04/12/2026
✨Autoimmune Conditions And The Eye✨
The eye is the window to our health, and it couldn’t be more true than in the detection of autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system gets triggered to produce antibodies that cross react with our own tissues to create inflammation. It’s as though the immune system is fighting a bacteria or virus, but in fact, it’s fighting ourselves.
Many autoimmune conditions first cause symptoms related to vision:
- LUPUS causes dry eye, scleritis, retinal vasculitis or even blood clots in the eye
- MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) causes vision loss from optic neuritis, also double vision
- SJOGREN’S SYNDROME causes severe dry eye and dry mouth
- NEUROMYELITIS OPTICA (NMO) causes severe vision loss from optic neuritis but also can affect the brain and spinal cord
- PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS causes inflammation in the eye (uveitis) and joint issues
- IBD (Crohn’s or Ulcerative colitis) caused uveitis and inflammation in the gut
- MYASTHENIA GRAVIS causes double vision, droopy eyelids, and muscle weakness
- AUTOIMMUNE THYROID DISEASE causes inflammation in the eye socket, bulging of the eyes, double vision, and even vision loss
- RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS causes eye and joint inflammation.
When autoimmune disease affects vision, it’s important to calm the inflammation quickly with medications.
But diet and lifestyle are key factors needed for long-term control of inflammation. These factors are often not considered, but need to be addressed. This is why an integrative approach to autoimmune disease is so important 💯!
I use a functional medicine approach based in root cause analysis, therapeutic anti-inflammatory diets, and lifestyle protocols paired with traditional treatments to stop inflammation in its tracks. Many of my patients are able to successfully get off their steroid or immunosuppressant medications!
Comment AUTOIMMUNE for my FREE guide on the top anti-inflammatory foods for autoimmune eye disease!
