare for it to happen in someone so young, it usually happens at much later in life 80's/90's so I swear it was the beginning of the Crohn's, even though I wasn't diagnosed until 17 years later.  

I've since had a few occasions when it seems to be inflamed again, it was like a bubble over the eye...most disconcerting!


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## bushydougie (Jul 29, 2010)

Since being ill I get itchy eyes. It only happens every couple of days and always in the evenings. Just thought it was a bit odd but I guess it could all be connected...


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## silver (Jul 29, 2010)

I read about the eye problems a while ago...I have regular eye tests with the works as I wear glasses all the time anyway....could NEVER stand contact lenses...I hate having things in my eyes...


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## bess686 (Jul 30, 2010)

I thought I was the only with the problem, last year twice i was diagnosed with Scleritis and for 2 months straight the inside corner and half of my eye was compeltely red and i used 3 different drops to finally get it to settle down and I mentioned it to my doc and he said that it was an extraintestinal manifestation of my crohn's which made sense because i was flaring right after the eye inflammation issue.. so had to add that to the list of side effects i have to be watch out for.


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## EthanPSU (Jul 30, 2010)

I am the worst with eyes. I have contacts but I only take them out maybe once every two weeks. My eye doctor said he hasnt noticed and problems from doing it though. I just can never get use to takeing the out so I sleep with them and everything. Been doing it for about 6 years


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## Astra (Aug 1, 2010)

Urgh! Ethan!
god you're really asking for trouble there! your contacts will be crawling with amoebas!
why don't you take em out and give them a scrub
eyes are precious, you only get one pair!


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## Sophia (Aug 1, 2010)

Thank you for posting that article, CS! 

I also have eye problems, and my eye doctor told me I have dry eyes, and poor tear quality. She didn't connect it to my Crohn's though, so I should maybe print the article out to show her. I don't think she has ever had a Crohn's patient before, so she wasn't particularly willing to acknowledge my eye problems as related to my Crohn's, even though they appeared at the same time as my first flare started... 

My symptoms are dry, itchy, runny eyes with long mucus threads (disguuusting!!!) that itch and blur my vision a lot. In addition I've gotten a lot more floaters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floater) after I got Crohn's. I've been shortsighted since I was six, and I wear contacts, but haven't really been able to lately because my eyes are so dry.


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## Sue (Aug 1, 2010)

Hi yes my Daughter has had inflamation in her eyes when she had a flare up and it is very painfull. I haven't experienced it but do get dry eye's due to my Crohn's.

Sue


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## Sue (Aug 1, 2010)

Yes dry itchy eyes are a side efect of Crohn's take antihistamine daily and if needed moisture eye drops such as hypomelose 

Sue x


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## Astra (Aug 1, 2010)

I've posted this somewhere else ages ago
but Ladies, it's important you change your mascara every month, it hoards bacteria and cross infections are common

Ethan! you too lad!
xxx


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## MrCrohn (Aug 2, 2010)

I have a sty in my left eye which gets very bad everytime I get a flare. In fact, I can usually tell I am about to flare when the sty starts acting up.


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## GoJohnnyGo (Aug 2, 2010)

Sjögren's Syndrome is another autoimmune condition sometimes associated with gastrointestinal issues.

LINK


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## Sophia (Aug 2, 2010)

GoJohnnyGo said:


> Sjögren's Syndrome is another autoimmune condition sometimes associated with gastrointestinal issues.
> 
> LINK


Yes, my aunt has Sjögren's and Crohn's too. Do you know how they distinguish between Sjögren's and keratojunctivitis sicca, by the way?


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## crohnicaly stinky (Aug 2, 2010)

Astra101 said:


> I've posted this somewhere else ages ago
> but Ladies, it's important you change your mascara every month, it hoards bacteria and cross infections are common
> 
> Ethan! you too lad!
> xxx


I saw that the last time you posted and thought to myself, "don't ladies take mascara off every night?  That Joan is about as frugal as they come."  lol!


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## Gresh (Aug 2, 2010)

I havnt been Dx'ed yet but my eyes are extremely sensitive to light and i also have a LOT of floaters in my left eye. I have an upper GI endoscopy due to other gastrointestinal problems on the 3rd and hopefully that may or may not rule out Crohns.


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## GoJohnnyGo (Aug 2, 2010)

Sophia said:


> Yes, my aunt has Sjögren's and Crohn's too. Do you know how they distinguish between Sjögren's and keratojunctivitis sicca, by the way?


Sorry, I'm not familiar with either.


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## Sophia (Aug 2, 2010)

Gresh said:


> I havnt been Dx'ed yet but my eyes are extremely sensitive to light and i also have a LOT of floaters in my left eye. I have an upper GI endoscopy due to other gastrointestinal problems on the 3rd and hopefully that may or may not rule out Crohns.


Gresh, let me know what they find out! Floaters suck... :S Did they occur recently?


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## Astra (Aug 2, 2010)

Scott!
frugal, moi?
yes we do take it off every night, but what I meant was if theres an infection in your eye then it transfers onto mascara wand, then its cross contamination!


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## crohnicaly stinky (Aug 2, 2010)

Astra101 said:


> Scott!
> frugal, moi?
> yes we do take it off every night, but what I meant was if theres an infection in your eye then it transfers onto mascara wand, then its cross contamination!


I was just teasing.... I understood but at first glance it just looked funny.  That's a good tip though.   Another one is to wear safety goggles when brushing out a boiler!  :beerchug:


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## Lucy (Aug 22, 2010)

wow I jut posted a question about eye inalmmation and was referred to this posting. What else is this crohn's disease going to cause. uuuggggghhhhhh


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## petebp (Aug 22, 2010)

great info on this site I have u/c and my eyes are always painful when I have a flare-up


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## outlier (Aug 22, 2010)

I have lots of eye issues. They are most likely the only reason I was diagnosed with Crohn's. 
If it feels like there is a sty in your eye around a flare up, it might be nodular scleritis. 
Just don't let any ever give you a steroid shot near your eye and make sure they check the pressure in your eyes often after you've been on steroid drops and don't get the generic. 
I <3 my sun glasses.


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## Lucy (Aug 22, 2010)

Thanks for the great advice. I didn't know crohn's caused these problems until this week.


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## bushydougie (Aug 23, 2010)

I asked my GI about my eye problems and he didn't think that it was connected to my suspected Crohn's. Though it only started happening after I started being ill with the myriad of stomach related problems...
Anyone else asked their GI's about it?


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