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Pharmacy Link

EYE PAIN WITH TENDERNESS IN FOREHEAD AND TEMPLES, AND/OR SUDDEN BLINDNESS: TREATMENT

If you think you have temporal arteritis, you should see your doctor immediately, especially if you have experienced sudden blindness. He will conduct a blood test that includes a test for the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, or ESR, which will check how quickly red blood cells settle in the bottom of a test tube. A high ESR is an indication of an inflamed artery, as in temporal arteritis. Your doctor may also perform a biopsy of the temporal artery in order to make a positive diagnosis.

If you do have temporal arteritis, you will need to treat it with a regimen of corticosteroid medication such as prednisone on a long-term basis, possibly for months. This will help reduce the swollen artery to its normal size. In order to prevent future problems, however, you will need to continue taking the medication for a year or more; regular blood tests that monitor the ESR in addition to your symptoms will help your doctor to guide your treatment.

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