Autoimmune diseases causing blurred vision include Multiple Sclerosis (MS), often due to optic nerve inflammation (optic neuritis); Sjögren's Syndrome, causing severe dry eyes; Lupus, leading to inflammation or dryness; Graves' Disease (Thyroid Eye Disease), affecting eye muscles/tissues; Rheumatoid Arthritis, often via dry eyes; and rarer conditions like Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) and Behçet's Disease, which directly attack the nervous system or eyes. Blurred vision can also stem from complications like diabetic retinopathy in Type 1 Diabetes or inflammation (uveitis) from various systemic diseases.
Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, can affect the skin, organs, joints, and eyes. Eye-related symptoms can include blurred vision, dry eyes, headaches, light sensitivity, and eye soreness, reflecting the disease's systemic nature.
Three key signs of Sjögren's syndrome are dry eyes, dry mouth, and profound fatigue, stemming from this autoimmune condition attacking moisture-producing glands, though other symptoms like joint pain, swollen glands, and systemic issues can also occur.
Eye symptoms may include: A dark area in part(s) of your visual field. A visual disturbance described as “a dark shade or curtain” covering part of your vision. Loss of peripheral (side) vision.
Autoimmune Diseases
During an eye exam, your eye doctor may observe changes to the blood vessels in your retina, inflammation, or damage to your optic nerve, all of which may indicate the presence of an autoimmune disease.
Patients with lupus may develop dry eye symptoms, which is also known as dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndrome is a condition where symptoms of dry eyes become severe, which often cause discomfort for the patients, such as a gritty sensation in the eyes, itching, and burning.
Symptoms of Susac Syndrome
Common Autoimmune Disease Symptoms
Uveitis is a form of eye inflammation that affects the middle layer of tissue in the eye, called the uvea. It can cause redness, pain, blurred vision and floaters.
Specific Tests for Sjögren's Syndrome
Your doctor may recommend some or all of the following tests: Blood and urine tests, to look for the presence of antibodies common in Sjögren's syndrome. The results of an ANA (antinuclear antibody) test will determine if you have an autoimmune disorder.
Sjogren's (SHOW-grins) syndrome is a disorder of your immune system identified by its two most common symptoms — dry eyes and a dry mouth. The condition often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
You can get it at any age, but it is most common in people in their 40s and 50s. Sjogren's syndrome is more common in people who have other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Cloudy vision can also be a result of changes in or damage to the cornea, (the clear bit at the front of your eye) including infections or inflammations. Less common conditions that may contribute to cloudy vision include: diabetes, optic nerve disease and macular degeneration.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack the thyroid. Since thyroid hormones assist in the proper functioning of the tear ducts, patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis are more prone to dry eyes and blurry vision than the rest of the population.
Anti-inflammatory medications, including corticosteroid eye drops, can reduce inflammation and protect tissues. Immunosuppressive drugs may be necessary for severe cases. For dry eye related to autoimmune disease, artificial tears, prescription eye drops, or punctal plugs can provide relief.
Early warning signs of lupus often include extreme fatigue, unexplained fever, joint pain/swelling, skin rashes (especially a butterfly-shaped one on the face), hair loss, mouth sores, and Raynaud's phenomenon (fingers/toes turning white or blue in the cold). Because these symptoms mimic other conditions, lupus can be hard to diagnose early, but they often come in waves (flares) and affect various body systems.
The "worst" autoimmune diseases are subjective but often cited for severity, impact on life expectancy, or organ damage, with top contenders including Giant Cell Myocarditis (highly fatal), Vasculitis (damages blood vessels), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus) (multi-organ), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (nervous system), and Type 1 Diabetes (pancreas, life-long management). Other severe conditions include Scleroderma and Myasthenia Gravis.
Diagnosing an autoimmune disease is often a differential diagnosis. This means your provider will test you for several different conditions that can cause the symptoms you're experiencing until they find the cause. Your provider might order blood tests to look for specific signs (markers) of autoimmune diseases.
A number of autoimmune, or inflammatory, diseases can affect the eye. These include uveitis, scleritis, orbital inflammatory disease, and keratitis. Although these conditions can exist as independent illnesses, they are frequently manifestations of other underlying autoimmune conditions.
Overview. Susac's syndrome is a rare autoimmune disorder that causes the body's natural defenses to behave as if there were an infection or injury when there is none. The condition most often affects the smallest blood vessels in the brain, eye and inner ear, and can cause the blood vessels to become blocked.
The most common symptoms include:
Due to decreased tear production, your eyes may feel extremely dry. They may also itch or burn, leading to excessive blinking. It may feel like grains of sand are lodged in your eyes. Or they may be red or watery, and you may have blurred vision or be sensitive to bright or fluorescent lights.
Primary Sjogren syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disorder most commonly presenting with sicca symptoms. Sicca refers to dryness most often involving the eyes and mouth due to inflammation and resultant pathology of the lacrimal and salivary glands.
Death (Mortality)
While most people with Sjogren's live a normal lifespan, an estimated 10% die from direct Sjogren's complications such as lung disease or lymphoma (3, 47).