Red Eyes

[holdthegluten]

Does anyone else notice eye irritation when glutened? I get tired and my eyes burn and get red veins on them when i am glutened.....anyone experience celiac related eye issues?

[Ursa Major]

My eyes will burn and constantly tear when consuming any type of lectin food, including gluten. So, yes, being glutened will definitely affect my eyes as well.

[jacqui]

Does anyone else notice eye irritation when glutened? I get tired and my eyes burn and get red veins on them when i am glutened.....anyone experience celiac related eye issues?

Good question! I don't have an answer either. I have been having serious eye irritation every so often, but moreso lately. I blamed everything but I forgot celiac. I believe I have read that Celiac can cause dry eyes which would cause the redness, irritation...BUT if strick gluten-free will you still have it or is it supposed to eventually go away?

Do you or does anyone know of any eye drop that is helpful? I have bought Theratears and Refresh Plus and they seem to crust my eyes.

Take care,

Jacqui

[tabdegner]

This is so fascinating to me. I have not been diagnosed yet, but have strong suspicions I have celiac. I have had SEVERE red/dry eyes for the last 2 years. My doctor even had me tested for Sjogern's disease because my eyes were so bad. I can't wear contacts anymore, either.

I go to the GI tomorrow for more testing.

[nama shivaya]

How about allergies? I find that when I wear a particular type of sunscreen on my face, my eyes get red-rimmed and itch.

[oceangirl]

How about allergies? I find that when I wear a particular type of sunscreen on my face, my eyes get red-rimmed and itch.

Yes! I've battled my red or red-veined eyes for awhile now. But I am (supposedly) gluten-free. If I do get severely glutened the entire whites become solid red. I think the dry eye part could be something during winter here in Maine. But I do think I'm still reacting to something that's affecting my eyes. I hope others will post regarding this. Sorry I'm no help- but I know what you're talking about!

lisa

[darlindeb25]

Jacqui--if your eyes are crusty, then you have conjuntivitus probably and you better see your eye doctor for meds. It will only get worse. Dry eyes should not get crusty.

Celiac can cause dry eyes which would cause the redness, irritation...BUT if strick gluten-free will you still have it or is it supposed to eventually go away? Celiac disease can cause dry eyes because dry eyes can be caused by auto-immune disease, but, you will have the dry eyes even when gluten free. Dry eyes really have nothing to do with gluten. I have dry eyes and I use Systane and Refresh Gel. The Refresh Gel is very good, but can cause blurriness for awhile, so my doc recommends only using it at night. I find it is the best. Systane can be used as often as needed, especially when your eyes are really burning.

As for going away, I do not know if dry eyes ever go away. I have been diagnosed with dry eyes for over a year now.

[jacqui]

Jacqui--if your eyes are crusty, then you have conjuntivitus probably and you better see your eye doctor for meds. It will only get worse. Dry eyes should not get crusty.

Celiac can cause dry eyes which would cause the redness, irritation...BUT if strick gluten-free will you still have it or is it supposed to eventually go away? Celiac disease can cause dry eyes because dry eyes can be caused by auto-immune disease, but, you will have the dry eyes even when gluten free. Dry eyes really have nothing to do with gluten. I have dry eyes and I use Systane and Refresh Gel. The Refresh Gel is very good, but can cause blurriness for awhile, so my doc recommends only using it at night. I find it is the best. Systane can be used as often as needed, especially when your eyes are really burning.

As for going away, I do not know if dry eyes ever go away. I have been diagnosed with dry eyes for over a year now.

It's not conjunctivitis, but thank you - I started to think that too. Last weekend it was really bad and it turned out that what looked like a vein was actually an eyelash!! It was deep, deep down in the lower lid and it was there the whole weekend! It drove me NUTS!!!! Other times though it is severe irritation from I don't know what. I do have allergies but the only time they affected my eyes is when we had a real Christmas tree. For several years at Christmas time I would get a serious sinus infection and what I thought was "pink eye" (it was actually back up from sinus - yucko) until a friend told me she was allergic to pine trees. The next year I bought an artificial tree and have been fine since.

I just bought Systane and it does not crust. The crusting only happens when I use certain drops which I have been told it is most likely from the preservative in them. Although, I have bought Refresh Plus preservative free and had the same problem. So far so good with the Systane - YEAH!!!

[JNBunnie1]

Dry eyes are typically associated with arthritis. Maybe that's another auto-immune diease that might be related to celiac disease? Either way, my mother complained of dry eyes to the doc and he said, 'Oh, you have arthritis?' Something about the fluid in your joints affecting your eyes, I'm not sure why....

[sc'Que?]

It seems that everyone is not on the same page in their definition of "red eyes". (And this has been quite a source of consternation in websearches as well...)

Folks need to clarify whether they're referring to the eye itself or the skin around the eyes, including eyelids.

I am waiting to see a doctor myself. I got my first noticeable symptoms on Thanksgiving. (My contribution to the meal was bread stuffing.) And I tried diagnosing myself for over a month before finally seeking professional assistance. But all during this time, I've had huge Rosacea-like rings around my eyes that burn and itch, with severe skin-flaking. I asked a pharmacist and all she could recommend were the new-fangled anti-wrinkle caffeine creams that have become all the rage with middle-aged suburbanite women. Surprisingly, it does help to some degree, thoughI'm worried about dermatological caffeine addiction.

In any case, the eyes are just the tip of the iceberg, as symptoms include fatigue, paranasal pustules, irritable bowels, bloating and abdominal distention (possibly related to liver) and minor pain in the kidneys. Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to this doctor visit--my first in many, many years.

But, hey, at least I might have a disease that doesn't tend to rely on pharmaceuticals for treatment, right?

[oceangirl]

Wow, this is what I call revitalizing an old thread! I hope you get to the bottom of your symptoms- I had most of them pre-gluten-free about 4 years ago.

When I talk about red eyes it is NOT because they are dry- it's that they are RED. And gluten, without a doubt, does this to me along with a host of other nefarious things!

take care,

lisa