Psoriatic Eye

I’ve develop Psoriatic Eye also know as Eye Arthritis, this is related to PsA. If anyone has this please share with me what your symptoms are, treatment, and long term effects?

Psoriatic Eye is sort of a glop diagnoses. It can be a series of problems all with a different treatment. Ranging from dry eye, conjunctivitis, occular rosacia, iritis to the most serious Uveitis. Treatment ranges from allergy drops, low dose long term doxycycline, some very specialized drop that combine steroids and antibiotics, to even oral/IV steroids. many of us end up seeing an occular immunologist (I travel 500 miles to Portland 3 times a year to see mine) Generally there isn't a problem as long as flair ups are treated immediately. I recently had to change biologics to one that is active against eye issues and had to up my MTX. For some reason my PsA had decided to hang out in my shoulders neck, (including all the glands) eyes jaw head etc. While my back and knees have really enjoyed the break, its made for some interesting times topside. I had a feeding tube for a while because I couldn't swallow had round the clock infusions for hydration etc.

Well that is just a bummer, KellyD, as if skin and joint miseries weren’t enough. It’s the disease that just keeps on giving, isn’t it? (And tntlamb seems to have been “gifted” more than his fair share as well.)
There’s an article in our Newbies’ Guide which may be of interest to you:
http://discussion.livingwithpsoriaticarthritis.org/forum/topics/and-don-t-overlook-your-eyes

Lamb, I'm sorry to hear you have been so poorly and hope you're now feeling much better. However do we work out whether things like swollen tender glands in the neck or, as I had recently, a very swollen uvula (when seemingly without any other signs of infection) could be associated with our PsA?

I seem to have this cycle of odd things going on and with the difficulties (ie. 3 - 4 week wait) just getting to see my regular family doctor who is familiar with my PsA I find it really hard to figure out what belongs to what and when to worry or when to wait. And of course I'm lucky if I get to see a rheumy once a year!

Don't want to hijack KellyD's post but just a few lines of your thoughts would be appreciated (or we could take this to a new discussion?) as I've not come across this before and I'm sure it would also be a relevant issue to other members who may have these random events.

We are past that and on to new adventures....... We started out thinking it was toothache. Then TMJ. The x rays were weird so they did a CT. When they did the head CT, they though it was cancer, so then they did MRI's several nuclear test etc etc. This of course took several weeks. The did IV droids at one point so I could swallow. It was all PsA. But yeah I had several glands removed in that area years back the swelled up and turned hard as rocks as well as some in one of my arm pits. What really POd me though is days in the imaging center and not one hot cookie - they make cookies through the day and serve them warm as imaging is somewhat competitive here. Imagine missing out on cold milk and warm cookies not once but 4 days in a row!!!!!! They wouldn't even give me a rain check...................

I wrote a very nasty letter to the head hauncho on official letterhead. I got my cookies. everyday for a week delivered to my office. DO NOT seperate a man and his cookies.

Anyway PsA is one of the true Systemic Rheumatic Diseases. If it can inflame it will. Although rare that can involve every organ in your body, the entire endocrine system, exocrine system and parts there of. That's why I am such a vocal proponent of treating this thing with everything you have got.

When it got into my heart a number of years back before I was diagnosed, I quit my job and blew my entire savings account on an amazing Mediterranean Cruise for my wife and I as my farwell tour of the world.... (I still get Christmas Cards from our Guide on the Amalfi coast. I know I was over tipping but what the Hey, he was great.....Then just as quickly as the docs gave me months to live the inflammation as we know happens with PsA went away over night making me look damn foolish to everyone I knew. (and Broke) I fortunately got my job back but do you think the heart center guys would contribute to replenishing my savings account after their "well I'll be damned"

Has any one had eye issues?

Lots of 'em They vary immensly as does the treatment.. as I said: "Ranging from dry eye, conjunctivitis, occular rosacia, iritis to the most serious Uveitis. Treatment ranges from allergy drops, low dose long term doxycycline, some very specialized drop that combine steroids and antibiotics, to even oral/IV steroids. many of us end up seeing an occular immunologist (I travel 500 miles to Portland 3 times a year to see mine) Generally there isn't a problem as long as flair ups are treated immediately. I recently had to change biologics to one that is active against eye issues and had to up my MTX."

1 in 3 with PsA have eye issues.

Yes, I have had eye issues. My employer decided to call me Count Dracula and told me to come to work. I was stupid and went to walk in clinic, but ended up treated my dermatologist with steriods and then was off to eye specialist. I normally get it once per year, but it’s been awhile now…

I guess I’m trying to tell myself it’s not related to my PsA. My eye issues started in June but because I live in Houston I blew it off as allergies. My eyes were always blood shot and swollen, even our friends noticed it. It always felt like there was something in my eyes. Then a couple of months ago I notice a small blurry spot in my right eye, it never lasted more than a couple of seconds and would come and go. Last week I woke up in the morning and was shocked at how both my eyes looked. They were red, draining, and swollen. My vision was so blurry that my husband had to drive me to the doctor. Now that I have been on the eye drops I can see a big difference, but if I miss a dose I can really tell. Today I started having a sharp pain in my right eye that shoots straight to my brain.

