Hi ladies, am just back from opticians and have been told that I have a cataract in my left eye which she thinks is possibly a result of taking tamoxifen. I have now been referred back to hospital for further tests/treatment. Has anybody else suffered with any eye problems on tamoxifen, and did the continue to take it? I dont really want to stop taking it as only been on it 18 months, but also dont want to risk further eye damage. Any advice?
No further advice really Jaclyn, only to add that I have a friend dx same time as me who was also on Tx and had some serious problems with her eyes, which was attributed to Tx and I think is now sorted. As a result I went to get my eyes tested and my optician said that Tx can adversely affect eyesight so it’s best to get tested every year.
Wishing you all the best for your tests,
Bella x
According to the leaflet in my pack 1 in 100 get cataracts. Presumably the eye hospital will be able to tell you if its the tamaxifen or not.
I would also go back to the hospital and find out if there are other alternatives. some people are put on 2 years tam and then changed to a different therapy. The breast team would know how vital you tomaxifen is and the advisability of changing to a different drug given your eye problem.
I will now nag myself to get regular eye checks, I get them free because we have a family history of glaucoma. I must talk to the optician about it.
Hopefully someone will be along who has experience of all this
Thank you both for your replies. When I questioned eye prooblems at my last appt the registrar said she had never heard of tamoxifen causing problems, the optician said it happens but is quite rare…i wonder what the eye hospital will say.
OAL make sure you book that eye test as you dont realise how precious your eyesight is until you get a problem with it.
Going to ring BCN later for advice on whether I need to stop taking tamoxifen…oh well I have had a few months without any hospital appts…here we go again (grrrrrr…) At least its treatable this time. Thanks again, take care xx