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Old 10-30-2007, 05:27 PM   #1
weezie1053
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Smile Vision Problems - Side Affect of Herceptin???

I thought I previously may have read that Herceptin can affect the vision? I have only one more treatment to go, but I noticed my vision is getting progressively worst. Of course, I turned 54 today which means I am 365 days closer to the senior citizen category. All seriousness, is this a side affect of Herceptin? How long after I complete my Herceptin treatment should I wait to have an eye exam? I had lasik surgery 7-8 years ago, and I was hoping I would never have to wear glasses again. I didn't want to rush and make an appointment if my vision might continue to get a little worst. On the other hand, I am wondering if I should have it looked at sooner than later.

I welcome your 2 cents...

Louise
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  • Diagnosis 06/06 - Stage II-A BC; BC was 2.5 cm, grade 2; ER/PR negative & HER-2/neu positive;
  • Mastectomy w/ reconstruction (implant) in 09/06;lymph nodes - negative;
  • AC/Cytoxin combo - 4 treatments (dose dense);
  • Taxol/Herceptin combo- 12 weekly treatments;
  • Completed chemo - 2/07; completed restruction 02/07; reduction of left breast.
  • BRCA 1 and 2 negative - 6/15/07;DX high risk for distant recurrence
  • MRI, 08/02/07 - NED
  • 1 year Anniversary - 09/07; completed Herceptin 11/07.
  • Mammo 02/14/08 - NED; MRI - 08/2008 - NED
  • 2 year Anniversary - 09/08
  • Mammo 02/09 - NED; MRI - 08/09 - NED
  • 3rd year Anniversary - 09/09
  • 5th Annivery - 09/2011 - NED
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Old 10-30-2007, 05:40 PM   #2
sassy
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I did have vision problems during Herceptin, and I believe that others have reported this too. I did go ahead and have a complete eye exam prior to finishing Herceptin, increasing the strength of my bi-focal. About six months after finishing Herceptin, my vision seemed to return to a more normal state---less blurring, etc. However, I still needed the increase in bi-focal strength. I guess I can chalk that up to growing "more mature".

Hope things go well for you.
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Rhonda (Sassy)
dx age 45
DX 2/15/05 Stage IIb (at surgery)restaged IIIa
Left mast .9cm tumor 5 of 14 nodes
Triple Positive
4 DD A/C
12 Taxol/Herceptin
33Rads
Strange infect mast site one year aft surg, hosp 1 wk
Herceptin for total of 18 months
Lupron Monthly 4 yrs
Neurontin for aches, pains and hot flashes(It works!)
Ovaries removed 11/09 stop Lupron and Neurontin
Arimidex 6 yrs (tried Femara, no SE improvement)
Tried Exemestane-hips got so bad could hardly walk
Back to Arimidex for year seven
Zometa 2X Annual for 7years, Lasix
Stop Arimidex 5/13
Stop Zometa 7/13-Bi-lateral Stress Fractures in Femurs from Zometa
5/14 Start Tamoxifen
3/15 Stem cell transplant to stimulate femur bone growth/healing
5/15 Complete fracture of right femur/Titanium rods both femurs
9/16 Start Evista stopTamoxifen
3/17 Stop Evista--unwelcome side effects!
NED and no meds.......
14YEARS NED!
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Old 10-30-2007, 06:29 PM   #3
Becky
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Happy Birthday Louise!!!

I too had some problems but I had the most problems on AC and although I have had eye exams, it is still not perfect but much better. I have been done with Herceptin alittle over a year.
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Kind regards

Becky

Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia

NED 18 years!

Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
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Old 10-30-2007, 06:55 PM   #4
Karen W
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I had ocular migraines that were brought on by Herceptin. My left pupil would get huge and my vision was very blurred. I would also get pain and swelling around my left eye and the left side of my face was affected too.

