Which drugs cause blurred vision

Celecoxib — This drug is prescribed to treat and manage pain and inflammation. Some side effects include blurred vision and conjunctivitis.

Discontinuing the use of this medication should reverse most of the side effects. Isotretinoin — This pill is used to treat acne, a common skin condition, but it can cause rare eye complications such as blepharoconjunctivitis inflammation of the eyes and the eyelids , decreased tolerance for contact lens, photophobia increased light sensitivity and dry eyes.

The more detailed your knowledge of your family medical history, the better. Before prescribing any medications, your local eye specialist will take your family history into account. What are some of the conditions that may be indirectly caused by common medications? And what are their symptoms? Steroid use can increase your risk of developing glaucoma.

Open-angle glaucoma, the most common type of glaucoma, is caused by clogged drainage canals, which can increase the eye pressure and damage the optic nerve. Symptoms of open-angle glaucoma include blind spots in the peripheral side and central vision, and eventually, tunnel vision.

Glaucoma is tricky to diagnose because symptoms progress very gradually. By the time a patient begins to notice changes in their vision, the condition has already progressed to an advanced stage. Early detection through comprehensive eye examinations can help minimize damage to your eyesight. How often should you undergo an eye exam? The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that patients under the age of 40 undergo a comprehensive eye exam every five to 10 years, while those aged 55 to 64 should go see their eye doctor every one to two years.

Like glaucoma, cataracts tend to be asymptomatic in the early stages. As the condition progresses, you may start to experience symptoms such as blurry vision or double vision, sensitivity to bright lights and difficulty seeing at night. It can cause dry eyes , inflammation of the eye and eyelid and sensitivity to bright light. Amiodarone Cordarone helps control heart rhythm in people with atrial fibrillation. It can damage the optic nerve, leading to vision loss.

If you take amiodarone, your doctor should instruct you to have regular eye exams. Tamsulosin Flomax is used primarily for enlarged-prostate cases.

Tamsulosin can cause a side effect called intraoperative floppy iris syndrome, which can complicate cataract surgery even if you no longer take it. Tell your eye surgeon if you are taking tamsulosin and need to have cataract surgery. Sildenafil Viagra , tadalafil Cialis and vadenafil Levitra are all used for erectile dysfunction. They are known to cause blue vision, where everything looks bluer than it really is. They can also cause blurred vision, eye pain and light sensitivity.

More seriously, they can damage the optic nerves in rare cases. Tamoxifen Nolvadex treats breast and ovarian cancers. It is known to cause eye problems including opaque spots on the cornea and a loss of visual acuity. You will probably be told to have an eye exam in the first year after you start taking tamoxifen.

Although it is not possible to predict which patients will develop retinal toxicity, some high-risk characteristics include patients use use a daily dose greater than mg or, in people of short stature, a daily dosage over 6.

Although retinal toxicity for Plaquenil is rare, it is recommended to have annual eye examinations with specific testing that can identify early cases of toxicity. The guidelines for monitoring for Plaquenil toxicity were revised in Medications Discussed Include: alendronate sodium Fosamax , pamidronate Aredia , risedronate sodium Actonel , tiludronate disodium Skelid , zoledronic acid Zometa and etidronate disodium Didronel.

These include Aredia pamidronate , Fosamax alendronate sodium , Actonel risedronate sodium , Skelid tiludronate disodium , Zometa zoledronic acid and Didronel etidronate disodium. Although rare, cases of orbital inflammation, uveitis and scleritis occurred shortly after the medication was started.

The ocular side effects are reversible if the medication is stopped. In addition, other patients taking the medication experienced blurred vision, ocular pain, conjunctivitis and bilateral anterior uveitis. Although all cases of blurred vision, ocular pain, conjunctivitis and uveitis resolved during treatment, no instances of scleritis abated unless the medication was discontinued.

Intravenous or intravitreal cidofovir is primarily used for the treatment of cytomegalovirus CMV retinitis usually found in AIDS patients, but it is also an effective antiherpetic agent, particularly against acyclovir-resistant strains.

Patients can be asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis with no abnormal findings on slit-lamp examination, but because the exact incidence of anterior uveitis is still unknown, all patients receiving cidofovir should be followed by careful eye examination for evidence of uveitis. Studies have demonstrated that IV cidofovir followed by oral probenecid results in fewer cases of uveitis. If anterior uveitis develops with cidofovir use, prompt treatment with topical steroids with or without stopping cidofovir can effectively resolve symptoms.

Medications Discussed Include: prednisone, hydrocortisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, triamcinolone acetonide, desonide, fluocinonide, betamethasone, dexamethasone, dexamethasone sodium phosphate, fluocortolone, fluticasone propionate, beclomethasone dipropionate, budesonide, flunisolide Brand names include: Orasone, Deltasone, Solu-medol, Decadron, Kenalog, Flovent inhaled , Advair inhaled , Qvar inhaled , Pulmicort inhaled , Azmacort inhaled , Aerobid inhaled.