Thats why I changed to Humira. and why I held off as long as I could. Some of it is age related as well But One or Two days before either my Humira or MTX I start with that little burn and blurry spot.

Do you have any other rash when your eyes flare?

My face and eye lids, but that never goes away.

I’ve only got one eye issue (at the moment, touch wood) – I have periods when they are painfully dry and I am using lubricating drops constantly. I use Refresh Optiva, an OTC product which my ophthalmologist recommded trying as a good alternative to Restasis, which is very expensive and not covered by my insurance.



Oddly, when my eyes are really dry, they stream tears if there’s the slightest air movement like a breeze.) Then, for some unknown reason it stops and I’m fine. My mother had dry eyes with streaming as well, and badly bloodshot eyeballs and what the optometrist said was blepharitis. She died before I was diagnosed, and it was only after her death that we realized that her many “rashes” and “eczema” and “dry skin” and “dandruff” were psoriasis, and her aching hands were PsA. (This was a post-mortem judgement by my PsA specialists who wanted to know everything that had ever been wrong with my deceased parents. She wrote on my chart that my mother was positive for PsA.)



So yes, my eyes are affected, mildly at the moment. But there is a reason my ophthalmologist wants to see me every year!

My eye issues began about 20 years before I got the PsA diagnosis. Any Doctor I ever went to, the first question they always asked me,"Do you have thyroid issues?" When I finally asked why, they would tell me that big bulging eyes were a sign that I had thyroid problems. All my tests would come back normal and they still do. I was sent to a specialist. He discovered that I had really high eye pressure. I was put on eye drop after eye drop all designed to lower eye pressure. When the pressure did not lower, I was accused of not using the eye drops. The specialist and I parted ways. When I began the Humira injections, my eye pressure "miraculously" went to completely normal. Other than that I haven't had any other eye issues. My current Wal-Mart eye doctor has impressed me with her PsA knowledge. Take that! gifted eye specialist!

Good gracious, Lamb! I was wondering why you had been so quiet. :)

Oh my … eye pressure went normal when you went on Humira. Coincidence, of course. LOL Kind of like my irritable bowel decided to behave, also by coincidence, when I went on Enbrel.

Kind of scary, makes me wonder what other nasty things PsA does to my system(s)that I don’t even know about.

I'm wondering the same thing!!!!!!



Seenie said:

Oh my ... eye pressure went normal when you went on Humira. Coincidence, of course. LOL Kind of like my irritable bowel decided to behave, also by coincidence when I went on Enbrel.
Kind of scary, makes me wonder what other nasty things PsA does to my system(s)that I don't even know about.

I have developed Sjogren's and have blepharitis come and go. I've had my tear ducts plugged, and use restasis for the dry eyes. For the blepharitis I wash my eyelids daily, and use warm compresses, which also helps the dry eye. I also had a period of retinal inflammation related to the PsA, but thankfully that quieted down with minimal permanent damage.

As you're seeing, eye manifestations are not uncommon.

Thanks

Stoney said:

I have developed Sjogren's and have blepharitis come and go. I've had my tear ducts plugged, and use restasis for the dry eyes. For the blepharitis I wash my eyelids daily, and use warm compresses, which also helps the dry eye. I also had a period of retinal inflammation related to the PsA, but thankfully that quieted down with minimal permanent damage.

As you're seeing, eye manifestations are not uncommon.

WHAT ... no warm cookies! Didn't they know how dangerous that was? Bet that imaging centre won't make the same mistake again ;-)


tntlamb said:

.......... What really POd me though is days in the imaging center and not one hot cookie - they make cookies through the day and serve them warm as imaging is somewhat competitive here. Imagine missing out on cold milk and warm cookies not once but 4 days in a row!!!!!! They wouldn't even give me a rain check...................

I wrote a very nasty letter to the head hauncho on official letterhead. I got my cookies. everyday for a week delivered to my office. DO NOT seperate a man and his cookies.



I know, right!? I was living in fear that I was going to go blind from glaucoma. That is what the specialist kept telling me anyway, because I wasn't using my eye drops. Thinking about that just gets my dander up.
Seenie said:

Oh my ... eye pressure went normal when you went on Humira. Coincidence, of course. LOL Kind of like my irritable bowel decided to behave, also by coincidence, when I went on Enbrel.
Kind of scary, makes me wonder what other nasty things PsA does to my system(s)that I don't even know about.

I posted my issues, but feel that it was made somewhat of a joke. I wish everyone well.