I’ve never heard of that but read this thread because something is wrong with my eyes. I thought it was just psoriasis on my eyelids and around my eyes. There is also psoriasis on my eyelashes and all over my ears (started when on Humira). I’m on Cosentyx now, which cleared up some spots while others appear to have gotten worse.
Blepheritis is different than psoriasis on eyelids? I will check with a doctor on Monday.
Blepharitis often occurs with psoriasis but is a separate condition. It’s also very common with scalp dandruff.
Well I thought I would share the whole story of what started out as strange eye problems. I started with my pcp who started me on some doxycycline. So I go to the eye doctor who said I have dry eye spots on both eyes and she gave me antibotic/prednisone eye drops. I am continuing treatment thinking I have an idea of what is going on and then suddenly eye pain–picture a red hot fire poker plunging in your eye over and over for about 4-5 hours, itchyness, and light sensitivity is suddenly worse in right eye. I go back to the pcp who goes oh I see what this is. You have shingles and it is occuring on the right side of your face, head, and around your eye. I knew something was amiss because I was having weird pain on the top of my skull–right side, my lymph nodes behind my ear and just under were swollen. So the mystery is solved at least and required another antiviral type med. Then I go back to the eye doctor for my seven day check up and let them know hey I have shingles occurring on my right eye area. So now I am on another antibiotic salve for a week and back to the eye doctor I go… You think you have it sort of figured out and then out of left field something occurs. So, for those of you who had chicken pox and are taking biologics be sure to keep that in mind. Either the dry eye was something else or sort of related. I might have to keep that in mind to see if it keeps occurring.
Thanks so much for letting us know Woodworm. I’ve had chicken pox but never shingles, and must admit I never would have thought of that! Glad you got it figured out and hope it resolves soon.
Wow, @Woodworm, I hope the terrible pain from shingles has let up. It sounds awful! Two aunts of mine had shingles on their face a few years ago. They both got over it, but it was an ordeal.
My eye problems are definitely not as severe, but they are ever present. Does anybody have trouble with blurred and double vision? I’ve had extensive testing for this, but everything pointed to dry eye. It did turn out I have a clogged tear duct in my left eye, which causes some constant drainage. That eyelid has also been weak for several years now, and I actually consciously open it wider when I get my picture taken. The double vision happens randomly. Sometimes when I’m driving, reading or watching TV it’s very annoying—it seems like my glasses aren’t working at all. During the testing, of course, it didn’t happen, so according to the doctors it was a non-issue. (Testing was at Mayo Clinic!). Funny thing, they didn’t even mention doing a brain scan—you’d think they’d want to rule out anything there because I’ve also had constant loud ear ringing for over 5 years now (which seems like it’s coming from inside my head and not at my ear drums). Oh well, I’m still alive…
Doesn’t it seem like some of the not-so-severe issues of chronic symptoms and pain become commonplace and we learn to live with them? We just muddle on. 
I often wonder what it would be like to be free of symptoms and pain.
The severe stuff, such as your eyes, woodworm, is what it takes to bring us to the doctor! It’s good you got the diagnosis despite how painful shingles is—hopefully relief will come fast with the proper meds!
I’ve been having eye problems for a while too, including blepharitis which has been helped by daily eyelid cleaning with Optase Tea Tree Oil Wipes recommended by my opthalmologist. The wipes come in packs of 20 and are way bigger than necessary for cleaning eyelids so I cut each one in to four strips (for four days) and then pull the strip in half so I have a piece for each eye. Putting a clip on the pack stops the remaining strips from drying out.
For the dry eyes and meiobiam gland dysfunction I’ve been using hot compresses, massage and lubricating drops with not much success. Next stop is a specialist dry eye clinic.
Like @Grandma_J my eyesight varies day to day with/without glasses and is often poorly focused and blury but yet tests fine. The opthalmologist says it’s the dry eyes but I’ve also read that lots of folks with fibro also have same/similar symptoms so could be either/or/both for me.
Sounds like my character, without the last bit. Also my eyes are exactly like this. On occasions the optician has told me that I have dry eyes, other times it goes without mention.
I’m thinking that dry eyes are pretty much par for the course with PsA as well as with other conditions. As you say @Woodworm, the dry eye might be ‘sort of related’ to the development of other, more serious issues … or not. Uncertainty about how, why and if one thing leads to another also seems to be par for the course.
Very glad to hear you found out what was going on Woodworm. Here’s hoping the antibiotic salve does the job quickly.
I had a conversation with my Rheumy years ago about the blurry /double vision thing during flares, which for me often did not correlate with dry eye, and was generally without pain or grittiness. I mentioned it was often worse when I was tired.
He suggested that the eye has all sorts of bits of tissue around the eye socket that can swell with inflammation, similar to the tissue in your sinuses, and that makes it a bit harder for your eye muscles to work, so particularly with tiredness, double vision and blurriness can become quite noticeable.
Never seen any studies or evidence supporting this, but it was certainly consistent with my symptoms, and an interesting explanation.
For heaven’s sake! Is there anything that is not affected by inflammation?? Do you get sick of the word? I do!
Even so, it really helps when rheumys discuss the ‘add-ons’ with us doesn’t it?
I ask the question and get those all knowing raised eyebrows which clearly signal the “do you really need to ask” response. Right now I have problems in dark southerly places too and even that has been put down to, yeah, you guessed it!
I sure do get sick of inflammation. Literally. It does help at least to minimise the concern when yet another thing stops working properly - I always go get it checked to make sure it’s nothing serious, but in the meantime its perversely kind of reassuring to just put it down to inflammation associated with PsA (only when my meds are working well MOST of the time - so I know the PsA itself is not really doing much damage).
I saw where you were diagnosed with shingles and hope that has all resolved now. Did they suggest you get the Shingles vaccine? Because of the immunosuppression from the meds we take to control PsA, we are at increased risk for shingles if we ever had chickenpox. The varicella virus “hides” in nerves and when the immune system gets taxed by medication or illness, it allows the virus to come back as shingles.
For everyone else checking this post for eye problems, I also have chronic blepharitis / dry eyes which seems to be connected to the PsA unofficially. I never had problems with my eyes until the psoriasis started. I could work on a computer or read a book for hours without problem. Now even an hour causes pain, blurriness and double vision. As far as treatment, I was put on short-term antibiotic/steroid ointment and since that time the treatment has been eye wipes followed by lubricating gel eyedrops morning and night. It does not fix the problem 100% but it is a vast improvement for pain and itching. The only time my eyes cleared completely was when I was on Humira but this lasted only a few months before I rejected the medication and then some improvement on Enbrel. This is how I know my eye problems are definitely autoimmune related. I haven’t really seen blepharitis listed as an official symptom of PsA anywhere (only uveitis). Tinnitus (ear ringing) is another symptom I have that isn’t recognized as a PsA symptom, but I believe that researchers will find these are all part of the same process some day.
You won’t find Blepharitis listed although it is th most common occular event with PsA and Psoriasis (about 85% of patients experience it) That’s because Blepharitis is a description, not an actual disease Sorta like saying arthritis, red eyes, or pus. Its merely swelling/inflammation of the eye lids. Anyone who has ever had a hangover or missed a nights sleep has Blepharitis
That being said this article goes into pretty good detail about eye issues and autoimmune disease. It refers to PsA but ultimately lumps all seronegative spondyloarthropathies together (mostly because they are finally recognizing the huge overlap in all of them Severla types such as Ankylosing Spondylitis have all but disappeared as a dignoses: