Vision change

Anonymous

Vision change

Amchjo

has anyone had vision change with chemo? I had LASIK surgery 8 yrs ago had 20/20 vision and since starting chemo my vision has changed. Just wondering if anyone has gone thru this and if so does vision correct itself and go back to normal.

Leatherette

My vision has gotten worse, but I have read that it does for other people then starts to come back. I have not had LASIK though. I will when I am done with treatment, though.

BellasMomToo

8 years ago I had PRK monovision (I didn't qualify for Lasik). During chemo my close up vision would get blurry then clear up before the next round. But after my 6th and final round, my vision got really blurry -- I couldn't read w/o glasses and things 3 feet away were also blurry. But my distance was sharper.

3 months PFC I went to the eye doctor. At that time I needed reading glasses, but my distance was sharper than before chemo.

Now I'm almost 11 months PFC and my reading vision is back to normal and my distance vision is almost back to normal.

The advice always given on this board is to give (your eye sight) time. (I only went to the eye doctor at the 3 month mark cause I wanted to make sure my blood thinners weren't harming my eyes.)

So be patient! good luck!

Outfield

Yes, often things were blurry, both near and far. I think it may have been tear-film problems. It did get better after I finished. If I'd been feeling better I probably would have asked about it because it was significant, but I felt like such crap I didn't have the energy to do that.

Amchjo

thanks, I'm just hoping mine goes back to normal. I have three more rounds of Taxol and will be done Jan 24

NotVeryBrave

My eyesight was much worse during chemo. It made driving at night scary for the first few days after each round. It would improve before the next round.

I had seen an optometrist a few months before my diagnosis. She said I had "dry eye" and my RX had changed quite a bit. I hadn't gotten around to getting new glasses.

So I saw an opthalmolgist a month ago - concerned about a new "floater" and problems seeing. And the Tamoxifen I was taking. He saw no problems with my eyes. Dryness is not severe enough to require treatment. Floaters are a fact of aging. And my new RX is even stronger than the one from last year.

Lexica

My vision was very blurry with AC + compazine (nausea med). Not sure if that is what is causing yours, but it definitely did it for me. Got better once I was off meds.

Diagnosisbreastcancer

My vision changed with A/C chemo and with Taxol and Herceptin and I could suddenly see very well far away but needed reading glasses, which I'd never needed before. The eye doctor said I developed cataracts from treatment. Now, after treatment (I stopped Herceptin in Dec 2017), my eye sight is changing again, back to being able to read close up and not being able to see in the distance... odd, isn't it?

jordan39

Had mastectomy (single) , chemo and radiation in 2013 and then started taking femara.  Was lucky in that I didn't have really bad side effects and what I had got better as I took it longer; however the memory loss is not fun and I deal with it, but worst is the blurry vision.  It gradually began when I started the femara which I took for 3 years and then stopped for about 10 months; not sure how much eyes improved in that time, but after seeing oncologist again I started taking the drug again about 5 months ago and am really noticing a sharp decline in sight--very blurry.  Had an eye check-up at ophthalmologist and he found nothing wrong and said it was dry eye and to use drops.  I have been doing that to no avail.  I am a reader and a quilter so my eyes are a priority for me and am considering stopping the femara again for good!  I saw a couple posts saying the sight had improved after stopping drug, but am really concerned that it will.  Has anyone had this problem and been off the femara for a long length of time and has the sight recovered?

Moderators

Hi jordan39 - Welcome to Breastcancer.org! We're sure other members will be by shortly to offer some help with their own experiences and advice. In the meantime, the Vision and Eye Problems article from our main site includes information on managing eye problems that you may find helpful.

Please let us know if we can be of any assistance, we're here for you!

The Mods

WarriorG

yes....My vision has completely changed since doing chemo. I had 2 new pairs of glasses made for me the summer before I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Once I started the various chemo (Ibrance, Taxol, Halaven and now Afinitor/Aromasin), those glasses no longer help my vision. Actually, I am now using the glasses that I had prior to having the 2 new pairs made. They were very pricey. I'm 75 years old. My vision SUCKS

Anonymous

My oncologist warned me about possible vision changes during chemo. He said not to get new glasses while on chemo, because my vision just might revert back to how it was before - or at least different than while on chemo. I think he suggested waiting about 6 months after completion of chemo before getting a new glasses prescription.
I didn't notice any problems myself during that time.

Bonnybelle

Hi I am on Extremastane having had two lumpectomys and a mastectomy to my right breast last year. Started on generic Femara and had dreadful side effects have been on the Extremastane since November last year, have struggled with stiffness insomnia etc but am having sharp pains in my eyes particularly the right one, am so concerned about my sight

My aunt took Tamoxifan years ago and lost the sight in her eye she was about 86 .Anybody got any advice .

Thanks Jane.

duffyzmom

I can't comment on what my current treatment will do but 7.5 years ago I underwent chemo for lymphoma. I had Lasik 5 years prior to that. After treatment I'm back to wearing glasses/contacts full time. My vision change was to about a -1.25.