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6 Health Conditions that Also Affect the Eyes

Marano Eye Care Blog 6 Health Conditions that Also Affect the Eyes

These Medical Conditions Might Impact the Eyes

The eyes are the ultimate gateway to the rest of the world. That’s why it’s important to make sure that your eyes stay healthy and your vision stays clear. The following conditions are not all common, but if you are suffering from unexplained eye symptoms, they may be the cause.

Learn more about health conditions that can impact your eyesight by reading below.

Cicatricial Pemphigoid

This refers to a group of rare, chronic autoimmune diseases that mostly affect the mucous membranes and occasionally the skin. Patients suffering from this condition will suffer from blistering in the affected areas. When cicatricial pemphigoid causes blistering to the mucous membranes, side effects can include decreased vision or blindness. In some cases, the disease can cause tethering of the eyelid to the cornea. This autoimmune disease is most commonly found in females under the age of 60.

Myasthenia Gravis

Just like cicatricial pemphigoid, Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune disease. With this condition, the disease attacks the muscles and leads to weakness and fatigue. There may be speech and swallowing difficulty and problems with facial expressions as well. In most cases, patients will suffer drooping upper eyelids and double vision. Symptoms typically worsen as the day goes on or after exercise.

Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that presents itself more commonly in African-Americans than Caucasians, at about a rate of 10:1. Tiny collections of inflammatory cells called granulomas and appear in multiple systems in the body, most commonly the lungs. In 25-50% of cases, patients report symptoms in the eyes.

One of the difficulties of sarcoidosis is the symptoms are similar many other conditions – fatigue, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and weight loss – and the symptoms in the eyes may not present themselves until the disease has progressed. Such symptoms include blurred vision, eye pain, severe red eye, and light sensitivity. Sarcoidosis responds well to treatment but there isn’t yet a cure. If you’ve been diagnosed with sarcoidosis, it’s important to schedule an eye exam immediately.

Lyme Disease

Ticks are common when hiking through the New Jersey woods, but are generally more of a nuisance than a real threat. However, Lyme disease is one of two major tick-borne diseases that can make life very miserable. After being bitten by an infected tick, a bullseye rash will commonly appear at the site of the bite, along with flu-like symptoms.

Antibiotics will cure most cases of Lyme disease, especially if they are administered quickly. But sometimes a person will suffer from post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). PTLDS will cause chronic aching in the muscles and joints and affect the nervous system.

Over the course of the condition, people may suffer from many different eye conditions such as keratitis, double vision, iritis, retinal vasculitis, chorioretinitis and optic disc edema.

Pregnancy Related Eye Conditions

As if pregnant women didn’t have enough to deal with, pregnancy can also cause multiple eye problems before delivery. On occasion, these symptoms will continue during nursing.

Eye conditions that pregnancy might induce include:

If you’re pregnant and are experiencing difficulty with your eyes, let Marano Eye Care know so we can help! We’ll work to find out if your symptoms are related to the pregnancy.

Diabetes Mellitus

In people that suffer from diabetes, their pancreas either doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t use the insulin correctly, and sometimes both occur. The problems that occur from the body being unable to moderate its blood sugar levels can begin to impact the eyes as well. A very common side effect of diabetes is cataracts. Check out our diabetes page for more information on diabetes and eye health.

Marano Eye Care is Here to Help

Have you developed eye-related symptoms but have yet to figure out the cause? Ensure the health of your eyes by getting a correct diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible, before any symptoms progress. At Marano Eye Care, we have a wide variety of modern tests that will get to the bottom of the case. Call us today at (973) 322-0100.

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