Impaired vision in one eye- what might the cause be?

In My Humble Opinion
41

Thanks for all the concern. And thanks especially to Ferret Herder for all the great information! It was truly helpful, as communication is not a Danish forte. Talking however, is. Ahem.

Anyway, thanks for the input. The prednisone is doing wonders and I continue to see an increase in my field of vision, even since the last post. Took another 50 mg as planned this evening.

I have a question for you if you don’t mind, FH- once the swelling goes down (assuming it does), do I expect to rely on some sort of therapy to stave off inflammation? As you pointed out extended prednisone use could be hairy, right? Do we locate a more ‘root’ cause and address that more specifically, using this prednisone as a ‘patch’ of sorts? If we cannot locate a root cause, what would the course be then?

And just give it to me straight, I can take it- should I be super freaked out (significant life changes ahead due to this), or is this sort of thing the kind of thing that passes and is forgotten about? If it’s impossible to say, I appreciate hearing that too.
Thanks in advance,

BB

42

I should add, though it is most likely inconsequential- both retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma run in my family, RP on my Dad’s side and glaucoma on my Mom’s.
-BB

43

Well, it all depends. If it is even uveitis, there are a whole ton of potential causes, and with some of them, if the underlying cause is addressed, the uveitis should go away. It may be chronic if associated with a chronic disease. And there’s always idiopathic uveitis, which means, “we have no idea what’s causing this”; I have seen long-term cases of this but suspect (completely guessing here) there could be temporary ones as well.

Prednisone can be used fairly long-term; some people experience various side effects and there are other pills that can be taken instead and/or with prednisone, including methotrexate, cyclosporine, and Cellcept. You should not abruptly discontinue prednisone if you’ve been on it for over a week. Some people take anti-inflammatory eyedrops like PredForte (prednisolone acetate, a drop form of prednisone), Acular, and others. Some people get sub-Tenon’s (around the outside of the eyeball) injections of corticosteroid drugs, like triamcinolone acetate (Kenalog). For particularly tough cases, a tiny implant inside the eye (called Retisert) time-releases another corticosteroid (fluocinolone acetonide) for over two years before needing replacement.

Now, it might well be possible that you don’t even have uveitis. Light sensitivity is pretty common as a side effect with it, for instance. And you need another visit with your doctor and a proper diagnosis, maybe some testing to exclude some causes/problems.

I’ve seen people with uveitis who have great vision and just take a couple of pills and a couple of eyedrops a day, and I’ve seen much more difficult cases with our doctors. Neglect of uveitis can lead to long-term damage to your vision, even blindness, depending on how bad it gets and what the uveitis is doing.

I would advise, whatever your diagnosis is, that you ask questions as much as you can, write stuff down and look it up later if you get a doc who isn’t good at communicating, and take your meds as directed. A lot of people seem to like to use eyedrops whenever they feel like it, instead of treating them like they’re really medicine.

And again - IANAD/N, this is no guarantee that you have uveitis or anything terrible/chronic, etc.