With RA, your immune system mistakenly attacks the tissues in your joints. This leads to inflammation, which commonly causes joints to be painful, swollen, and stiff.

Inflammation can also affect other parts of your body, including the skin, blood vessels, and eyes. In fact, eye complications aren’t uncommon in RA. Read on to see how RA affects your eyes.

Can rheumatoid arthritis affect your eyes?
RA is the result of your immune system misfiring. The resulting inflammation can affect various parts of your body, including your eyes.

These complications can include:

keratoconjunctivitis sicca, or dry eyes (Sjogren’s)
episcleritis, or redness caused by inflammation
scleritis, also redness caused by inflammation
uveitis, or swelling of the middle layer of the eye

Eye symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
Dry eyes
The most common eye complaint for people with RA is dryness. The medical term for this is keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Inflammation from RA causes abnormalities in the tear glands (lacrimal), significantly reducing fluid secretion.

The symptoms associated with dry eyes are more common in the later part of the day, when tears from the tear gland (systemic) have dried up and evaporated.

Other symptoms of this condition include redness, blurred vision, and a feeling of debris in the eye.

Redness
Redness in the eyes along with RA is most likely the result of scleritis, or inflammation in the white part of the eye.

Redness from scleritis won’t go away with the use of eye drops. Scleritis also can cause pain in the eyes, light sensitivity, and reduced vision.

Uveitis
Uveitis is another possible complication of RA, but it’s mostly seen in the juvenile form of the disease.

Uveitis occurs when the uvea, the layer between the retina and the white of the eye, becomes inflamed. Symptoms include redness, pain, light sensitivity, and blurred vision.

The majority of cases of uveitis in children are caused by RA (systemic juvenile inflammatory arthritis). Uveitis is treatable, but can cause blindness if ignored.

Floaters
Uveitis and other eye inflammation can also cause floaters, which are dark spots that move across your field of vision.

Corneal damage
It’s essential that you get treatment if you have RA and eye symptoms. Untreated dry eyes, scleritis, uveitis, or Sjogren’s can cause the cornea to become scratched, scarred, or ulcerated. Corneal damage can cause permanent loss of vision.

Sjogren’s
Sjogren’s is another type of autoimmune disorder that can develop alongside RA.

Sjogren’s affects the glands in the body that produce moisture, and it can cause dry and itchy eyes as well as a gritty feeling, as if sand is trapped in your eyes. Excessive tearing can also occur as a reaction to the dryness.

Sjogren’s can cause other symptoms, including:

dry mouth and increased cavities (caries)
difficulty swallowing and speaking
hoarseness
mouth sores
dry and cracked skin
fatigue
fever
swollen joints and glands
chronic cough
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Treatment for RA-related eye concerns
For RA, early detection is important for your treatment. You’ll be less likely to develop eye disorders from RA when the conditions are being treated and inflammation reduced.

You can treat your eye complications with eyes drops, topical lubricants, and warm compresses. These can help relieve dryness, redness, and itching. Eye drops without preservatives are best.

For severe inflammations that don’t respond to eye drops, your doctor may recommend a topical steroid or immunosuppressive medications. These are usually applied twice a day to treat the underlying inflammation.

Possible RA complications
While pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints are the primary symptoms of RA, the inflammatory response of the misfiring immune system can cause a variety of other symptoms.

If you have RA, you may also have:

skin problems
a greater risk for infections
anemia
lung disease
heart conditions
neuropathy
an increased risk for osteoporosis
Keep reading: Other affects RA has on your body »

Do my eye problems mean I have RA?
If you have dry or red eyes, it’s possible you have an autoimmune disorder like RA with Sjogren’s. But many other conditions can also cause dry or red eyes.

It’s more likely you have RA if your eye problems accompany other telltale symptoms, such as:

painful joints
flu-like symptoms
fatigue
general weakness
unintended weight loss
Talk to a doctor about these symptoms, especially if your eye doesn’t get better in a few days.

Takeaway
RA is a disease that causes inflammation in your joints. But RA can also spread to other organs such as your lungs, skin, and eyes.

It’s possible for RA to cause dry and red eyes, although it’s rare for RA to only cause eye complications. If you have RA, you’ll likely be experiencing other symptoms along with dry eyes.

Talk to a doctor if you’re experiencing prolonged dry or red eyes, especially if your dry and red eyes don’t respond to eye drops and topical lubricants.

Chronic dry eye can cause corneal damage, which may lead to permanent vision loss. Your doctor will be able to provide the appropriate treatment for eye relief.