Problems with the eyes

Lilja · Post by **Lilja** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 8:05 am

Hi all,

Problem with the eyes

I have had this problem for at least 6 years. I have trouble focusing. I have to blink several times, close my eyes and try again to focus. The vision is blurred and sometimes I feel like I have strabismus.

Watery eyes and it feels like it takes forever to be able to focus again.

It’s hard to read a book and concentrate when reading an article on the internet. I have to look away, cause I’m imaging that it helps, but it doesn’t.

Have any of you had this problem, and does anyone know what the cause may be?

There is nothing wrong with my vision, according to my optician.

Lilia

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:14 pm

Hi, Lilja. I sometimes have trouble with very blurry vision in one eye. My eyes don't water, though. I had Lasik surgery 10 years ago which can cause dry eyes and I just started menopause so I don't know if it's from one of those factors or the LC. Life with colitis is a guessing game!

Lilja · Post by **Lilja** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:00 pm

Marcia K wrote:Hi, Lilja. I sometimes have trouble with very blurry vision in one eye. My eyes don't water, though. I had Lasik surgery 10 years ago which can cause dry eyes and I just started menopause so I don't know if it's from one of those factors or the LC. Life with colitis is a guessing game!

Marcia,

I started menopause in my late 40's, and I'm 69 next month. I don't think this is a menopause issue in my case. I read on a forum for people with thyroid problems that some of the members complained about the same eye problem.

I have sometimes been forced to pull aside when driving, because with snow, rain and blizzard, I'm not able to see the road.

Maybe, when I'm completely healed this irritating issue will disappear.

Lilia

Post by **tex** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:35 pm

Lilia,

Both uveitis or iritis can be associated with IBDs, and both are due to inflammation of different parts of the eye. A number of members have reported having these problems from time to time. I would suggest contacting your doctor, as you may need an anti-inflammatory medication to control the inflammation.

It's possible that strabismus might also be associated with IBDs, because I would suspect that it can be caused by inflammation of certain eye muscles, but I doubt that any association has ever been investigated.

Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:51 pm

I have had this issue on and off over the years it is, one of the reasons I have audio books and listen to podcasts and i struggle to read books and look at the computer screen for long periods

Interesting about the thyroid link, has me pondering if the eye issue has been worse when my iodine levels are down.

Of note - 2 years prior to my MC Dx i had a serious eye infection, that would not respond to treatment. When i got the MC dx and joined this forum and did some searching, i realised that it was one of the 'starting points' of my various autoimmune health issues.

looking at my nutrient bible,
eye fatigue is an indicator of B2 deficiency, eye irritation is an indicator of A and B2 deficiency.
Functions of B2
alleviates eye fatigue, activates Vit B6 and folate, coenzyme in respiratory enzyme system, maintenance of epithelial and eye tissues, myelin sheath maintenance, red cell synthesis.

RDA is 1.5-2mg
to correct deficiency 10-200mg

Lilja · Post by **Lilja** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 4:13 pm

Tex,

My doctors don't understand Microscopic Colitis. In fact, I have not involved them in my regimen as to diet, supplements etc. I am being my own doctor. They are not aware of the fact that I'm treating myself, but they applaud every progress - as if it were their own achievement.

And, I wonder how interested they would be in a "consequence disease" of MC, as to the eye and vision problems, when they don't even regard MC as a disease.

I guess I will continue to self-treat.

Lilere

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 4:52 pm

Thanks, Tex and Gabes. I worry about uveitis when my eyes bother me. A friend at work developed it last year. She said she doesn't know why it happened. I do, she has a very stressful job with no back-up, her husband is disabled and their only child was going off to college. The stress factor reared its head as it did for many of us. She is being treated by a specialist but you can see that her eye is "different" and she is self-conscious of it. She does transcription all day, I really don't know how she does it. Lilja, I was just a my primary care physician for the first time since my LC diagnosis two years ago. I told him that I am doing well by eliminating gluten & dairy from my diet. He really didn't say anything, but then proceeded to say that I need the pneumonia vaccine because with an autoimmune disease I am more susceptible to illness. I said I would pass but I know the next time I go he's going to try to push it again. He asked me about the flu vaccine and my response was "They give it at work." I didn't say that I didn't get one.

