Psoriasis and Your Eye Sight

I was talking to a lady the other day about psoriasis. She was newly diagnosed with psoriasis so she had been doing a lot of research online. We were talking about the potential comorbidities that come along with having psoriasis. Like so many before her, she knew how psoriasis was affecting her skin but not a whole lot else. I then asked her did she know that psoriasis could also affect her eyes. The lady almost looked terrified to ask in what way does psoriasis affect your eyes. So I started explaining the different conditions that I had dealt with concerning my own eyes and what to be on the lookout for.

Uveitis

Did you say uveitis she asked? Yes, I did. I went on to explain that about 3 years ago my eyes got extremely irritated. They were so red and hurting that I decided I better go to my optometrist who I regularly see. I have been seeing him for about the last five years so he knows all my medical history. After examining my eyes he then sent me to see an eye specialist. The eye specialist explained to me that uveitis is an inflammatory condition. When combined with another medical condition like having psoriasis which can also cause inflammation it can become dangerous to your eyes. I have to admit that statement made me nervous. One of my biggest fears has always been going blind. He examined my eyes and said it was good that I had come to see the optometrist so soon. He gave me an anti-inflammatory eye drop that I had to put in my eyes twice a day. I still take an anti-inflammatory to this day although it is in pill form so no more drops of that kind in my eyes.

Dry Eye Syndrome

After I explained everything about the uveitis, I went on to tell her about the dry eye syndrome psoriasis has caused in my eyes as well. The same optometrist as I noted before was the one who diagnosed me with the dry eyes. I told him how itchy and dry feeling my eyes were. It felt like I had a piece of sand in them that was irritating them but I just could not find it. Again he examined my eyes. This time however he told me that the psoriasis was putting pressure on my eyes from the inside which was causing them to be dry. The solution? Again I had to put drops in my eyes every day two times a day. He said that if it got unbearable for me to the point the drops were not helping then I would have to come back to him for further treatment options. The drops are doing what they are supposed to do. I have had little trouble since starting the drops.

Cautious suggestions

By the look on her face, I could tell it had made her nervous. She never knew all this was a possibility. I reassured her that having her eyes examined on a regular basis was the key to keeping her eyes healthy. If she was not having her eyes examined once a year then she needed to start doing so. I went on to tell her that if she ever started having problems with her eyes not to wait if it went on more than a couple of days. She was grateful that I had shared that with her. My advice to whoever is reading this is the same. I do not play around with my eyesight. Knowing that I have psoriasis can affect my eyes by putting them at a greater risk for problems makes it a bigger priority then ever before. When is the last time you went to have your eyes examined? Please make it a priority to do so. Make sure the optometrist knows about psoriasis so that they can make sure your eyes are the healthiest they can be.