Reaction to Methotrexate
Something my Rheumatologist didn’t tell me. Went for my yearly eye exam & my Ophthalmologist said I needed a couple of different tests since now on methotrexate. This med can cause damage to the eye retina. She did say she hasn’t seen many problems in patients taking it & usually a person can be on it for many years, but eyes do need to be checked.
Hi
. Thanks for sharing your experience. Yes, while rare, methotrexate can impact the eyes (see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2926651). There are also other potential eye issues, some caused by RA itself and some by other treatments. This article from our editorial team gives an overview of many of these: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/symptoms/eye-problems. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team) 
Thank you for sharing this information,
! I love that your ophthalmologist is aware of the potential side effects of methotrexate and will be monitoring your eye health. And, since many medications used to treat RA (including methotrexate) come with a sometimes long list of side effects, it's easy to get overwhelmed and not register all those possible side effects. While eye issues tend to be rare with methotrexate, it's important to be aware of the possible risk and to have your eye health monitored regularly.
Thanks again for sharing and I hope methotrexate works well for you (with minimal side effects) and that your eyes stay healthy!
Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.My gut feeling is that it untreated RA is damaging to the eyes and methotrexate may or may not be adding to the problem. I never took Methotrexate or any drug other than an occasional Tylenol to control my RA and my eyes were degrading like crazy resulting in 3 retina surgeries and several other degeneration problems. Luckily I ran into a vintage RA book which convinced me that RA is absolutely a diet problem and the author Rheumatologist claimed that he completely relieved every one of his patients by adjusting his/her diet to eliminate intolerant foods from the diet. He said every individual had a different set of intolerant foods so there is no healthy recipe that works for all. Convinced by his explanation, I improvised a method to detect all my food intolerances and found all of them. After elimination of the offending items I fully recovered from RA and the eyes and various organs stabilized and actually some conditions like chronic fatigue were totally eliminated. I was able to work 14 hours a day for long periods without fatigue or RA flares. So To me stress does not seem to cause RA. It is more than 25 years with no problems at age 80. I had severe osteoarthritis of the knee and osteoporosis. The stopped progressing.
As Methotrexate does not address the root cause of RA, which is microbiome imbalance, the RA probably continues to damage other organs. Whether MTX damages the eyes is uncertain but it may damage other organs like liver, heart and lungs as per the drug disclosure. It is sad that the drug companies claim there is no cure for RA. A chiropractor practor, practicing Giraud Campbell protocol of diet elimination claimed it worked every one of his patients, more than a dozen and thought the drug companies saying "There is no cure for Arthritis" is nothing short of criminal., I am glad you found something that helped you feel better!
I know many of our community members have found various forms of elimination diets (for lack of a better term) to be quite helpful.
What we eat definitely impacts our health and well being!
And while there is no known cure for RA, being more mindful of what you are putting in your body is a very wise move, in my opinion.
Thank you for sharing and I hope you continue to stay healthy! Congrats on stopping the progression of your OA and osteoporosis! That's fabulous!
Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.
I was aware that Plaquenil could damage the eyes but was unaware that methotrexate could as well. Good to know!
I felt relieved and vindicated when I read this. I see an ophthalmologist frequently due to chronic iridocyclitis. I suggested that my blurry vision might be caused by methotrexate, especially for a day or two after a dose. He looked at me like I had started to grow fur. And a horns. I was made to feel foolish for making that statement. I have never been back to his office.
Then I asked my rheumatologist and was told that yes indeed, methotrexate can affect vision.
Ugh, doctors, they can be so condescending and I don’t even think they realize it sometimes. The ironic part is that many times we are right!! After all, we know our bodies best, and I wish more doctors would accept that. I had blurry vision in my right eye and one Opthalmologist told me I was going to go blind. I said no that can’t be I think it’s because of the prednisone and I’m taking too much. So they did an emergency procedure to try to stop it and I lost 10% of my vision and guess what it turned out to be in the end? Too much prednisone and the rest cleared up on it’s own except the part that they did the procedure on - that will never come back. I always think if i had just stood my ground I’d have full sight but my point is you are not alone! You know you best!! Keep on keepin’ on, DPM
