Question
After 8 chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer, I'm having difficulty with my
eyes. It has been three years and it isn't getting any better. It is usally in
the morning, but they "leak" out of the outside corners. They just keep
watering and nothing helps. I have tried different eye drops without success.
I do not have alergies and replaced my make-up several times.I have had this
issue since I lost my eyelashes, but they have since regrown and I still "leak".
My oncologist says there isn't any correlation between the two issues. Have you
ever heard of this and what can I do? Sometimes it gets so bad I have trouble
driving as my eyes are all blurry.
I am 50 years old. I wear drug store glasses for reading.
Answer
Yes, I have heard of excess tearing beginning when the patient is undergoing chemotherapy. I was under the impression that the problem would subside some time after the chemo was stooped, but have not followed enough such cases to be sure about this.
There are other possibilities for your excess tearing, such as blocked tear ducts or - believe it or not - dry eye! (If the chemical mix of your tears is not ideal, the eye can feel dry so more of the watery layer of tears is produced, where instead it was perhaps more of the oily layer that was needed.) The field of dry eye and related treatments has become very sophisticated in recent years. There are lots of therapies available, depending how the testing comes out.
It sounds to me like you need a good eye exam with an eye doctor who is interested in dry eye and what are called anterior segment issues. You may find one by Googling something like "dry eye specialist" if you can't find one by asking around. You should be able to get some relief from your symptoms once the exact nature of the problem has been nailed down.
