Ask Dr Miriam

QI’ve got brittle bones and I’m on drugs to prevent fractures. Recently I’ve noticed that my eyes are very sore. I was wondering if this could be related to my medication?

AYes, there’s a group of drugs called bisphosphonates and sore eyes are not a common side effect, but it does occur, although rarely.

It’s important that it’s picked up and treated because the eye inflammation could possibly cause long-term sight problems. The inflammation is unusual in that it causes irritation and swelling to the middle layer of the eye and to the white outer wall of the eye. This generally causes eye pain or blurred vision rather than just soreness. If you get these symptoms you should stop taking the drug and see your doctor to get your eyes checked. There are quite a few drugs that help osteoporosis and I’m sure your doctor can prescribe an alternative.