Vision

See, I can't even spell! Talk about vision.

I meant hormone treatment. Or rather anti-hormone.

-Helena.

Hey all, I'm joining in on this thread--I hope you all haven't disappeared from it since it's a few months old.  I have the vision problems going on as well!  I'm still doing my herceptin treatments, but it's been 4 months since the last chemo.  Are your eyes blurry all the time, or does it seem  to come and go?  Mine seem to get clearer when I blink a bit and move them around.  It's almost like there is a film over them, but it's not the same as the "gookies" that I used to get in my eyes that were definately covering the cornea before breast cancer diagnosis.  Those were for sure little pieces of mucous or something yucky.  I'm not sure what this is. 

Thanks Diana!  So you never ended up getting your eyes checked?  And you are still having problems with it 2 yrs later???  That's not what I want to hear--I don't want this to be here 2 yrs later!  It's driving me crazy.  Like I said, the only way to "clear" them (and it's more my right eye than my left, but even that one does it sometimes) is I have to kind of blink and hold it closed an extra second or two.  Usually it's clear when I open it back up again, until the next time . . .

Hi.  I am an eye doctor.  Dry Eye Syndrome causes blurred vision as the day goes on, especially if you are on the computer a lot.  with vision of 20/50 and 20/30, you may just have a normal vision change for the worst:  the eyes progressively change in the 40's and 50's and people who had great vision before, may begin needing glasses.  Some chemo and rads can cause cataracts which also affect vision, but this would not get worse as the day goes on.  Cataracts are worse in bright lights for instance driving into the sun or headlights at night.  You for sure should see your eye doctor, but in the meantime, go to the pharmacy and get a good artifical tear:  the preservative free ones are the best such as Systane PF or Refresh PF (I am not connected to any company: these are some that I have found work well for my patients).  A thicker solution, such as Celluvisc gel, is great for bedtime:  it will last longer through the night.  You must use the drops AT LEAST 4 - 6 times a day to see a benefit.  Your dry eye should get better after using the drops consistently for several days.  Some times, if your eyes are extremely dry, you may need a prescription to increase your tear production (Restasis), but using the over the counter artificial tears  prior to your appointment will not hurt anything and if they are not helping at all, the doctor can prescribe something else.  I hope that this helps!  BTW  Anyone seeing spots or flashes of lights should be seeing their eye doctor on a regular basis.  Also some systemic disease such as Diabetes can also cause blurred vision which is not stable.  Good Luck!

Dry eye symptoms often go unnoticed, but in severe dry eye you can have watering, a gritty feeling, burning, excessive blinking, or any combo thereof.  Chemo and rads can cause deposits in the cornea, retina, or cataracts.  Hopefully it is dryeye or just a vision change, but no worries;  cataract surgery is very common, painless, quick and effective.  Or if they aren't too bad, a pair of glasses will help make up for the vision loss from them.  If you try the drops before your visit, you can tell your doctor you have already tried them and that will rule out dry out.  I am sure that will be one of the differential diagnosis that he/she comes up with.