blood shot eyes during dialysis

[pamster42000]

When Sarah had hemo treatments her eyes would get blood shot. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and do you know what causes it?

The nurses and Dr. said they didn't know what caused it.

[Maker]

Hi!  I'm so glad to hear someone else talking about bloodshot eyes because I have had this issue for years and my doctors have all seemed baffled by it.  I definitely get it when I'm on dialysis, but I also got it before I even started dialysis when my kidney function was low & my creatinine was high.  So through the years I have "self-diagnosed" that is related to high phosphorus.  It is always the worst when my phosphorus level is high, and the redness clears up when my level goes down (like after dialysis).  I haven't found anything that helps, especially not visine.  I think it must be a rare side effect    But I've been thankful for it because prior to starting dialysis it was always my first clue that I was in trouble and needed to have my blood tested, and sure enough, if the eyes were red the creatinine & phosphorus were high.  Isn't that crazy?!

[Chris]

I would ask an opthalmologist or even a retinal doctor what they think if you haven't already. Just not an optomitrist who prescribes glasses/contacts. He/she may see something and refer you to a retinal or opthalmologist because diseases of the eye is not their specialty.

I don't know if I ever had that problem though.

[Maker]

Thanks Chris, I appreciate your suggestion.  I have seen 2 opthamologists.  Neither had any clue - they thought it might be an infection but were really confused when I said my eyes didn't hurt at all.  The first prescribed antibiotics, which didn't help, so I went to get a 2nd opinion and that opthamologist prescribed steroids, which also didn't help.  Like I said, it's very strange and must be a really uncommon side effect of CKD. 

Take Care!!

[Chris]

Just thought of this when I read the reply, but what are the normal causes of bloodshot eyes? I'll have to remember to look that up, but maybe if digging deep enough in information that something can be revealed to connect cause. That's my hypothesis.

[KICKSTART]

You said it yourself !!!! When your phos is high your eyes are RED !! when its low they are not !! Thats exactly whats causing it !!! I have had this problem for months now and mine are exactly the same , this month my phos levels are down and my eyes are fine !

[pamster42000]

Even when Sarah's lab values were good she would get blood shotot eyes. It only happened when she was recieving dialysis. A few hours after dialysis her eyes looked normal.

[KICKSTART]

Ok then the only other thing i can think of is her bp. Apparently your bp can affect your optic nerve , so maybe thats why ?

[Maker]

Well Pam, sounds like maybe something different is going on with Sarah than with Kickstart & I.  Hopefully her eyes don't hurt?  Good luck getting to the bottom of it 

[citizen.anon]

Maker, are there inexpensive and reliable home test kits that enable one to track creatine and especially phosphorus levels? 

About 5 years ago, I started experiencing blood-shot eyes and had one incident of edema in my ankles and legs.  My wife, is an RN and said some causes of pitted edema were serious, so we immediately scheduled an appointed with an General Practitioner.  For several months following that, I visited lots of specialists. A rhuematologist (sp) believed I had arthritis due to "inflammation in your blood", the respiratory therapist found no cancer in lung tissue samples, but thought I might have sarcoidosis, and the cardio-thorasic surgeon found no sarcoid in swollen lymph nodes in my chest.  But, I was advised to visit an opthomologist regularly to have my eyes examined in case of connectivity tissue damage. Finally, a urologist saw "slightly elevated levels of creatine", but nothing to be concerned about. All in all, I spent about 15,000 of my own money and Lord knows how much insurance money on all the tests.  It simply became unaffordable to continue visiting doctors to look for a diagnosis.  However, I've continued searching for an answer on my own.
 
I've learned some things on my own over the years.  First, the redness and fatigue I experience flucuate from day to day and having some really good days and some really bad days and knowing that food consumption is the biggest variable, I believe it could be diet related.  Finding your post about creatine and phosphorus levels is motivational.  I'm about to begin serious tracking of my diet because I'm scared and want to know how to get better.  Anyhow, other interesting observations... I've noticed that when I lie down, even when not sleeping my eyes become VERY red.  If I lie on my stomach they actually become clearer. And, if I can manage to sleep on my stomach, I feel more rested than if I sleep on my back.  Sleeping on my back makes me extremely achey even after a full night's sleep, my eyes are very blood-shot, and the skin on my back becomes very slightly "frosted" with what almost looks like salt.  I also accidenteley discovered some sort of "deposits" along the sides of my corneas on the scelara.  My son and I were playing with a black-light and I saw these extremely white, irregular areas on the left and right of edges of my corneas.  I've looked at other friends' and family member's eyes with the black-light and no one else has these.  I believe it is calcium and phosphorus build-up in those small capillaries, but my opthomologist doesn't have an interest in investigating it. (I need to see another opth., but I'm tapped out of money now)  Finally, I've learned that if I do intense cardio exercise for about an hour.  I feel GREAT! and my eyes clear up for about a day.  The time they remain clear has shortened now and I'm losing a lot of ground in my physical training. For about a year, I built up muscle and staved off fatigue and red-eye, but my energy has dropped significantly in the last six months.

Recently my urine has started foaming, and I've had a few days of kidney pain.  So, when I started perusing the web again and found your post, I've begun to believe I have been and am experiencing kidney failure.

