Joint and back ache? ever thought that you can get eye problems with it as well. Let us start with Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) which tends to affect more young males than women. It is a form of inflammatory arthritis of the spine (other family members often have the condition). The eye related problem that you get with this condition is iritis (inflammation of the anterior segment of the eye). Symptoms include pain, blurred vision and extreme sensitivity to the light. If you turn up at the eye hospital and are diagnosed with iritis then you will be tested for AS as the possible cause especially if you complain of a stiff back symptoms as well.

Another joint disorder to look at is rheumatoid arthritis. The most common eye problem found with this is dry eye which causes discomfort, burning, gritty foreign body sensation in the eyes. Treatment is with artificial tear drops but there are many available so it is trial and error to determine which works best for each person. If you have allergy related problems then be careful as these drops can contain preservatives and can cause a reaction in the eye as they need to be used on a continuous basis. Try minims, preservative free. Some can end up with severe dry eye and go on to cause corneal ulcers which are a nightmare to treat.

Another associated problems with some joint disorders is episcleritis (mild condition) and scleritis which are inflammation of the coats of the eye. Scleritis can be horrible as it causes pain and can go on to cause necrosis (cell death) and perforation of the eye coat or eye ball.

Sjogrens syndrome is a joint disorder associated with dryness of the mouth and eyes. Most frequent causes are RA and sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis can give joint pain and eye related conditions such as iritis.

Children who have eye and joint inflammation need to be tested for juvenile chronic arthritis. Only a few joints need to be affected and any eye associated problems need to be treated straight away.

The main message you need to take from this is that if you have any back ache or stiffness or joint ache or stiffness and you feel the eyes are being affected in some way, then see an eyecare professiona straight away, no matter what age you are.

For other related health and eye relationships, read me blog.