Vision changes with gem/cis

Iowagirl…That’s pretty much how I feel. I just wanted to make sure that there was not serious or permanent going on. It’s a little bit of a nuisance to have my vision off kilter for awhile, but nothing I can’t live with. And the ramped up use of eye drops really does help.

This morning I saw the ophthalmologist at M. D. Anderson. They retested my prescription and found that, after a week of frequent eye drops, my vision had changed again, moving back part of the way towards what it was last fall. She found no evidence of glaucoma or nerve damage. She said that vision changes were very common in chemo patients due to the drying effect of the drugs used (both in the premed cocktail and in the actual treatment). This is especially true in people like me who tend to have dry eyes anyway. The dryness changes the surface of the eyes, sometimes causing deposits on the eye, all of which can cause significant although transient changes in vision. I was sent home with a recommendation to use good quality eye drops without preservatives at least 3 times a day (and always before computer use or any activity that causes long-term staring where blinking may be reduced). She also specifically warned against getting any new glasses for the duration of chemo, as my vision (as has been the case over the last 2 months) could change dramatically on a week to week basis. No need to consider altering therapy.

The visit to my regular eye doctor (an optometrist) documented that my vision had changed quite a bit in both eyes since my last regular appointment in September 2014. (I started chemo in late April.) I’ve become significantly more farsighted in both eyes. I contacted my oncologist, and he referred me to an M.D. Anderson ophthalmologist. I will be seeing her tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, taking better care of my eyes (good eye drops multiple times a day to relieve dryness; warm compresses; limiting use of my e-reader) has improved the symptoms quite a bit from last week.