changes in vision while on adderall

[phospho]

Hello,


I know there have been a few threads on this in the past, but the last one I could find was in 2008 and there weren't many responses in it.

I was wondering what everyone's experience was in terms of adderall and change in vision. Has your vision become worse since starting on adderall? Does the blurry vision go away eventually? Has anyone noticed ANY change in vision at all since starting?

I've been taking 30mg IR twice a day for at least 7 or 8 years. In case you’re wondering (as I was), my blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol... you name it.... is perfect... I'm not dehydrated either (if that matters). I just had a complete physical a few days ago, and I was hoping I could find what was causing this. Everything turned out to be normal though. My doc doesn't know why vision would change because of adderall, and thinks it might be merely a coincidence.

I've gone from near perfect vision to -0.75. I know it's not a lot, but I'm curious as to whether this goes away after quitting adderall for some time.

Is this something that is not caused by the adderall, but just happened to occur while I was medicating? Is it something like vision accommodation that's going on, where you're looking closely for extended periods of time and your eyes are compensating? Could I be the only one experiencing these vision changes? My vision is still changed (though not as much) when I'm off the adderall for a few days.

Any articles/links/tips/advice/thoughts would be VERY much appreciated.


Thank you!

[barnops]

One thing I find myself doing is attributing anything that goes wrong with my body too the adderall. Maybe your eyesight just went bad. It happens, to a lot of people.
Anyone in your family have bad vision?
(Also, from what I know about eyes, even if you quit your meds they will not correct themselves.)

If this actually is because of adderall I would really like to know.
Perfect vision is hard to come by these days...

[phospho]

Originally Posted by barnops

One thing I find myself doing is attributing anything that goes wrong with my body too the adderall. Maybe your eyesight just went bad. It happens, to a lot of people.
Anyone in your family have bad vision?
(Also, from what I know about eyes, even if you quit your meds they will not correct themselves.)

If this actually is because of adderall I would really like to know.
Perfect vision is hard to come by these days...

I completely agree with you. Eye sight does go bad, and this could totally be what's going on and might have nothing to do with adderall. However, I have this weird feeling that it might be related.

No one in my immediate family has ever had any trouble with their vision, i.e. no glasses, contacts, or anything. I can't think of any close relatives either. That's what got me to start looking this up. However, the sites I've found info on aren't exactly reputable, which is why I figured someone here would know something if there was something to know.

Not sure about how acurate this site is, but here's an example of something I read just yesterday when I googled "adderall vision side effects":

"Visual Disturbance: Difficulties with accommodation and blurring of vision have been reported with stimulant treatment."

If you click on the word "accommodation" on that web page, it defines it as:

"In medicine, the ability of the eye to change its focus from distant to near objects (and vice versa). This process is achieved by the lens changing its shape."

This is the site I'm copying and pasting this information from:

http://www.rxlist.com/adderall-drug.htm

It's on Page 4 under "Warnings".

thank you for your reply!

[pcjabber]

Originally Posted by phospho

Not sure about how acurate this site is, but here's an example of something I read just yesterday when I googled "adderall vision side effects":

"Visual Disturbance: Difficulties with accommodation and blurring of vision have been reported with stimulant treatment."

If you click on the word "accommodation" on that web page, it defines it as:

"In medicine, the ability of the eye to change its focus from distant to near objects (and vice versa). This process is achieved by the lens changing its shape."

This is the site I'm copying and pasting this information from:

http://www.rxlist.com/adderall-drug.htm

The full prescribing information (PDF, 70KB) from the FDA's website seems to list the same thing (pg5):
"Visual Disturbance
Difficulties with accommodation and blurring of vision have been reported with stimulant treatment."
...and pg14:
"Other serious side effects include:
[...]
* eyesight changes or blurred vision"

Not sure how "serious" it is...Hope this helps!

[phospho]

thank you!

i guess this gets even more confusing... what's the definition of "serious"?

I can't care less about these little tiny drops in my vision if I can keep taking adderall. I have severe ADHD and (at the risk of sounding pathetic), the only thing I'm anything in my life at this moment is because of adderall.

Not taking it isn't an option, unless of course I could find a similar drug, which I haven't been able to find.

I wish the FDA and those healthcare websites would elaborate more on these findings.

I guess I'm just gonna have to keep on looking...

[michaelmas]

I know this is a response to an old thread, just wanted to add my 2 cents.

I myself occasionally had vision changes when taking either Ritalin or Adderall IR - the effects were similar to problems I've had when I've had too much coffee or right before getting a migraine. I feel like it's hard to focus (visually) on things, almost like my vision is watery or pulsating. I wondered if this came close to describing the original poster's symptoms.

In general, I found this effect the first day or so when starting a new medication or dosage level, as my body adjusts. If it persisted, it was usually because my dosage was too high; ratcheting it back down seemed to prevent the problem.

[kassem23]

It's probably due to the fact that you focus on something intensely for long periods of time of things in front of you. You don't focus on things far away, so naturally, when you look outside things are going to be blurry because it'll be harder for the eye to tune in on the things farther away. It's like a muscle spasm, but just in your eye.

[JCJ79]

I've only been on adderall for less than a week but the first thing I noticed was blurry vision. I had been having trouble with my contacts since i got them but got use to it because i can't afford another trip to the eye doc anytime soon... so i think the adderall just made me more aware of the vision problems i was already having.

[Crystalsphinx]

I'm glad to see that someone else has vision problems related to vyvanse, adderall, etc. I came on this site to see if anyone else is having vision problems. I was very recently shocked to find out I have glaucoma. I do wear glasses but there is no sign of this illness with my family. It just came out of the blue and AFTER I started taking adderall, vyvanse, Wellbutrin, etc about 5 yrs ago. I wish I could sue my doctor but he is in denial. All the eye doctors are in denial. Now I have have to live with the fear of going blind later in life.
I wish I had something better to say about this problem. Good luck.

