Breakthrough Crohn’s Disease Guide

There are many different things that can happen to the body when a person is suffering from Crohn’s disease. Though there are some that are widely talked about, there are some that are not as common, and you might not have considered them. There are times when you might have problems with your eyes and your vision, and it might be a complication of Crohn ‘s disease. These are often not huge problems, and they will affect as little as ten percent of those who are living with this chronic condition. These problems can usually be cleared up with a little medical attention.

You will find that Uveitis is one of the most common eye problems reported by Crohn’s patients. This affects the middle layer of the wall of the eye called the Uvea, and the problem is much like it is elsewhere in the body. Inflammation can occur while the person is having a flare up of Crohn’s. This can lead to deteriorated vision, and in some rare cases, glaucoma. If it is not treated, it might lead to vision loss.

In most cases, this inflammation will go away when the other symptoms of Crohn’s go into remission, but a special eye drop of steroids might be needed to relieve the pressure. If you are experiencing reddened eyes, blurred vision, or pain and sensitivity to light that is normally tolerable, you should see your eye doctor at once.

Another eye problem linked to Crohn’s is dry eyes. This is very easy to fix if it is caught early enough. It generally happens because the body is not getting enough vitamin A. If left unchecked, there may be an eye infection that will need to be treated with antibiotics. This is normally rectified by using artificial tears, and also with a vitamin A supplement. If you are having problems seeing at night, notice that your eyes feel dry, or you experience itching and irritation, you should see your eye doctor for help.

Episcleritis is somewhat like Uveitis as it is inflammation in the eye. This happens in the whites of the eyes though, and the most common symptom you might notice is that your eyes appear to be red all of the time for no apparent reason. It will also happen when you are experiencing a flare up of your other symptoms. The redness is caused by the tiny blood vessels in your eye experiencing inflammation. This can also be treated by steroid eye drops, or will clear up with your other symptoms. You can also experience Keratopathy, an irregularity in the cornea, but because it is not painful and vision loss is usually not experienced no treatment is needed you may never know you have it.

Any complication of Crohn ‘s disease that relates to the eye should be treated at once. They should never cause permanent vision loss however, so you might not have to worry much beyond treatment. However, if permanent damage were to occur, you might want to talk to your doctor to see if LASIK eye surgery might help you with your vision problems. Although bear in mind that you will probably need to be in remission before any refractive surgery is carried out. If you are experiencing a flare up in your eyes, remember to do as your doctor says, and to avoid driving or doing anything else that might be dangerous if you have impaired vision.

Don’t forget to sign up for the free Crohn’s Disease Newsletter if you haven’t already and discover information covering what you can do if you develop an unexpected complication of crohn’ s disease.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Crohn's Disease. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.