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Recently diagnosed with glaucoma and having allergic reaction to drops
Eye Conditions | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (28)Comment receiving replies
@margieb58
Hi Margie,
I went back and read my original post and I misspoke about having reactions to all three. I had reactions to the Latanoprost and Timolol so he switched me to Travoprost PF which seems to be doing the trick, although I have woken up with about 3 itchy spots on me so I am watching closely to see if tomorrow I have more.
Yes, I am surprised I don't have itchy, red eyes. I have only had stinging in my eyes for about the first 10-15 seconds after putting the drops in, even with the new preservative-free drops.
I've always been one to have the "rare" or "uncommon" side effects to many drugs; Benadryl doesn't make me sleepy, it makes me so hyper I want to climb the walls (a feeling I absolutely hate). The doctor said that being allergic to the regular drops is so rare; my retort was that I am the lucky one who gets those rare effects.
I read today that it is very rare for white people (3.8%) to be diagnosed with narrow-angle glaucoma, and of those, 75% are women. Most commonly are people from Asian countries. I've never had a DNA test done, but it might be interesting to find out if I have that in me.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the PF drops will be okay for me.
Replies to "@margieb58 Hi Margie, I went back and read my original post and I misspoke about having..."
@kwgriff
Hi, my first post here, so I hope I'm doing this right.
Just curious how old you are?
I'm a female in my early 60's that was diagnosed with narrow angle glaucoma and had laser peripheral iridectomy surgery in 2015. My opthamologist also diagnosed dry eye syndrome and told me to use OTC dry eye drops four times a day. I found out recently that menopause can also cause dry eyes.
Since the laser surgery my eye pressures continued to go up and all during this time I was on antidepressants of one sort or another. I tried to figure out what caused this narrow angle glaucoma. My opthamologist said he usually sees it in patients that are far sighted. He said the eye ball changes shape and due to my small eye anatomy, this is what has caused it. I was in my late 40s when I started using reading glasses. My eyes are small as well as dark brown. I asked my eye surgeon about whether he sees narrow angles in Asians and he said, no, and that their eyes appear small, but are not anatomically, just that they have fatty tissue in the eye lids that cause them to appear small. So, okay. I was curious. None of my family members have this nor did my parents or grandparents.
Since my opthamologist never suggested medicated drops for the pressures, I was only to come in every three months to check my optical nerve, which he said is still healthy. I put off seeing my eye doctor as I felt like he was making me worry about it, and never suggested anything for it, so I stopped going.
I then stopped taking antidepressants last year in case they were the cause. Then I went to another eye doctor earlier this year who said my eye pressures were in the upper 20s to low 30s and referred me to the doctor that did the iridectomy. I asked him why my regular eye doctor never suggested medicated drops and he said that the drops work better for open-angle glaucoma, and probably because of side effects. The eye surgeon then checked my pressures which were now in the mid-30s and he checked my optical nerve and said it was healthy, and suggested that I either give drops a try or if the drops do not lower my eye pressures, to do cataract surgery, even though my lenses are just slightly cataract thickened. He has had great results with replacing the thickened lens with a thin acrylic lens. I got the drops, the latanoprost, and started them a month ago and recently was checked and my pressures have significantly reduced. So, I am to continue with the drops as he told me "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" referring to cataract surgery, which he advised has its own risks.
Now, to the drops you are taking. I've read that eye drops can act systemically, and can cause various side effects. Some people say to reduce this to keep your eyes closed for 3 minutes after applying the drops. Some said to close the tear draining ducts using their fingertips for a minute or two, to make sure the drops don't end up all in your sinuses. I've been doing both. But, I've noticed my eyes are burning during the day (I use the drops at bedtime). I've also noticed my eye lids are puffy, and that I'm more sensitive to bright lights or the sunshine. I started to look into preservative-free drops and that's how I found your post. I skipped last nights dosage and my eyes feel back to normal today and even my mood is back to normal, as while on the drops I was feeling down, anxious. I don't know if this was from the drops, but just going a night without the drops has made me feel so much better.
I've added to my regimen, black current seed oil for its a source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) which is supposed to be helpful for eye health. Have you asked your doctor about Iyuzeh drops that are preservative-free form of latanoprost? I'm awaiting a call back from my eye doctor nurse to see if they will switch me to this.
P.S. I too react the same to diphenhydramine. It makes my husband sleepy, but it gives me restless body syndrome.
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@kwgriff I think you found your answer. It WAS the preservative. PF= preservative free. I still would expect that to affect the eyes. I am allergic to the preservative in the OTC drops for dry eyes. (I have Sjogrens) It only affects the eyes. Went into punctate keratitis years ago because of that.