It shouldn't be that way for GCA.

I was diagnosed with PMR about 15 years ago but all my doctors ask me about GCA related symptoms. I had temporal facial pain with electric shocks around my left eye (trigeminal neuralgia).

I went to the emergency room several times when the electricity wouldn't stop. My wife would have to go with me because I would be unable to speak.

I also would have frequent visual disturbances and some vision loss that wasn't permanent. My rheumatologist offers me a semi-apology for having to ask me about symptoms of GCA even now -- 15 years after being diagnosed with PMR. I just say that I understand why the questions are asked and respond by saying, "to my knowledge --I don't have GCA."

All I have to do is call my ophthalmologist and mention that uveitis might have recurred. The only question they ever ask me is "How soon can I come in to be seen?" Uveitis can cause permanent vision loss too. I'm usually seen within hours of calling to report my symptoms of uveitis.

When my ophthalmologist does his exam for uveitis, he reassures me that he doesn't see signs of GCA. He says my optic nerve still looks healthy but the inflammation inside my eye is usually severe. Prednisone 60 mg is what I usually start with for every flare of uveitis.

Once I went to a rheumatology appointment with a red eye. My rheumatologist asked me if I knew how serious it could be. She called the ophthalmology department herself and sent me there to be seen.

Only once did I fear I would be blind in one eye in spite of 100 mg of prednisone. Now I see a "uveitis specialist" rather than a general ophthalmologist.