Karen
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Old 10-30-2007, 08:56 PM   #5
Yorkiegirl
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I had vision problems as well. I waited 1 year after Herceptin to have my eyes checked and new RX for my glasses and contacts. It had to be tweaked just a little bit.
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Texas
Biopsy Dx'd 3-23-05 Age 48
MRM 4-5-05 w/ 2 tumor's 5cm, and 6 cm (right side)
IDC (poorly differentiated infiltrating ductual carcinoma)
5+/16 nodes
Stage III A
Grade 3
ER/PR-, Her2/neu ++
Ki67 78%
Begin Chemo 5-2-05 4XAC Dose Dense , 4X Abraxane Dose Dense (ended August 05)
28 Rad's ended October 13 2005
Started Herceptin Weekly August 2005 for one year
Had a Simple mastectomy left side after Mamo showed incresed micro-calcifications. Jan. 17 2006.
Brain MRI Feb.2006--All Clear
August 28, 2006 Last Weekly Herceptin.
October 2006--Colonoscopy, 6 Polyp's removed--all B9
PET Scan July 2007
Abdominal MRI Oct. 2007---2 Right Kidney Cysts
Core Biopsy-- Lump on Scar Line 1-10-08---B9
Brain MRI 6-2008--All Clear
PET/CT Scan 6-2008
Sept. 8 2008, 4CM area removed from mastectomy scar line. Proved to be B9.
PET/CT Scan-- July 2009 --All clear
August 17,2009 ---Had Port Removed
6 Years NED -- April 5,2011
DX'd with Melanoma left arm 10-10-2011
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Old 10-31-2007, 01:29 AM   #6
tousled1
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My vision got worse once I started Herceptin. It seems to have leveled out now.
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Stage IIIC Diagnosed Oct 25, 2005 (age 58)
ER/PR-, HER2+++, grade 3, Ploidy/DNA index: Aneuploid/1.61, S-phase: 24.2%
Neoadjunct chemo: 4 A/C; 4 Taxatore
Bilateral mastectomy June 8, 2006
14 of 26 nodes positive
Herceptin June 22, 2006 - April 20, 2007
Radiation (X35) July 24-September 11, 2006
BRCA1/BRCA2 negative
Stage IV lung mets July 13, 2007 - TCH
Single brain met - August 6, 2007 -CyberKnife
Oct 2007 - clear brain MRI and lung mets shrinking.
March 2008 lung met progression, brain still clear - begin Tykerb/Xeloda/Ixempra
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Old 10-31-2007, 05:56 AM   #7
nitewind
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Hi Louise, I've always had good vision. Since receiving Herceptin, I've developed macular degeneration. My onc says, no way it's related to the herceptin. Who knows?? All I know is there is nothing I can do about it, it will get steadily worse. Doc says it's "age related", I'm 56. Seems a little young to me to be "age related". My oncologist sticks by "herceptin has no side effects". Best of luck to you.
Hugs
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Age: 61
dx: 5/25/06
2 cm/ 0 nodes
Lumpectomy rt breast on 7/26/06
ER/PR- / Her2+++
A/C x 4
finished taxotere 2/07
finished 33 rads
Herceptin finished 12/07/07 Yippee!
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Old 10-31-2007, 12:25 PM   #8
Erin
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After my 4th TCH treatment I started having problems with my right eye. My vision would get very blurry and I would see "ghosts" of everything - worse at night. I have needed glasses for some time now, but this was sudden and severe. Even wearing my glasses I couldnt' read or see distance well enough to drive at night. Then, after two days it cleared up and i was back to my regular vision. It has happened four or five times since then (over about 7 months). They thought it was chemo related, but I finished chemo on 5/30 and it is still happening about once a month. I have had repeated eye exams by an opthomologist and no one can find a reason. No one mentioned it as a possible side effect of Herceptin. I hope it is - if so, maybe it will quit once I finish Herceptin in 2/08. Keep us posted. I would love to hear whatever you find out.
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Age 50, premenopausal
Dx 1/2/07 DCIS/IDC
Lumpectomy 1/4/07 1.1cm tumor
SNB 3 nodes clear
Stage 1, Grade 2, HER2+++ (FISH 6.8)
ER + / PR +
TCH, 6 rounds, finished 6/1/07!!!
Herceptin to continue for 1 year
36 rads finished 8/22/07
Port out 8/27/07
Switched to Herceptin weekly for joint pain
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Old 10-31-2007, 05:23 PM   #9
R.B.
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Eyesight.

