Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group iritis /uveitis

Sorry Oak - please don't think I meant to imply you had no brains, or weren't smart, as I certainly don't think that!!
I only meant that I believe it's really important to go and see your eye specialists, ASAP, even if the symptoms have gone....Our eyesight is surely one of our most precious gifts?

Ever since my 3-month+ long bout of iritis several years ago I'm completely paranoid now about anything to do with my eyes) or anyone else's!
I don't care if they are sick of me at the opthalmologist's - there's no way I want to risk having to undergo an (emergency!) injection into my eye (which is what my friend's brother had to have when he didn't get to the optho in time! YIKES!) in order to save my sight!

I haven't been for a check-up in over a year, so I think it's time I paid him a visit, just in case.....

Apologies again if you thought I was being rude - sorry

Sue

Well, this won't be a waste of time. They should be able to tell if you had recent iritis or not, ... or old iritis. Whenever I go to see my eye doc for annual exams for iritis and glasses/contacts..they often say that there's no signs of iritis but they do see evidence of history of iritis. Hope that helps

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i never said i was smart but since the symptoms went away should i still go...i dont know.......it will probably be a waste of time because they wont find anything wrong again........oak

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Oak, yes, you need to go to the eye doc. If not for yourself then for the others that may read this post at a later date. Even if your symptoms have gone away, I believe from my experience with iritis, that you can still have iritis but it is simmering away, still doing damage, but we can't see the damage being done, only an eye specialist can see the damage.

I don't know about you but losing the sight in my eyes would be the worst thing ever for me....not being able to see my babies...terrible...and iritis left untreated can cause severe problems even blindness....

Go to eye doc...

Rita

James, 12, Adrian, 10, Elisabeth, 3, my babies!

How long do you treat for the symptoms of uveitis? The first time, I did the drops for almost 2 weeks. Seemed to be better. Then a month later, they hurt again. Treated for a few days, seemed better, and stopped the drops. Now they hurt again. Am I not treating long enough, or is just going to keep recurring?

I have only been once to see if they could figure out anything better to do with all my different problems. I went to Mayo-Jacksonville. I was thoroughly impressed and would not hesitate to go back.

Have you been? How are you?

Possi

Hi Merlin, have you been to see an opthamologist for your iritis/uveitis? The doc should tell you how long to use the drops, and how many to take and when. If you are using a steroid drop and/or a dilating drop both of those should be tapered down and not just stopped. For example, use the steroid drops [as per eye doc's instructions] for 3-4 times a day for about 2 weeks, then go down to using 3 times a day for about 1 week, then down to twice a day for about 1 week...you get the picture.

It may be that you are not using the drops long enough, and/or not using them properly. Make sure you are following your eye doc's instructions. If they are still sore and you have been following your eye doc's instructions then you need to call him and get in to see him again ASAP, so that he can determine what next to do.

You may have aggressive/chronic iritis like I have [no fun!]. I have been in an iritis flare since July 2006!

Cheers,
Rita

James, 12, Adrian, 10, Elisabeth, 3, my babies!

sue you werent being rude i was being sarcastic i know i should go see one but since the symptoms are gone i was just wondering if i should still go....oak

losing my eye sight aint no fear for me my fgreatest fear has already happened the loss of use of my legs even if i cant see my grandkids i can still hold them and my wife or kids can paint a picture by drescription i dont fear the loss of sight what is that compared to losing your use of your legs.......oak

ive never had iritis or uveitis so i aint sure what to do....oak

Hi Rita, Merlin and Oak,

I agree with everything Rita (Squeaky!) has said.
I also had one very serious bout of iritis around 8 years ago which, b/c I'd never had it b4 I didn't recognize the symptoms. I'd had some pain above and at the back of my eye, and occasional blurred vision, on and off for weeks but didn't really think much of it, so it had probably been going on for a long time. Then one day I was out with a friend and suddenly I got the most awful pain in my left eye and all I could see was blinding bright lights! Lucky I wasn't on my own, as my friend had to guide me back to the car and drive me home!

I went to the doc next day and fortunately he was familiar with Iritis and the AS/irits connection (a lot of docs aren't!) He sent me straight off to the optho. The biggest problem was that I had NO visible inflammation - it was all at the back of my eye, not at the front as it usually would be, so my eye didn't go red. The specialist told me if I'd waited much longer I would probably have lost the sight in that eye!
He also told me that, b/c it was all happening at the back of my eye, it would NEVER have turned red, showing up the inflammation, no matter how badly affected it got, which was what really scared me!

Anyway, I was having all the drops several x a day and going back to the optho every couple of weeks but it still wouldn't clear up, so finally my rheumy and the optho decided it was time for me to go on MTX. That stopped it within a couple of weeks - thankfully.
I've been taking MTX ever since and (touch wood!) haven't had any more iritis. It was one of the worst things I've ever had to live thru, as I couldn't read, watch TV, or use the PC and talk to my friends at KA
I couldn't even go outside as the bright light hurt my eyes so much. I felt completely isolated from everyone and everything. Horrible!

That's why I'm so paranoid about anything to do with my eyes. I still get a few probs with them - I have some scarring on the cornea, and occasionally it gets tears in it too, as I have Sjrogens so my eyes are always dry and "scratchy"! I put Polygel tears in them 4 x daily, which helps a bit.
They also do show up inflammation sometimes, but it hasn't been iritis, thankfully.
My dad suffered iritis 2-3 times a year at least from his mid-20's, but never knew he had AS. It made his life miserable, and in the end caused all sorts of problems which eventually left him with virtually no sight.

So....please take care of your eyes everyone. You never appreciate what you have until you lose it!

Here endeth the 1st lecture!

Sue