Fibromyalgia Eye Problems
Fibromyalgia, a chronic, debilitating, autoimmune disease inducing acute pain in the muscles and tissues in addition to fatigue in more than 6 million people in the U.S. alone, frequently causes various different problems, including vision and eye problems. Fibromyalgia affects the nervous system, and so, can affect eyesight. It may cause the eyes to become sensitive to both light and touch, and may cause dry eyes, blurry vision, and even blindness.
Light Sensitivity
Sometimes, those who suffer from fibromyalgia become overly sensitive to different sources of light. For instance, some may find it impossible to work under the glare of fluorescent lights or to watch a bright TV or computer screen. Some even find it impossible to watch a live sports game in a brightly illuminated field or to be in bright sunlight without wearing dark glasses.
Dry Eyes
Fibromyalgia sufferers may find they can’t wear contact lenses because the lenses cause annoyance and distress. This sensitivity can be brought on by Sicca syndrome, also a closely associated autoimmune syndrome which leads to dry eyes, in addition to dry mouth and nose.
Touch Sensitivity
A few of those suffering from fibromyalgia cannot tolerate wearing spectacles because the weight of the glasses on the nose triggers sensory nerves in the face and neck, and those pains can radiate to the ears, teeth, and nose.
Blurred Vision
Sometimes, fibromyalgia can cause victims to create a thick mucus onto the eyes. This thick coating calms vision and may make some tasks, like night driving, hazardous. Double vision and blurry vision can also be symptoms frequent in individuals who have fibromyalgia, and such indicators are often connected to other disorders, such as vertigo and postural dizziness.
Fibromyalgia Eye Blindness
In some patients with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia can lead to arthritis, an inflammation of one or both temporal arteries. Without rapid treatment with high doses of steroids, the inflammation can spread to the optic nerve and result in partial or complete blindness in the affected eye.