DHA the long chain omega three is fundamental to eyesight.

I have asked the question before and have no answer. How does Herceptin interact in the fats pathways - trials suggest it does as part of its mechanisms.

IF (and I have no idea if it does or does not) it blocks conversion of the mother omega three found in vegetable products to the long chain product it may contribute to DHA deficit particularly in those who do not get it in their diet through oily fish or fish oil.

Please also see the Greek Diet thread.

Please discuss dietary change with your medical advisor. Fish oil can cause blood thinning.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...ubmed_RVDocSum


"Dementia and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are major causes of disability in the elderly. n-3 Fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are highly concentrated in brain and retinal tissue and may prevent or delay the progression of dementia and AMD. Low dietary intakes and plasma concentrations have been reported to be associated with dementia, cognitive decline, and AMD risk."
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Old 05-28-2015, 01:50 PM   #10
Tankweti
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Re: Vision Problems - Side Affect of Herceptin???

I have been having blurred vision and either very dry eyes or a sudden outpouring of lacrimation. I asked my oncologist about it (I was on Taxol +Herceptin weekly x 12 weeks) for early stage, node negative breast cancer. He said I may need new glasses as it has been a while. I am also now finding that I cant really see small print, even with my bifocals and this happened suddenly. So I called a local ophthalmologist's office and made an appointment. Meanwhile, here is an article for everyone to chew on. It turns out that most chemotherapy can cause adverse effects on the eye, some of them severe. At the end of the article I mentioned, it said that doctors dont tell us this because they "give priority to other life threatening conditions" engendered by chemo and I suppose the cancer itself. WHAATT!! I would say that while blindness is not life threatening it surely can change your quality of life which you are trying to protect during chemo as well as you can in the hopes you will be able to get back to your life before chemo (as closely as possible anyway).

I will try to attach the article but just in case, I will give you all the name of it:

Ocular Adverse Effects of Anti-Cancer Chemotherapy coauthored by Parul Singh in 2012. Search term I used was Taxol Optic Nerve.

Unfortunately didnt work but you should be able to find it if you type in the above article name.
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Old 05-28-2015, 02:30 PM   #11
tricia keegan
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Re: Vision Problems - Side Affect of Herceptin???

Thanks, I think its a well known fact these drugs can effect the eye sight, I had watery eyes all through chemo and herceptin for up to a year and my optician said there was no point changing glasses until I was finished.

It certainly affected my vision too as it did many of my friends too, thanks for the mention of the article and will check it out now too.
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Dx July '05 IDC 1.9cm Triple positive 3/9 nodes positive
A/C X 4 ..Taxol/Herceptin x 12 wks then herceptin 1 yr
Rads x 36 ..oophorectomy August '06
Currently taking Arimidex..
June 2011 osteopenia/ zometa x1 yearly- stopped Zometa 2015 as Dexa show normal bone density.
Stopped Arimidex July 2014- Restarted Arimidex 2015 for a further two years on the advice of my Onc.
2014 Normal Dexa scan
2018 Mammo all clear, still NED!
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Old 05-28-2015, 06:19 PM   #12
nitewind
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Re: Vision Problems - Side Affect of Herceptin???

Hello to everyone! My goodness, it's been so long since I've posted.
I got an email about someone with eye problems and thought I would just throw in some info.
I'm nine years out!!!! Yay. I did want to note that following the completion of my treatment, I did develop some eye problems. I now have macular degeneration in one eye. Have had to get some glasses, the other eye isn't too bad, just blurry. I attribute everything to the chemo and Herceptin, however, it did save my life so no complaints!
I hope all my old friends are doing well. I'm gonna have to check the board and see what's happening.
My love to everyone, you guys saw me thru some really rough times and I love you for it.
Susan
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Susan
Age: 61
dx: 5/25/06
2 cm/ 0 nodes
Lumpectomy rt breast on 7/26/06
ER/PR- / Her2+++
A/C x 4
finished taxotere 2/07
finished 33 rads
Herceptin finished 12/07/07 Yippee!
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