Symptoms

Chronic GVHD can affect the surface of your eye, the inside of your eyelid and can damage tear glands.  Symptoms may include:

• tired, gritty, itchy or burning eyes
• difficulty keeping your eyes open
• sensitivity to bright light or wind
• intermittent blurry vision
• red and swollen eyelids
• crusting on the eyelids
• excessive tears and discharge without much discomfort

Treatment

The treatment for ocular GVHD depends on the severity of the symptoms. Most cases can be managed with:

• artificial tear drops or ointments (make sure they are preservative-free)
• steroid drops or ointments
• cyclosporine eye drops
• plugging tear ducts so that moisture remains in your eyes
• adding humidity to your home
• wearing goggles to limit exposure to the wind (see 7eye.com/collections/dry-eye [1] or zienaeyewear.com [2] for examples)

If the problem is more severe and is affecting your vision, your doctor may recommend:

• eye drops made from your blood serum (autologous serum drops)
• a bandage contact lens to protect the surface of the eye
• a scleral lens, such as the PROSE system offered by BostonSight [3]®, that can relieve symptoms and improve vision

What to Avoid

If you have GVHD in your eyes:

• do not wear regular contact lenses
• avoid rubbing your eyes
• use only eye drops that do NOT contain a preservative
• do not dig crusted mucous from the corner of your eyes with your fingernails or a tissue; instead, use warm, wet compresses to soften and remove it; applying warm compresses for 5-10 minutes at night may help prevent morning crusting
• avoid using redness relievers such as Visine®, Opcon A®, Naphon A® or Clear Eyes® which can make dry eyes worse
• do not use allergy eye drops such as Alaway® or Zaditor® because they will not treat the root problem

Take Action!

• Tell your doctor immediately about any eye discomfort or vision changes you experience. Prompt treatment may prevent severe damage to the eye.
• When in the sun, be sure to wear sunglasses with UV protection to protect your eyes from further damage. Use wrap-around sunglasses for added protection.
• Take frequent breaks from viewing screens on electronic devices.
• Be careful when applying make-up near your eyes and avoid unnecessary eye surgeries, such as cosmetic eyelid surgery and lash extensions.
• Ask your transplant team to recommend an ophthalmologist who is familiar with symptoms of ocular GVHD. You can also consult BMT InfoNet’s GVHD Directory f [4]or a specialist near you.

Watch this video about your eyes and chronic GVHD. Click here [5]to read the transcript of this video and download the slides.

#GVHD

If you use social media, learn more about living with graft-versus-host disease and advances in treatment at #GVHD. Connect with others and show your support for GVHD patients.

(To view this page in Spanish [6]click here [6]. [6])

Next Page: Mouth and GVHD [7]

Updated August 2023