Has anyone had hearing or balance issues from using eye drops for glaucoma such as xalatan or travatan?
OMG. I'm new to Meniers dx and also have glaucoma. I take different meds, 2x a day but last 6 weeks or so having blurred vision in left eye which is side of pressure in ear etc. Have not been told (maybe cuz I didn't ask) if is bilateral or left alone. My balance is SO bad.
My cochlear hydrops responded to antivirals. At that time i was using xalatain in one eye, that was 12 years ago. Iquit the drops at the same time i started the antivirals but i always wondered if the drops had let a virus in my body (cmv) make a comeback both because of timing and something i read about them reawakening herpes viruses. So fast forward 12 years and my glaucoma is needing treatment. I started using travatan about 5 weeks ago and for the first time in years i have been having a little very minor dizziness. Might be anything, might have nothing to do with hydrops or travatan. But i just wonder. This is a long shot and i wouldnt bank anything on this, i just wondered if anyone else had a connection.
From the Mayo Clinic medical info site on balance problems: Joint, muscle or vision problems. Muscle weakness and unstable joints can contribute to your loss of balance. Difficulties with eyesight also can lead to unsteadiness. As your vestibular function declines, your brain relies a lot more on vision. And when vision is also compromised, it is more difficult to maintain balance. It's also mentally fatiguing, as you've possibly noticed. I've developed a vision problem, and my balance has worsened at the same time. Click on the link above to get to the Mayo info.
In addition to Clair's excellent point, when concerning non-single dose solutions, be mindful of a) the solution's expiration date (at 5 weeks you're roughly a week posterior the discard once opened date) & b) the sanitary state of the bottle's nozzle. In my late teens a friend used expired eye drops for several weeks, as a consequence the expired solution eroded the outer layer of his eyes causing infection. I told my general practitioner of my friends experience during the time, & she informed me that it is common for eye infections to occur, or to reoccur due to the application of expired eye drops, & for viruses to spread, or to reinfect due to dirty nozzles, which the solution must pass through when squeezed directly into the eye. Unlikely that you are, though avoid sharing your eye drops with other people, too. The above is less probable than the point Clair made, though worth considering in addition to. Hope you're well, June. (please do excuse any possible typos or grammatical errors my tired mind cannot identify. Haven’t slept)
Oddly when i googled glaucoma and hydrops to see if i got any hits on the eyedrops, i did not (though i found one or two in the past), i did get links to sholarly things about association or similarity of the two. To be honest, i didnt read them. They drops were my dr’s samples. I never thought to look at the expiration date, but i did not share.
Somewhat related to the topic, I recently took eye drops for conjunctivitis. I believe the eye drops were antibiotic. But the condition was most likely viral. I don't recall ever having conjunctivitis in the past, but since I'm on 2g per day of anti-virals plus 2g of L-Lysine daily it seems strange that I contracted it. Or does it? Any way, in late May I received a new batch of (Northstar) antivirals and by mid-June became (and remain) symptomatic. Then in August conjunctivitis. Should I be concerned that perhaps I received a bad batch of A/V's? Or is it the case where every so often you need to amp up the dose to beat these virions down? Any comment is appreciated.
Valtrex, acyclovir and famvir are for herpes family of viruses. I dont know what kind of virus causes conjunctivitis. If it was a herpes virus, i think the dr would jump right on it with an antiviral used for herpes viruses because i think herpes viruses can be very bad for eyes so i am guessing it was not thought to be a herpes virus. Maybe someone else knows more about conjunctivitis but i would not jump to the idea that the pills were not effective.
Good point, June. Looks like the Adenovirus is the culprit with conjuctivitis. Herpes can attack the eyes and cause similar symptoms, but it would be accompanied by scarring on the cornea similar to cold sores, which was not the case with me. I think I'll spike up the antiviral and lysine dosage and hope for the best.
Thanks for sharing. But hopefully I was never suffer from the glaucoma problem. When I suffered from vision loss, I consulted a doctor and he suggests me to purchase a prescriptive sunglasses and wear it 24/7. I bought sunglasses from the best wholesale sunglasses store.