Steroids are commonly used for a wide variety of conditions including asthma, allergies, skin conditions, arthritis and other rheumatological conditions, post-surgical, brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, optic neuritis, giant cell arteritis, lupus, adrenal insufficiency, and more. Steroids can be given by many different routes, including inhaled, nasal spray, oral, topical, intravenously, intramuscularly, and into joints. The eye can be affected by any steroid through any route of administration.

The two major complications of steroid use are usually found with chronic use as opposed to a short term administration such as found in a dose pack.

However, ocular complications can also occur with very high doses of steroids, especially those given IV. Cataract is a common complication of chronic steroid used, including nasal spray steroid use for allergies. The type of cataract is often the posterior subcapsular type, and often leads to symptoms very early in the course of development. This type of cataract often requires surgery even in the earliest stages. It can develop rapidly, with the vision often declining in a matter of weeks to months.

The second major complication is a steroid related rise in eye pressure, also known as being a "steroid responder". This usually requires at least 2 weeks of continuous steroid use, and is reversible if the steroid is discontinued. The rise in pressure can be very high but if often asymptomatic. It may be more common in people already being treated for glaucoma. If a person has glaucoma or has a history of steroid related eye pressure problems, they should consult with an ophthalmologist for monitoring of eye pressure if steroid treatment is being contemplated.

Finally, some cases of central serous retinopathy have been associated with steroid use. This condition is usually self-limited and reversible. Deferoxamine is a chelating agent used to remove excess iron from the body. It acts by binding free iron in the bloodstream and enhancing its elimination in the urine.

By removing excess iron, the agent reduces the damage done to various organs and tissues, such as the liver. Deferoxamine is used to treat acute iron poisoning, especially in small children. Repeated treatment with this agent is also frequently necessary to treat hemochromatosis, a disease of iron accumulation that can be either genetic or acquired. Acquired hemochromatosis is common in patients with certain types of chronic anemia e. Deferoxamine is also used to treat aluminum toxicity in certain patients.

Deferoxamine can cause toxicity to the retina. Retinal toxicity may develop acutely or after chronic administration. Therefore, patients should have a baseline ophthalmological examination before starting on this medication and be advised to report any visual symptoms immediately.

Eye examinations should be repeated every three months while on treatment. Symptoms of retinal toxicity include complaints of blurred vision, poor night vision, poor color vision, or peripheral visual field loss. These symptoms typically precede ophthalmic signs by weeks to months. Once signs have appeared, visual dysfunction is largely irreversible. Retinal findings of toxicity include speckled pigmentation and narrowed arterioles typical of damage to the retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors.

Other ocular side-effects include cataracts, retrobulbar optic neuritis, pigmentary retinopathy, bull's eye maculopathy and vitelliform maculopathy. The pigmentary retinopathy usually involves the macula and less commonly the peripheral retina. All patients on desferoxamine treatment should have baseline visual acuities, color vision, visual fields, and ERG if available.

Medications Discussed Include: digitalis Digoxin, Lanoxin and many other brand names. Digoxin first extracted from the foxglove plant, Digitalis lanata is used primarily for the treatment of cardiac conditions such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and congestive heart failure.

The drug can be difficult to maintain at effective but nontoxic levels. Patients most frequently complain of decreased acuity, xanthopsia yellow colored vision , chromatopsia abnormal coloration of objects , photopsias sparkles of light in the vision , photophobia light sensitivity , and blind spots near the center of the vision.

The retina is believed to be the main site of digoxin toxicity. Up to 11 percent of those taking prescription drugs experience a reduced ability to detect flavors and food odors, or an unpleasant change in food taste. Hundreds of drugs can affect sight, some potentially permanently. If you notice changes to your senses, tell your doctor. Reducing a dose or changing drugs may help, says Richard Doty, Ph. For new medications, ask about potential side effects.

You may need to get your eyes or ears checked regularly while taking certain drugs, says Frederick Fraunfelder, M. Antibiotics: Amikacin, kanamycin, neomycin, streptomycin, tobramycin Possible effect: Permanent hearing loss.

Anticonvulsants: Valproic acid Depakote and generic Possible effect: Tinnitus. Pain relievers: Aspirin, ibuprofen Advil, Motrin, and generic , naproxen Aleve, Naprosyn, and generic Possible effects: Temporary tinnitus and hearing loss. Alpha-blockers for high blood pressure and enlarged prostate : Alfuzosin Uroxatral and generic and tamsulosin Flomax and generic Possible effects: Blurred vision and eye pain; may affect cataract surgery.

Antibiotics: Ciprofloxacin Cipro and generic Possible effect: Double vision. Cholesterol drugs: Atorvastatin Lipitor and generic , lovastatin Mevacor and generic , simvastatin Zocor and generic Possible effects: Double vision, cataracts. Corticosteroids for allergies and autoimmune disorders : Prednisone Possible effects: Cataracts, eye infection, glaucoma with prolonged use , possible permanent optic-nerve damage.

Erectile dysfunction drugs: Sildenafil Viagra , tadalafil Cialis , vardenafil Levitra Possible effects: Bluish tinted vision, blurred vision, light sensitivity.