Cancer and the Eye

Cancer throughout the body can affect the eyes in many ways. The disease itself can cause vision problems and neurological problems. The treatments cause eye problems as well.

Blurred vision, double vision, and other visual disturbances are sometimes early warning signs of cancer. Most people think of brain tumors as the most likely type of cancer to cause vision problems, but any kind of cancer can affect the eyes.

Paraneoplastic Syndromes
Cancer produces hormones and proteins which get into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body affecting tissues and organs far away from the cancer itself. This can cause many symptoms and problems. This group of symptoms is called paraneoplastic syndrome.

Paraneoplastic syndromes include many problems with many parts of the body. Problems with the eyes include spasms and uncontrollable movements of the eyes often seen in children, and double vision caused by subacute cerebellar degeneration in women with breast or ovarian cancer.

Horner’s Syndrome
Horner’s syndrome is a group of symptoms often caused by injuries to the head, neck, and spinal cord and can be caused by tumors in the brain or spinal cord and lung cancer. Some nerves connecting the eye to the brain travel down the neck into the chest and back up into the brain. When the cancer grows into these nerves it can cause Horner’s syndrome which includes a droopy eyelid, sunken eye, and small pupil on the affected side.

Cancer Treatment
As unpleasant and unhealthy as it may sound, most traditional cancer treatments involve using toxic chemicals and/or radiation in an attempt to kill the cancer without killing the patient. It is a delicate balance which is difficult to endure, but can be successful. However, these treatments, and the medications used to help alleviate the damage and deterioration that they cause, can be damaging to the eyes.

• Tear Duct Fibrosis
  5-fluorouracil is a drug, commonly used to treat cancer, which can cause the tear ducts to become blocked. Normally tears will drain into the nose. When this drainage is blocked tears leak out of the eyes excessively and eventually vision can be come blurred.
• Cataracts and Glaucoma
  Radiation therapy and steroids are both used in cancer therapy and both can cause cataracts. Steroid use can also cause glaucoma.

All types of cancer can affect vision and eye health. Preparedness, good nutrition, and working closely with your doctor on a comprehensive plan to minimize eye damage and vision loss can help save your vision.

Click to View the Interactive Cataracts and Glaucoma Vision Test.

If you have cancer or are experiencing vision problems that may be associated with cancer, contact an experienced ophthalmologist for answers to your vision questions. Berg Feinfield Vision Correction Center in Los Angeles, California includes many experienced ophthalmologists such as Dr. Alan M. Berg, M.D. who are eager to help you find the answers to your vision disorder and corrrection questions.