What may increase your risk for problems from your eye symptoms?

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What may increase your risk for problems from your eye symptoms?

Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases interfere with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for a more serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to tell your doctor.

Conditions

Older than age 60
Wear contact lenses, which increases the risk for eye infections
Have another eye condition that increases the risk of vision loss, such as:
- Glaucoma or macular degeneration
- Retinal detachment
- Poor vision or blindness in one eye with injury to the other eye
- Cataracts
Premature birth
A problem or condition present since birth (congenital defect)
Any eye surgery or procedure
History of eye infections
Family history of eye disease, such as glaucoma
History of ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, such as excessive sunlight exposure or exposure to a welding torch
Deficiency of thiamine, folic acid, or vitamin B₁₂

Lifestyle choices

Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
Drug abuse or withdrawal
Smoking or other tobacco use
Travel to underdeveloped countries and tropical regions

Medicines

Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
Medicines that may affect the eye itself
Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
Radiation therapy

Diseases

Active shingles (herpes zoster) on the face
Ankylosing spondylitis
Atrial fibrillation
Cancer
Chronic headaches
Diabetes
Giant cell arteritis
Glaucoma
Hemophilia
Herpes infection
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
Inflammatory bowel disease
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA)
Kidney disease
Lupus
Lyme disease
Malnutrition or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
Multiple sclerosis
Myasthenia gravis
Reiter's syndrome
Sickle cell disease
Sjögren's syndrome
Stroke

Credits

Author	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Daniel Greer
Associate Editor	Lila Havens
Primary Medical Reviewer	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Ian MacDonald, MDCM, FRCSC - Ophthalmology
Last Updated	December 13, 2005

Last updated:	December 13, 2005
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Ian MacDonald, MDCM, FRCSC - Ophthalmology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Lila Havens

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