Amitriptyline + Botox visual issues

SNAP. I typed instantly I read this but then I thought about it. Now I have to quantify that by including the word ā€˜noticeablyā€™,before ā€˜photophobicā€™ because retrospectively Iā€™d say photophobia could well have been affecting me long before realised it bearing in mind I regularly had acute attacks following meals out in restaurants. Helen

Hi Helen!
I know - before this was 24/7 I would eat out, work full time in the gym environment (awful lighting) went skiing in the Alps! Not possible now! I just basically lived a normal fulfilling life and maybe your on to something and I just didnt notice? Either that or it was so mild it wasnā€™t quite as noticable? Not too sureā€¦ x

Thatā€™s appalling. Didnā€™t the consultant tell you to wear dark glasses until your eyes returned to normal? Did you have an opportunity to explain your balance issues beforehand because, in the circumstances, Iā€™m amazed you were able to walk back to the car. I couldnā€™t have. Deep down underneath you must have a pretty good balance system. Bit of an oversimplification I appreciate but Iā€™ve been told by several eye specialists ā€˜Eyes IS Balanceā€™. Iā€™ve even had an ENT consultant tell me ā€˜with eyes like yours, you shouldnā€™t expect to have good balanceā€™. Yes, he had The Bedside Manner that passeth All Understanding, that one! Helen

Its so odd today as its probably the best day with flu symptoms yet my eyes are making me so dizzy! Sunglasses help a little and they are well lubricated! I think its a delayed reactionā€¦ or maybe because Iā€™ve starter to feel a bit better I am noticing it more :roll_eyes: on a positive note how sunny is it today?! :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

Itā€™s wall to wall bright blue sky out West today as well. There was a time when being outside in bright sunshine even with glasses and a brimmed hat would make me so dizzy I couldnā€™t stand up. Helen

When I was taking nortriptyline my vision was definitely affectedā€”oddly it was mainly my left eye. I constantly felt like my left contact lens was dirty and clouded. Blurry vision is a side effect of he drug, evidently, and the doctor and pharmacist told me not to be concerned. When I ceased taking nortriptyline I stopped noticing this, so I am confident it was a result of the drug.

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My opthalmologist also told me to use ONLY preservative-free artificial tears. Theyā€™re more expensive (and more wasteful in terms of packaging) because they come in the little individual plastic single-use containers. But after doing a little reading about studies that have been done on the artificial tears that contain preservatives, I see why the common preservatives arenā€™t good:

The Pros and Cons of Preservatives
The Pros and Cons of Preservatives
ā€œā€¦Unfortunately, while these preservatives are very effective against pathogens, they were not specifically designed to be friendly to the eye. They tend to consist of harsh chemicals that stop bacterial growth but also harm corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells. After chronic use of medications containing these preservatives, the deleterious effect on anterior segment epithelial cells leads to poor production and maintenance of the tear film, resulting in problems such as dry-eye syndrome. Long-term use can also roughen the surface of the cornea and conjunctiva because of loss of epithelium and inflammation, which can then lead to foreign body sensation and deteriorating vision. So thereā€™s a good and bad side to preservativesā€”especially the older, soap-like preservatives in the quaternary ammonium family of chemicals, which include benzalkonium chloride, or BAK. These preservatives do a good job of protecting the multidose bottle of medication, but they have the potential for long-term deleterious effects on the eyeā€¦ā€

Hi Manatee
My husband is a classic example of thatā€¦no matter how many times I tell him about the perils of eye drops containing preservatives he keeps using them because itā€™s handier supposedly. Now he constantly has dry eyes, constantly putting drops in - it drives me crazy!!
I will show him your post, perhaps it might finally sink in that drops with preservatives perpetuate a vicious cycle.
Thanks
Karen

Oh bless you Manatee
I just showed it to him and he has gotten into the car and gone to the chemist to get his own bottle of Hylo Forte eye dropsā€¦
A miracle has occurred!!

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Well, sometimes they have to hear it from someone other than their spouseā€¦ :slight_smile: It will be interesting to find out whether it helps him!

Lolā€¦I will be hounding him every day to use themā€¦

Hi Kirsty. Iā€™m very aware of my eye balls and the backs of them. Similar feeling to when you have the flu I suppose and your eyes feel virusy! Best way I can describe it x