Tamoxifen and cataract

friedmantamar

BACKGROUND:

AGE 71.OPERATION OF BREAST TUMOR IN OCTOBER 2012 DISCOVERED VIA ROUTINE MAMMOGRAPHY.

RESULT:

DCIS INTERMEDIATE GRADE WITH SURGICAL MARGIN OF 1MM. ER/PR STRONG POSITIVE +3

TREATMENT:

1. RADIATION-COMPLETED END JANUARY 2013.
2. STARTED TAMOXIFEN CIRCA 20^TH FEBRUARY 2013. RECOMMENDATION OF 5 YEARS 20 MG /DAY.

SIDE EFFECT WITHIN ONE MONTH:

1. STRONG VISION DETERIORATION.SUFFERED CATARACT BEFORE BUT HAD MINIMAL PROBLEMS DRIVING ,READING ETC.PERSONAL FEELING OF RAPID SEVERE DETERIORATION.
2. INCREASE OF INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE COMPARED TO PRESSURE MEASURED JUST BEFORE INITIATION OF TAMOXIFEN.
3. GOING TO HAVE CATARACT SURGERY SHORTLY OF BOTH EYES  RIGHT EYE FOLLOWED TWO WEEKS LATER BY LEFT  EYE.

 

QUESTIONS:

1. SHOULD TAMOXIFEN BE DISCONTINUED FOR AWHILE BEFORE AND AFTER CATARACT SURGERY AND FOR HOW MANY DAYS.
2. THE MORE IMPORTANT PROBLEM IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? IS THERE EXPERIENCE OF RECURRENT CATARACT WITH TAMOXIFEN.SHOULD TAMXIFEN BE DISCONTINUED TOTALLY ,OR SUBSTITUTED BY OTHER TREATMENT

wenweb

friedmantamar,  While I don't know whether Tamoxifen should be temporally discontinued before and/or after cataract surgery, I do know that cataracts do not recurr.  When you have cataract surgery, the natural lens you were born with is removed, and a new "fake" lens is put in it's place.  Since the new lens is not real, it can not develope a cataract.

Good-luck!!