Post by **tex** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 5:34 pm

Marcia,

My PCP (surprisingly) is OK with me passing on the flu jab. I say "surprisingly" because the hospital and clinic he is associated with really pushes hard to try to persuade everyone to take the vaccination. I do get a pneumonia vaccination however, because pneumonia is a complication that's associated with a lot of illnesses (including the flu) and it kills a lot of people who might otherwise survive those illnesses. And since I live and work on a farm, I keep my tetanus immunity up to date, also.

Lilia,

I have a hunch you're right — your doctors would tell you that eye problems couldn't have anything to do with MC.

Many of us are self-treating here, to various degrees, mostly because we have no choice if we want to remain healthy. Last spring, when I had a followup appointment with my PCP after I figured out my magnesium deficiency and he agreed that I was right (IOW he agreed that it was indeed the cause of all the symptoms I had been having), at the next appointment he surprised me by pointing out to me that I seem to be treating myself and doing a good job.

So apparently he's OK with it. We get along great, because he's a very good doctor, and he's open-minded. I was extremely lucky to find him.

Tex

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 8:31 pm

Tex, that's good to know. I need to find another PCP because he has a reputation for ordering all kinds of unnecessary tests, etc. just so he can bill the insurance companies. He kept me quite some time after one of my visits talking about college expenses and how much he'll have to pay for his son. When I received the insurance explanation of benefits I was charged for an extended visit! The insurance company did not pay for it, thank goodness. I rarely go to see him but I know that I need a PCP. I thought he was just trying to push the pneumonia vaccine so he could bill for it but if you get it without any side effects that makes me feel better. I'm very paranoid about something causing a flare when I have been doing so well other than when I am glutened. I live in a small town so I don't have many physicians to choose from.

Post by **tex** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 8:56 pm

Marcia wrote:He kept me quite some time after one of my visits talking about college expenses and how much he'll have to pay for his son. When I received the insurance explanation of benefits I was charged for an extended visit! The insurance company did not pay for it, thank goodness.

What a guy! Pretending to chew the fat so that he can bill your insurance company for his son's education.

One of the vaccines (either the tetnus or the pneumonia, but I don't know which one) made my arm fairly sore for a few days, but I didn't have any GI or mast cell issues.

Tex

jlbattin · Post by **jlbattin** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 9:39 pm

My PCP wasn't at all concerned that I didn't get the flu shot this year. He's not one to order unnecessary tests though. I usually have to ask if I want something extra. I was thinking about the pneumonia shot, but I have to get a doctor's referral for it. I have had pneumonia a couple of times in my life and it wasn't fun!

Lilja · Post by **Lilja** » Mon Feb 01, 2016 3:27 am

tex wrote:Lilia,

Both uveitis or iritis can be associated with IBDs, and both are due to inflammation of different parts of the eye. A number of members have reported having these problems from time to time. I would suggest contacting your doctor, as you may need an anti-inflammatory medication to control the inflammation.

It's possible that strabismus might also be associated with IBDs, because I would suspect that it can be caused by inflammation of certain eye muscles, but I doubt that any association has ever been investigated.

Tex

I think you are right that there is a connection between the eye problem and the uveitis. My first MC symptoms started in 2009-2010, long before I understood what was going on, and so did the eye problem. But, at first I only paid attention to it when I was out driving my car, and as time went by it also became a problem when reading and sitting in front of my computer.

Thank you, both Gabes and Tex for your comments!

I'm still taking D-Mannose, high doses of vitamin C, and Urisan Probiforte, and I have noticed improvement as to the UTI. Hopefully, my eye problem will disappear as well.

Lilia