Why doesn't anyone tell you how painful your eyes can become with this disorder?! I'm in the middle of a med change from Enbrel, which was working pretty good for my neck and extremities, to Humira which is supposed to help my eyes. Wow the pain is terrible, especially in the AM and my eyelids are terribly swollen with a constant headache. My Rheumy sent me to an Ophthalmologist at Mass Eye and Ear who specializes in uvietis - I had inflammation which was treated with steroid drops which helped. The pain returned and I went back and he said the tear production is messed up which is common with this disorder and menopausal women... He said the corneas, which are loaded with nerve endings, are very dry and starting to stick to the lens and are getting damaged - causing pain. Who would've thought that dry eyes could be so painful?! Told me to stop the steroid drops could cause Glaucoma and to use sparingly.
I started with the artificial tears during the day and the gel at night and still have pain. Anyone have any tricks to help with the pain and the eyelid swelling? Also I started the Humira 6 weeks ago and have had no relief from pain, how long could this take? Remicade didn't work for me so I'm hoping this isn't the case. The doc just double the dose to every week starting Monday so I'm hoping maybe that will help it kick in!