Hi jiilmare, I have the same issues after AC/T. My last Taxol was 11/25. I go to the ophthalmologist and do what he tells me to for my eyes. I asked the MO and she said that it is not chemo related. Really, the ophthalmologist knows it is chemo related. But if I listen to the MO nothing is chemo related. But both of my cardiologist know that Adriamycin caused my permanent heart damage. And on and on it goes. So treatment goes on, and then I run to any of my 15 Doctors to "fix" what the chemo does to me. Big sigh......

My question is: If chemo can wreck most of my body parts, why doesn't it wipe out the cancer, the very thing we do it for?? Kinda scary.

Good luck, I hope you get some relief from the eye problems.

Thanks, Doxie! Much obliged.

PS - I just opened the link and realized I know one of the authors! We used to serve on a board together and I bump into him occasionally. What a small world!

Hi jiilmare, I was on the same regimen as you and started having the same symptoms.(Taxotere and Cytoxin) My Oncologist also said it was not related.I went to my ophthalmologist who insisted it was. It turned out my tear ducts were completely blocked and I had stents put in while I was doing chemo and for a while thereafter. He told me that scar tissue would form and my eyes would be constantly watering if I didn't. He also felt that I was developing signs of glaucoma but would check every six months. I have been off the chemo for three years - it probably took a year for things to return to normal.

I agree with Beachbum - oncologists always say nothing is chemo related. You should always get symptoms checked out! I also run to my doctors to fix treatment related things. Hope I was helpful in some way and that you feel better soon!

My dry eye is caused by clogged oil (meibomian) glands on my lids. This was caused by plepharitis. I noticed the swollen lids during chemo, but don't remember if they preceded chemo. My eyes produce enough tears, but the surface doesn't receive enough oil to keep tears on the eye.

Hot wet washcloths 2-5 minutes on the eyelids 2x per day with gentle rubbing on the eyelids really help. If your eyes are blurry immediately after this, oil is being released from clogged glands.

The plepharitis finally cleared up inadvertently after antibiotics for kidney infection. I still use the hot compresses daily.

Excess tearing can be a sign of dry eye. Make sure you have your ophthalmologist check both tears and oil production. My dry eye wasn't controlled until we found out the real problem.

A year after completing chemo I developed a severe detached retina in my left eye. I am just about to go through my 3rd surgery to try and fix it. Thank goodness I have great vision in my other eye or I would realy be in trouble.

Eye issues are serious and should be dealtwith immediately! I have quite bad myopia which is what caused the retina to detach in the first place. My retina specialist advised that although having chemo does not cause a detached retina but it will weaken your body enough to make current issues worse. That along with leaving my vision issues a couple of days too long has caused this nightmare for me!!!!

There is no way to know for sure rather or not eye issues are directly caused by Chemo according to all my Drs. That it is possible - yes but not an absoluteas the older we get, the more possible issues arise.

I devoped cataracts in both eyes 2 yrs post neoadjuvant A/C and adjuvant Taxol. 1 1/2 yr ago the retina detached in my right eye (long story - but finally got a great Dr). 1/2 yr ago left retina detached - I was able to yet into my fantastic Dr immediately.

My point in telling my 'story' is that we can not know for sure what 'tomorrow' holds for any of us. Be thankful for every day and handle what ever may happen when it does, IF IT DOES.

To help understand my eye problems, I created a glossary of eye terms, then gave it to my MO with an article about how cancer treatments affect the eye. He knew next to nothing.

Shoppygirl - Isn't it horrible to lose sight in one eye? I did not wait to seek care - the 'Specialist' is the one who put me off from Tues to Fri for care. This was at a large eye facility. Wed. I could not see at all and raised 'Hades' and they finally got me an appt the next day with a private Dr. He's fantastic. It did redetach a month later which required surgery, not just the gas bubble. Considering how long it was before being able to see him - not bad results but would have been better IF I had been treated in an appropriate time frame from first Dr. Last June on the way home from town, I noticed the same early sign so called my Dr and talked go his RN and was told to get in as fast as I could safely. Did the bubble then and cryo the next day (Sat - yes he did come in on Sat morning just for me).

Hopeful

Thank you! I hope this surgery works too! I told my retina specialist that I better be all healed to go to Las Vegas at the end of March for my 20th wedding anniversary !

