Eye issues

By missmary

1 min read

I've has Crohn’s for 20 years I got diagnosed at 8. I noticed and doctors noticed the red irritation that goes along with the disease but the past two weeks my eyes itch and are swollen. I went to the ER a couple days ago and they said it looks like allergies. So they put me on prednisone and something for the itching. I also have to see an eye doctor soon for it. Does anyone else have this issue?

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todor Member
Hi I had an eye problem about 6 weeks ago. The white of my eye became red and very painful. My doctor diagnosed scleritis and gave me some steroid drops, they cleared it up in 5 days.
SusanHU Community Admin
Hi <inline-mention user-id="2231285" username="missmary"/> - thank you for your post! You're not alone in having eye issues with IBD. I wanted to share a couple of our articles that you might find helpful: <a href='https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/ibd-impact-eyes-iritis-uveitis' target='_blank'>https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/living/ibd-impact-eyes-iritis-uveitis/</a> <a href='https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/symptoms/inflammation-of-the-joints-skin-and-eyes' target='_blank'>https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/symptoms/inflammation-of-the-joints-skin-and-eyes/</a> Please keep us posted! - Susan (InflammatoryBowelDisease.net Team Member)
derby7946 Member
Yes, I too have had problems with my eyes. I feel like I have inflammation in my eyes that causes vision problems. I also have red, scratchy eyes that eye drops relieves a little bit but it certainly doesn’t make it go away. I have also noted that I have inflammation in my gums and it appears to be affecting my teeth. Anyone else have these problems?
Brooke Abbott Moderator
Hi Everyone! Yes, issues with eyes are very common. Some patients experience Uveitis or severe dry eye. It's important to visit an ophthalmologist as soon as possible to get properly diagnosed. My Uveitis was treated immediately and I've only had a couple of flare ups since 2009. However, I have sever dry eye which can be extremely painful and messes with my vision at night. My doctor gave me drops and placed plugs in my tear ducts. The plugs don't hurt and come out on their own without me noticing. I also use false tear drops daily. -Brooke (inflammatoryboweldisease.net Team Member)
ginamm Member
I started with this eye issue years before i was diagnosed with crohn's. i was 19yrs. old 1989 and dealt with all symptoms redness, inflammation, nodules and almost losing my eye sight about 3 times! was treated for pink eye and scratches on the eye and nothing helping. i found a great ophthalmologist took him a few months to diagnose me with iritis! i had no other symptoms going on with me! he said it's a form of arthritis of the eyes, i had the uveitis, scleritis. my dr. explained that my immune system was attacking my eyes! i was so inflamed it took 5yrs. with heavy doses of steroids and drops to get it under control. since diagnosed with crohn's in 2007 and being treated with humira for my crohn's, my eye's have also been under control and at the time i just use artificial tears daily in my eye's! i see my ophthalmologist every 4 to 6 months and in between if needed! hope this post helps!