Chemotherapy & Eye Health: Understanding Side Effects

Chemotherapy patients not only have to take chemotherapy drugs, but they also take drugs to manage the side effects of the treatments. These drugs can cause a host of symptoms, including eye problems. Some are short-term and curable with eye drops. Others are permanent or require more than a topical medication to cure.

Cataracts

• Certain drugs, including steroids, can cause cataracts in chemotherapy patients. These drugs include prednisone, hydrocortisone and methylprednisone.

Pink Eye

• Some chemotherapy drugs can cause pink eye, also called conjunctivitis. These include capecitabine, methotrexate, epirubicin and carmustine.

Dry Eyes

• The drugs isotretinoin and tretinoin can cause dry eyes in chemotherapy patients.

Glaucoma

• Chemotherapy patients can develop glaucoma, for which there are no symptoms except a gradual loss of vision.

Pain from Light

• Pain in the eyes from exposure to light is called photophobia. This can be a side effect of chemotherapy.