From what I've learned recently, I should probably start with a visit to the urologist again and have him check my creatine and phosphorus levels.  He'll probably send me for a full work-up.

I'd be interested in whether others have experience symptoms I've described here and at what stage.  The whole eye thing is what I've centered on for a long time, it's like a barometer for an underlying problem.  Spotting the "deposits" seemed so significant to me.  My theory would be that those capillaries are blocked by the build-up and thus increased levels of phosphorus, calcium, and creatine cause inflammation.  I'd be curious if you have such build-up in your eyes.  It's really easy to see in mine.  We turned on the black-light and my son said, "whoa, what is wrong with your eyes".  The other thing that I'm really interested in is have other people reduced fatigue and other symptoms with increased cardio activity.  Should I be doing such if I'm truly experiencing CKD?

[galvo]

Decreased energy levels and frothing urine sound very familiar to me. They were exactly what I was experiencing before I was dignosed with CKD. Don't muck around, mate, get yourself checked out. The earlier you are dignosed, the more time you have to slow the progress of the disease.
I am now on dialysis and the fatigue has gone . Urine is still frothy though.

[tyefly]

   My urine is frothy too......    and my energy level are back as well.....  I feel better today than I have in a very long time......   loving life now....

[Malibu]

citizen anon, you might save some money and get an appt with a nephrologist and skip the urologist.  The white areas might be calcium crystals, something that kidney patiets deal with if certain ailments are not controlled. What is your blood pressure?  High blood pressure is a symptom of most kidney diseases too.  I don't know how a Dr could not notice kidney disease but I guess it is possible.  In any event please see your regular Dr or a Neph right away, tell them about your symptoms and have some blood tests done to see if you have kidney disease.  Good luck.

[citizen.anon]

The urologist called and said all is well and not to worry.  I got a nurse to give me the detailed results.  My blood and urine tests showed acceptable bun and potassium levels... slightly elevated protein levels, and my calcium levels were borderline at 10.2.  Is that OK?  On the day of the tests my urine was not at frothy.  Also, with the build-up in my eyes and itching I'm still concerned.  Is it normal to NOT do a Phosphorus tests.  In the results, I saw no phosphorus test was done.  Why not?  Can they determine from other values that phosphorus test was not necessary?  I don't want anything to be wrong with me, so good news is of course welcomed, but the truth of the matter is SOMETHING isn't right.  My theory is that perhaps I'm pre-stage 1.  I don't know.  But, if that is possible, then of course I'd want to make whatever lifestyle changes necessary right NOW to never get beyond that.

[Malibu]

A Nephrologist may or may not have done a phosphorus test.  But if you told the Doc you were itching I would think they would have done the test.

Exactly what were the 'acceptable BUN and potassium levels'?  There have been people go to Dr's before who told them they are OK and they were not.  Did they tell you what the numbers were?  What was creatinine?  GEt the results faxed or sent to you so you can check it out for yourself. 

[sullidog]

Well I'm totally blind but I've had my eyes do crazy things sometimes during treatment. Sometimes I get this feeling you know when someones shining a bright light in your eyes and it kind of hurts like thing. Not sure since like I said I'm blind I never brought this up.
Troy

[coorsbob]

I'm getting blod shot eyes also. While on dialysis it comes and its gone shortly after my treayment is over. Not sure what the cause of it is but im searching for and answer. I did notice that it is preasent when my BP is high so mybe it has to do with that. will keep you informed  from what i find out.

Coorsbob

[citizen.anon]

I've been reading every site, research paper, and article I can find about kidney disease, parathyroid disease, calcium and phosphate abnormalities and symptoms, etc., and though I haven't compiled a formal summary, I've become increasingly certain that the red eyes and other symptoms I experience is due to calcium and phosphate mineralizing in small capillaries.  In my case, I theorize it is happening the most in my shoulder, achilles, and eyes.  Well, in the case of my eyes, it isn't theory it's a viewable fact. (get a black-light, take a look, it's there)  Anyhow, there is enough blockage in the capillaries around the corneas, in the scelera of my eyes that when phosphorus levels spike it causes irritation, inflammation and thus bloodshot eyes.

My test results from the urologist were:
Glucose serum: 88
BUN Urea Nitrogen: 16
Creatinine: 0.9
Sodium Serum: 143
Potassium: 4.1
Chloride Serum: 103
CO2: 25
CA: 10.2

According to the normal ranges, the CA was borderline high.  Why the doc didn't order a phosphorus test then, I don't know.  I explained to him this horrible deep itching I had experienced all night, which had finally cleared up, but only after practically starving myself for the day up to the time they took a blood sample.

Anyhow, I had one of these recurring, horrible migraines and my eyes went all blood shot, so I had some more blood drawn and pleaded for calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone tests.  We won't get the parathyroid results for a week, but the Calcium was within normal range at 9.6 and the phosphorus was 0.1 high at 4.7.  I wish they would have taken the blood sample when the migraine was at it's worst.  I had to wait 4 hours to see the doctor as a walk-in.  During that wait, I was able to pee three times, the first two were frothy foamy and murky while the last time was clear.  Sometimes it seems like I don't have to pee all day and other times I have to pee every 10 minutes. TMI?