Does anyone else wake up with bloodshot eyes? Every morning mine look as if I've drank an entire bottle of red wine. So embarrassing. Anything I can do to remedy this without making it worse?
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Rockstar Eyeballs
Yes! My eyes are also always swollen. My mom says it looks like I've always just been crying. Very frustrating! That is the main reason I have told people that I have this condition. It's a side effect of imatinib. I've tried lots of different treatments -- rinsing out eyes with water, eye drops, tea bags and gel packs on eyelids, fancy ointments and eye creams -- but nothing works. Finally I'm going to ask my doctor if I can switch to sprycel. It seems like it's worth a try. In any case, no - you are not alone in this experience. Good luck!
Hi,
I know very well what imatinib can do to the tissues around the eyes.My partner said to me that people look at me in a cautious way and assume that I was involved in boxing in the past? Someone else asked me if I had any forefathers from Asia.!
I have been dx with blepharitis which is sensitive eyelids plus periorbital odema which is swollen tissues around the eyes;I use a saline solution called Blephasol for eyelid hygiene but have not yet been able to find a solution to the tissue swelling.I am trying brolene tablets which apparently reduce swelling-it is found in pineapple which is another source. If anyone has found that pineapple conflicts with imatinib please let me know. Arnica tablets (not the gel) might help to reduce swelling.I also get epiphora or watery eyes but so far have not found a solution.
The eye bleeds no longer trouble me but in the earlier years after dx had severe conjunctivitis and heamoraging; I used an antibiotic called Fucithalmic or Fusidic acid as a last resort.An alternative is Chloramphenicol but my pharmacist suggested that use of this one might compromise the immune system and therefore might not be suitable for CML patients.
There are alternative tkis but would hate to have the fasting and dosing regime of nilotinib ( in addition it is hard on the heart) and as for dasatinib there would be a 1 in 5 chance of developing pleural effusions.
Given that with imatinib I am down to MR 4.5 or better, such as an undetectable PCR I will be sticking with it despite the side effects.
Trust this helps
John
My first reaction to the Imatinib was my eyes. Yes red and swollen. At this point the advantages out weigh the alternative for me. I wish you well and please post if you find something that helps.
Ray
I take Tasigna, so eye swelling is very minimal. It is the redness on the whites of my eyes that look eerie when I wake up. I was scared to try saline thinking it may make it worse but you mentioned you use or used it. I might give it a chance! You gave a nice list of options for swelling. I've noted them and will keep that in case I ever develop swelling-- new symptoms regularly develop, disappear or stay. Thanks, John!
Hi Justine!
Looks like John gave an interesting list of remedies to try for eye swelling. I am so sorry you have to deal with the embarrassment! At diagnosis, my doctor told me one of the reasons he chose Tasigna was to avoid eye swelling. So far I've had very minimal but my eyes do get dry and in the mornings they are so red! I worry what my coworkers and boss are thinking...
For red, bloodshot eyes, the only OTC eyedrops that have ever worked for me (and they really do!) are Lumify, by Bausch and Lomb. They use a very low amount of an ingredient for treating glaucoma. Our FDA has determined safety, and they're in all the US chain drugstores, but I personally only break out the drops for going out occasions. I am going to ask my eye doctor at my annual appointment if he approves my using them daily. The effect lasts 8 hours!
