Lupus Guide for the Perplexed: Eye Problems

Symptom:  Dry Eyes
 
Associated Terms: 
keratoconjunctivitis sicca;
Sjögren’s Syndrome; 
blepharitis; xerostomia;
There's No Crying In Lupus; 
No Tears for You!


Just like other organs, SLE can involve the eyes and the organs associated with the eye as well; the symptoms usually consist of dry, red, and irritated eyes without the associated fun of pot-smoking; dry mouth, without the associated fun of pot-smoking; and conjunctivitis, without the associated fun of... oh, never mind.  You get the point.  Your eyes are baked but the rest of you is not. 

The associated dryness, irritation and lack of tear production can, naturally, cause problems with your eyes.  For one, you might be really, really prone to conjunctivitis, better known as pinkeye.  (Pinkeye-- seriously?  There's nothing quite like your eyes reminding you what it was like being in kindergarten again, right?)  For those who have underlying diseases causing the problems, it can lead to other nasty things.  Like blindness, or damaged eyes. 

Yeah, sometimes it feels like that. 

The underlying causes are different for each person, but trust me it's probably somehow related.  One common manifestation is keratoconjunctivitis sicca, which basically means a "dry inflammation of the surface of the eye." Your eyes feel like they have sand in them.  The surface gets red and dry, and sometimes it just hurts to blink. 

Another common problem is blepharitis, which may sound all naughty and whatnot, but it just means that you have a problem with your eyelids getting irritated and swollen.  You know, like that guy up above.  Not a problem at all. 

And a really, really common problem is xerostomia, which just means cotton-mouth.  If your immune system is bothering your tear glands, there's a good shot it's bothering your other lubricating glands, too.  

This can often times be caused by a various array of irritations, but a really common one is a lack of proper eye lube.  You see, in your face is a little version of the Soup Nazi keeping you from getting your fair share of tears to keep your eyes healthy.  He smacks your fingers with his itty-bitty ladle and screams, no tears for you!  NO!   Some of us also have a Spit Nazi, so we get dry mouth along with it. 

Another possible problem is Sjögren’s syndrome, which is its own little autoimmune hell in a Dixie Cup.  Sometimes it occurs with other autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, but Sjögren’s syndrome can also wreak havoc all by its little lonesome.  5 to 10 percent of lupus sufferers will have this disease, and getting close to half of Sjorgren's sufferers will have something else, too.  Some of the major problems with this disease are white blood cells gunking up and attacking the glands in your face.  Since it overlaps so much with other diseases like SLE, it can be hard to diagnose. 

The upside is that Sjögren’s is uncommon, and the other problems can be treated fairly easily with a few hygiene changes, such as using atrificial, preservative-free tears, eye ointments, cleaning your eyelids, and watching depressing chick-flicks.  (Okay, I made that last one up.)  The Sjögren’s Syndrome website has some great tips on all that if your interested.