recurrent broken blood vessels in the eye

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linclan5
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 6:22 am

recurrent broken blood vessels in the eye

Post by linclan5 »

I have been treated with steroid eyedrops over the past year and a half for iritis, and i have also received a steroid shot under the sclera for an inflamed retina. I am now considering methatrexate to get my panuveitis under control (but that is another discussion). I am under the care of good doctors, including Dr. Samson at NY Eye and Ear. Dr. Samson told me that steroids cause fragile blood vessels to grow and he sees these bleeds all the time, but there really is no cure for them. I have ocular rosacea so my tear film is "horrendous" according to one doctor. In the eye where I received the shot I have had a broken blood vessel evey few weeks for the past year. I usually get them after i have used lotomax or pred forte to treat my iritis because my eye no longetr tolerates the drops very well. It is getting to the point where my eye feels sore after using the drops and I can predict when a bleed is coming. My doctors are not concerned about the broken blood vessels because they say it does not affect my vision, but it really bothers me because people are always asking me what happened. Also, I happened to be taking advil for a sprained wrist and my last bleed was massive as a result. I certainly won't be taking advil or aleve any time soon again!
I am wondering if anyone has had any luck in lessening the frequency of these bleeds, and if so, how did you do it? Also, does anyone know of any alternative to steroid drops for iritis? I am afraid that I am getting to the point where the surface of my eye is so sensitive that I will no longer be able to use the drops at all.
Thank you all for this excellent forum. I cannot tell you how much your advice has helped me in my search for treatment of this disease.
Mike Bartolatz
Posts: 6595
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: recurrent broken blood vessels in the eye

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

I am glad you are considering Immunomodulation for your pan uveitis as this is the ONLY way to get it quieted down in a corticosteroid sparing approach to treatment. it may require additional meds be added as well to prevent changes inside the eye from occuring. do you have a relationship to a systemic disease process as the root cause of the pan uveitis?

I too developed subconjunctival hemorrhages from the combination of steroids and NSAIDs used to treat my intermediate and anterior uveitis. once my eyes quieted down and I no longer used steroids and NSAIDs (I try not to use nsaids at all anymore) my eyes have been quiet for several years now.

the goal of off all steroids without inflammation using whatever means available is the goal. These meds have been shown to be safe in the control of uveitis with cancer resulting at no elevation compared to the general population when used by experts. the TNF A drugs do seem to have elevated risks associated with them. you may require a combination of Cellcept and Cyclosprorine to quiet the eyes or other classes of drugs.

Samson is an excellent Ocular immunologist BTW!

Hope this helps,
Mike
Mike Bartolatz
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linclan5
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 6:22 am

Re: recurrent broken blood vessels in the eye

Post by linclan5 »

Mike Bartolatz wrote:I am glad you are considering Immunomodulation for your pan uveitis as this is the ONLY way to get it quieted down in a corticosteroid sparing approach to treatment. it may require additional meds be added as well to prevent changes inside the eye from occuring. do you have a relationship to a systemic disease process as the root cause of the pan uveitis?

I too developed subconjunctival hemorrhages from the combination of steroids and NSAIDs used to treat my intermediate and anterior uveitis. once my eyes quieted down and I no longer used steroids and NSAIDs (I try not to use nsaids at all anymore) my eyes have been quiet for several years now.

the goal of off all steroids without inflammation using whatever means available is the goal. These meds have been shown to be safe in the control of uveitis with cancer resulting at no elevation compared to the general population when used by experts. the TNF A drugs do seem to have elevated risks associated with them. you may require a combination of Cellcept and Cyclosprorine to quiet the eyes or other classes of drugs.

Samson is an excellent Ocular immunologist BTW!

Hope this helps,
Mike
I do not have an underlying disease or any markers, so the disease is ideopathic. What are the tfn a drugs you referred too, btw?
Your response is encouraging -- thanks again.
Mike Bartolatz
Posts: 6595
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: recurrent broken blood vessels in the eye

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

TNF A drugs that work to control uveitis are Remicade and Humira. Remicade seems to work best but it is by IV infusion in a clinic setting. it costs more than humira too which you can give by injection yourself at home. the TNF A drugs seem to work best when given along with an antimetabolite drug such as Methtorexate or Cellcept. in order for insurance to pay for TNF A Drugs, one must try Methotrexate or Cellcept first alone or with cyclosporine. even then many insurance companies won't pay for the TNF A drugs because of cost. one can apply for reduced cost with the help of the prescribing physician to the manufacturer of the drug.

Take care,
Mike
Mike Bartolatz
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linclan5
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 6:22 am

Re: recurrent broken blood vessels in the eye

Post by linclan5 »

Dr. Samson in NY told me that one of his patients had some luck with a supplement that she swore stopped her broken blood vessels in the eye. He was skeptical, but he was nice enough to call her at my insistence to find out what it was. It is called Bio Rutin and it is made by Natures Path. I got some and for the fist time in a year and a half I have gone 3 months without a broken blood vessel. I started taking 2 pills and then went down to 1 pill a day. Now I am down to every other day and still no broken blood vessels. The label said it is to be taken for healthy capillaries. It could be coincidence that my brolen blood vessels stopped after taking it, but I am sharing this because it is cheap, easy to get online, and definitely worth a try.
ksamaras
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2013 8:51 pm

Re: recurrent broken blood vessels in the eye

Post by ksamaras »

I just wanted to share my experience also, in the hope it may help others battling frequent haemorrhages in the eye as a result of prolonged steroid use. I have suffered several severe attacks of herpetic uveitis, and am just now recovering from my most recent attack which began 8 months ago. As usually happens several months into treatment, I began to suffer haemorrhages in the eye every 4-5 days - some mild but some severe. Yes, they heal up and don't damage vision, but they are painful, disfiguring and upsetting. Anyway, I felt I had nothing to lose and started taking Rutin (500mgs per day) last December. I have not had a bleed in the eye now for almost 2 months. I realise this is only anecdotal and that other factors may have played a role in this improvement (I am tapering the steroids and am now down to one drop of Flarex per day). Nevertheless the improvement has been so marked I felt I had to pass this on in case it proved helpful to other sufferers dealing with frequent steroid induced haemorrhages.
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