Watery eyes and red eyelids-Herceptin?

[DiDi70]

I also have red and watery eyes - no itching though. I developed dry eyes when on Adriamycin and Cyclophosphamide and I was sent to an Opthalmologist by my Oncologist. The Opthalmologist said that my eyes were over-producing tears due to the drying effect of chemotherapy and said that it would take several months to clear up post-treatment. She prescribed Systane eyedrops 4 times a day and it has certainly helped a lot. Chemo ended for me in June and the Herceptin which I have been on since March continues to cause the same eye symptoms but to a far lesser extent. The drops have been a wonderful help to me and my eyes aren`t streaming anymore.
Also, the Opthalmologist advised me to use J&J baby shampoo on a warm, wet cloth and wash my eyelids, particularly the lash line, 4 times per day. She said it would help prevent ingrown eyelashes when mine were starting to grow back in and she also said it would be important to "scrub" the lashline to remove all debris caused by constantly watering eyes. It worked! I didn't have even one ingrown eyelash and my eyelashes are back! Woo hoo!!!!

My Oncologist said I could take an anti-histamine to help with the other Herceptin side-effects, such as drippy nose and sinus problems, but I haven`t taken any as of yet as I am tired of swallowing pills. Blech.

I used an old silk scarf to wipe my eyes rather than tissues and it was far less irritating to my eyes.


Hope this helps.

DiDi