Change in eye sight

Has anyone had the problem that I have. Since completing Radiotheraphy and starting Herceptin last September (07) my eyesight has changed drastically. From having to use reading glasses but being able to see distance clearly I now can read without glasses but everything else it blurred. My eye prescription changes all the time gradually I am getting more and more shortsighted. I have now completed Herceptin. Any ideas?

Sorry to ask… but how old are you? Mid-40s - ish… it’s quite normal for the eyesight to change, so it may be that it’s nothing to do with the bc. I’m having to get varifocals for the first time ever - worn contact lenses since I was 22 yrs old for short-sighted-ness, but now if I wear my glasses I struggle with the close stuff! I’m 45 years old, so have sadly put it down to a natural ageing thing… oh well, I guess it comes to us all.
All the best,

AliS

I had surgery/rads/tamoxifen. When I was prescribed the tamoxifen in Feb 2008 I was advised to give it 6 months for my body to settle with the medication and get my eyes tested as it can affect your eye sight. I wore glasses all the time - this was due to my eyes being light sensitive and I have a medical uv/glare tint, and if the lighting was right I could quite comfortably watch TV and I could read if I concentrated on focussing. I had an eye test in September and although my distance sight has deteriorated it is very slight, not even enough to warrant a new prescription. However, my near sight has deteriorated dramatically - I now need varifocals which I am saving for, and even with my current glasses on I cannot sit on the sofa and read the menu on the tv, I literally have to stand about 4 ’ from the telly screen in order to decide what I am going to watch.

I was 41 in August and the optician said that although eye sight does change in your 40s the dramatic deterioration (about 40% of my previous level of vision) is most probably due to the tamoxifen. Not having had herceptin I do not know how this affects the eyesight but it’s worth invesitigaing.

Hi Joannagirl

You can read recent threads on this issue by typing ‘herceptin’ and ‘eyesight’ into the search tab at the top of this page, hope this helps.

Best wishes
Lucy