[oakliesmom]

I am also having eye issues with Adderall. When I was on generic form I had absolutely no issues what so ever. Apparenntly, they don't make this form anymore and I'm forced to use the brand name. This is when all my issues started. I'm currently on 50mg if needed daily. I usually take 30.5 to start off with then I increase with .5 during the day if needed. This may sound a little strange but my eyeball's actucally hurt, are sensative, water and I feel at times like ripping them out of the sockets. Does anyone know any kind of remedy for this or is anyone else having this issue. Please help. I can't stop taking it but I also can't deal with my eye issues.

[NotaMidget]

Could attribute it to the pupil dilation associated with amphetamines, your eyes could be adjusting to levels of light in your environment slower than usual and might be accompanied by "Tunnel Vision".

For example, staring at the computer screen for a long time, and then walking outside or looking outside your window mid day may cause you to have a somewhat blurred vision.

Just a thought.

[haftobeperfect]

I have been taking adderall IR for about 2 months or so. I also noticed some blurry vision at the beginning. I take a relatively low dose and do not take it every day. I use 10mg in the morning and sometimes add 5mg a few hours later when the initial effects start wearing off.

As far as I can tell, the blurry vision has pretty much gone away. I do use reading glasses often, although I go without them from time to time also. I have been using those for at least 5 years so no relation to the adderall. Good Luck.

[caughtinabadone]

im starting to notice a slight fuzzy vision when on it outdoors. The most annoying side effect is the sensitivity to light though, does anyone else have this?

I have to squint my eyes to see anything because it is so bright on a sunny day. I have to wear sunglasses because of this. I understand adderall is a vasoconstricting the blood vessels or something and making the pupils get bigger, thus letting in more sunlight.

It's all temporary though thank goodness.

[Man w/ADD]

Originally Posted by NotaMidget

Could attribute it to the pupil dilation associated with amphetamines, your eyes could be adjusting to levels of light in your environment slower than usual and might be accompanied by "Tunnel Vision".

For example, staring at the computer screen for a long time, and then walking outside or looking outside your window mid day may cause you to have a somewhat blurred vision.

Just a thought.

Any stimulants do cause your pupils to dilate and that can be the cause of the blurry vision. In addition that is the etiology(cause) of the light sensitivity another person asked about. Amphetamines can also cause your accommodation(focusing) system to malfunction. This will cause problems with near vision i.e. reading, computer. Also, larger pupils can cause blurry vision. The smaller your pupil the more "pin-hole" effect you get. This is like squinting, or if you make a very small hole by curling your index finger toward your thumb and then looking through the hole. This will only work if you don't have "normal" vision(if you wear glasses go ahead and try it, you will notice you see better without your glasses). Another problem that stimulants can create that could be causing the blur is they cause dry eyes. For all of you that carry around a jug of water b/c you are always thirsty....same thing happens to your eyes.

In the end each person is different and stimulants could be the problem or it could just be a coincidence. All of the visual problems that individuals have noted can be treated quite easily and conservatively by your eye doctor. In case anyone was wondering, yes I am an eye doctor(optometrist).

[Man w/ADD]

Originally Posted by Crystalsphinx

I'm glad to see that someone else has vision problems related to vyvanse, adderall, etc. I came on this site to see if anyone else is having vision problems. I was very recently shocked to find out I have glaucoma. I do wear glasses but there is no sign of this illness with my family. It just came out of the blue and AFTER I started taking adderall, vyvanse, Wellbutrin, etc about 5 yrs ago. I wish I could sue my doctor but he is in denial. All the eye doctors are in denial. Now I have have to live with the fear of going blind later in life.
I wish I had something better to say about this problem. Good luck.

You could sue your eye doctor if you so desire, but you will waste your time. Just b/c their are no other family members that have been diagnosed with glaucoma does not mean no has it. Glaucoma is a chronic progressive disease, and therefore we see it mostly in patients that are 40+ years old. Not b/c they got it when they were 40 but b/c it took that long for anything to show up. Most patients are glaucoma suspects for a number of years before they get the diagnoses. The reason for this is the fact that there is no diagnostic test for glaucoma. To diagnose the disease you have to notice change over time. If they have already noted changes in your optic nerve and visual field, the damage has been taking place well over 5 years. So you getting diagnosed after taking the medication is purely coincidence. All that I have just said only applies to "normal" gluacoma. If you have had trauma, or any other disease process that caused the glaucoma that would be called a secondary glaucoma and the causitive factor should be easily(most times) identified. I dont mean to minimalize what you are going through but unless you go to the same eye doc for many years(or at least make sure to keep all exam info and bring that to every eye exam), and go regulary(each year) glaucoma is very difficult to diagnose. The only way to diagnose it is to notice change over time, and to notice change you have to know where the patient started. Impossible to do if it is the first time you have ever seen a patient. The only good part is that there are great treatments for glaucoma. And as long as you follow up as directed by your eye doc and have good compliance with the medication the likelihood of you loosing significant vision is very low, and the chances you go "lights out blind" or to the point where you no longer meet the visual requirements to drive is minuscule.

On a side note, wearing glasses or not and how well you see with or without glasses has absolutely nothing to do with glaucoma. I have had patients that had "eagle vision" their whole life that I treat for glaucoma. So this is my community service announcement...It is in your best interest regardless of how well you see to visit your eye doc yearly, or at the absolute longest every two years. After 40 it should be every year.