Vision and Eye Problems

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Though not a common side effect, breast cancer treatment may affect your eyes, including your vision.

Eye problems may include:

• red, itchy, or dry eyes
• watery eyes
• conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• blurry or double vision
• seeing dark spots

Breast cancer treatments that may cause eye problems are:

• chemotherapy:
  • fluorouracil (also called 5-fluorouracil or 5-FU; brand name: Adrucil)
  • Ixempra (chemical name: ixabepilone
  • Taxotere (chemical name: docetaxel)
• some hormonal therapies:
  • Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane)
  • Evista (chemical name: raloxifene)
  • Fareston (chemical name: toremifene)
  • tamoxifen
• Avastin (chemical name: bevacizumab), a targeted therapy
• Zometa (chemical name: zoledronic acid) and Reclast (a different formulation of zoledronic acid), bone-strengthening medications known as bisphosphonates

Some pain medications also can cause eye problems.

Managing eye problems

If you have vision problems, it can be a sign of a more serious medical condition. Call your doctor right away if you notice that you're having trouble seeing or if your vision changes.

If your eyes are dry, red, or itchy:

• Try to blink frequently, especially if you spend long hours looking at a computer screen. This can help lubricate your eyes.
• Ask your doctor if artificial tears or eye drops would help soothe your eyes.
• Consider wearing your glasses instead of contact lenses -- not wearing contact lenses may help ease eye irritation.

To help reduce your risk of getting pink eye or another eye infection:

• Avoid rubbing your eyes -- you could spread germs into your eye or make any irritation worse.
• Wash your hands before you touch your eyes.

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