Hello All,

Yes, chemo DOES cause vision issues whether your MO wants to admit it or not.  Mine confirmed that Yes, the watery eyes caused by either clogged tear ducts or dry eyes was initiated by the chemo.  It first came on 3 weeks after my final chemo (taxol).  If you have had eye issues in the past, the chemo can tip the scales and cause a full blown issue, as is the case with me.  In the last 7 months, I have been to 5 opthalmologists, including an ophthalmologist plastic surgeon from Johns Hopkins who wanted to do general anesthesia surgery to insert stents.  I did not want to do that, so I've been on a quest to come up with a less drastic solution.  Oh, by the way, there is NO guarantee that the surgery would even work:-).  Ugh.  My eyes were watering so badly, wearing any kind of eye make up was out of the question.  I was constantly walking around dabbing at my eyes as if I were on a perpetual crying jag.  Could not stand it!  The first 3 docs all thought clogged tear ducts were the issue - had them irrigated or drained in the office twice - and they did drain, which is a good sign.  Fourth doc said he thought it was not an internal eye issue at all, but external - blepharitis or inflamed eyelids & ocular roseacea.  He prescribed doxycycline (antibiotic pill), warm eye compresses: fill a smooth fabric sock with raw rice, tie it, and put it in the microwave on a paper plate to heat for 45 seconds, place warmed rice/sock on the eyes; & Flonase nasal spray once a day (to unclog the gland that runs from the nose to the eyes), plus adding Fish Oil 1200 mg once a day to your supplements.  After two weeks of this, eyes not appreciably improved.  He then referred me to a doctor in Rockville, MD (outside my immediate area but not that far), who may have found the solution.  She researched dry eyes for 10 years at Harvard!  I've been on her regime for one week and my eyes are 80-85% improved!  She has been the first doc who has said that the problem is DRY EYES.  (My regular opthalmologist whom I've seen for 25 years and is very good, said I did NOT have dry eyes.)  On her regime, I am taking the same doxycycline; no Flonase; Erythromycin antibiotic cream on the lids at bedtime; warm compresses as described above 3 x a day;up to 8 x a day, in each eye drop of Preservative-free eye drops (expensive, come in little tubes), and am washing my face/eye area with very warm water, followed once a day with an eyelid scrub of Cliradex, which contains tea tree oil.  The tea tree oil kills all the little mites (oh yes, mites evidently come with the roseacea!).  Cliradex comes in little sealed packs.  You can cut them in half and save the other half in a Ziploc bag as a box costs $40.  This treatment above again has improved my condition by 80-85%.  If this stops working I will go to her next step of using Restatis (you've seen the commercials on TV) & Lotemax.  Lotemax is a steroid and can cause higher eye pressure which is dangerous, but it just means that you have to be monitored to make sure the pressure does not get too high.

I am taking the time to convey all of this in the hope that it may help just one bc sister out there who has or may have similar eye issues caused by chemo.  This is NOT a recommendation to do what I'm doing!  Every one is different and needs to consult their own doctor, but this has been my experience.  I feel like I finally have hope!  Hang in there ladies - just be persistent!

Just wanted to add - be VERY proactive if 'you' think you are having eye issues. Sight is so precious and also so delicate and easy to loose with incompetent care.

As has been said - Chemo does/can effect eyes. There are other issues that come into play also - age, nearsightednesss, cataracts/cataract surgery, and family HX are some things that can contribute.

As we are each unique - there is no one way that any issue will present exactly the same with all.b Some issues develope over time and some are rapid requiring rapid TX for positive results.

Dito!!

Thanks MomMom, I am so glad I found your very informative post. I did 12 weeks of Taxol and my eye problems started the week after I started Taxol. I told my MO my vision was blurry and my eyes were tearing. I thought he was going to recommend an ophthalmologist but instead he had me go for a brain MRI. Very stressful but fortunately negative. I finished Taxol 11 days ago and am still having SE's from the treatment and my vision and watery eyes being one of them. I was just biding my time hoping it would pass but tomorrow I am going to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist. My eyelids are puffy but also I have puffiness under my eyes too. Did that happen to you? Thanks for your post to push me in the right direction.