Contacts and Iritis
Moderators: Mike Bartolatz, kwork
-
himenges
Contacts and Iritis
I've had chronic iritis for over 10 years ever since I have Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis as a kid. It hasn't been much of a problem and I was on preventive Vexol drops for awhile, but now it's flaring up ever 3-4 weeks and my doc wants to keep me on regular steroid drops for a while. she says I can't wear contacts b/c of risk of infection. Ok, fine, I'm not happy about that but oh well. But what about oral steroids? I read somewhere that chronic iritis sufferers can be put on oral steriod. I'm wondering if that's a viable alternative to steroid eyedrops that would still allow me to wear my contacts when I wanted to?
-
Mike Bartolatz
- Posts: 6595
- Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm
There is recent information available at this site regarding JRA related uveitis which responds to Methotrexate very well. Jess, another moderator at this site has JRA related uveitis which did EXACTLY what has occured with you. oral steroids didin't work nor did topical or injectible steroids alone. she went through a heck of at period of trying to controll her uveitis. eventually a combination of Methotrexate and Remicade stopped the inflammation. she is about 30 years old now.
in kids with JRA related uveitis the sooner they start immunosuppressive therapy using Methotrexate, the better their long term outcome. often being taken off of all drugs within a couple of years.
I am truly concerned about your JRA related uveitis and hope you will consider seeing a true expert in the diagnosis and treatment of Uveitis, an Ocular immunologist.
Please tell me where you are located so that I can suggest such an expert for you.
you can also private message Jess. click on her name on forums list page and you will be able to then send her a message. she will respond to you and help you through this.
I have known her for about 7 years now and asked her last year to help me here as I have to take a break to go fishing now and then.
Wishing you the very best,
Mike
in kids with JRA related uveitis the sooner they start immunosuppressive therapy using Methotrexate, the better their long term outcome. often being taken off of all drugs within a couple of years.
I am truly concerned about your JRA related uveitis and hope you will consider seeing a true expert in the diagnosis and treatment of Uveitis, an Ocular immunologist.
Please tell me where you are located so that I can suggest such an expert for you.
you can also private message Jess. click on her name on forums list page and you will be able to then send her a message. she will respond to you and help you through this.
I have known her for about 7 years now and asked her last year to help me here as I have to take a break to go fishing now and then.
Wishing you the very best,
Mike
Mike Bartolatz
Moderator
Moderator
Hi, i'm Jess. I developed uveitis at age 4 as a result of JRA that wsa dxed at the age of 2. No real joint progression, one surgery at 17 on R knee, and no flreups of the disease since then. i am now 34.
MUCH different story for my iritis though. From the age of 4, through my 20s I was on oral prednisone and/or topical steroids (Pred Forte). I wound up with damage due to chronic eye inflammation, and had to stop driving for a 6 month period. my first eye doc i had for about 25 years. he kept telling me that my 2+ inflammation was fine because it had not gotten worse. I finally found Mike and a few others online and found out that steroids were not the way to go. Methotrexate (MTX) is one option that can put a JRA-assoc iritis sufferer into remission in about 60% of patients. After several years of gradually incresaing the dosage, we found that although my inflammation was no longer chronic, I still had flares 3-4 times a year. we added Remicade and I have been flare-free for more than a year now. Remicade helps to induce remission, although it is not curative. It is a medication you would stay on long term. I ahve been off of steroids for a long time now, and no eye drops is a wonderful thing. I wore contacts once, on my wedding day. Because of all the problems I ahve had, it was recommended that I not use them. In your case, if you are off drops, you may be able to wear them for periods of time, but i am not a doctor.
Anyway, there are other treatments available as well that may have a curative effect. CellCept, imuran, etc. These drugs help spare us of the damage that can be caused from steroids. I have osteopenia (not osteoporosis, but a fairly significant amount of bone loss) from years of steroid usage. I developed cataracts, and now one of my eyes is responding to steroids by increases in pressure, which could eventually lead to glaucoma and further vision loss.
Do you ahve a specialist? if you let us know where you are located, we can help you find one. They can go over options and complications, etc to help you decide which treatment option is best for you.
Please feel free to email me at jessrms[at]optonline[dot]net. Add the appropriate punctuation.... I am exhausted so please excuse the typos....
Jess
_____________________________________________________________________
Quote:
I've had chronic iritis for over 10 years ever since I have Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis as a kid. It hasn't been much of a problem and I was on preventive Vexol drops for awhile, but now it's flaring up ever 3-4 weeks and my doc wants to keep me on regular steroid drops for a while. she says I can't wear contacts b/c of risk of infection. Ok, fine, I'm not happy about that but oh well. But what about oral steroids? I read somewhere that chronic iritis sufferers can be put on oral steriod. I'm wondering if that's a viable alternative to steroid eyedrops that would still allow me to wear my contacts when I wanted to?
MUCH different story for my iritis though. From the age of 4, through my 20s I was on oral prednisone and/or topical steroids (Pred Forte). I wound up with damage due to chronic eye inflammation, and had to stop driving for a 6 month period. my first eye doc i had for about 25 years. he kept telling me that my 2+ inflammation was fine because it had not gotten worse. I finally found Mike and a few others online and found out that steroids were not the way to go. Methotrexate (MTX) is one option that can put a JRA-assoc iritis sufferer into remission in about 60% of patients. After several years of gradually incresaing the dosage, we found that although my inflammation was no longer chronic, I still had flares 3-4 times a year. we added Remicade and I have been flare-free for more than a year now. Remicade helps to induce remission, although it is not curative. It is a medication you would stay on long term. I ahve been off of steroids for a long time now, and no eye drops is a wonderful thing. I wore contacts once, on my wedding day. Because of all the problems I ahve had, it was recommended that I not use them. In your case, if you are off drops, you may be able to wear them for periods of time, but i am not a doctor.
Anyway, there are other treatments available as well that may have a curative effect. CellCept, imuran, etc. These drugs help spare us of the damage that can be caused from steroids. I have osteopenia (not osteoporosis, but a fairly significant amount of bone loss) from years of steroid usage. I developed cataracts, and now one of my eyes is responding to steroids by increases in pressure, which could eventually lead to glaucoma and further vision loss.
Do you ahve a specialist? if you let us know where you are located, we can help you find one. They can go over options and complications, etc to help you decide which treatment option is best for you.
Please feel free to email me at jessrms[at]optonline[dot]net. Add the appropriate punctuation.... I am exhausted so please excuse the typos....
Jess
_____________________________________________________________________
Quote:
I've had chronic iritis for over 10 years ever since I have Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis as a kid. It hasn't been much of a problem and I was on preventive Vexol drops for awhile, but now it's flaring up ever 3-4 weeks and my doc wants to keep me on regular steroid drops for a while. she says I can't wear contacts b/c of risk of infection. Ok, fine, I'm not happy about that but oh well. But what about oral steroids? I read somewhere that chronic iritis sufferers can be put on oral steriod. I'm wondering if that's a viable alternative to steroid eyedrops that would still allow me to wear my contacts when I wanted to?