Emma's Story

Emma shares her story about living with ocular psoriasis.

Hi, I am Emma . I’ve had Psoriasis since a young child. It was very bad on my scalp, forehead and fingers. I was diagnosed with a few skin conditions. Then as I reached 12 years old, it started to spread to my elbows, arms, knees and hips.

However I had the Pfizer vaccine 2 years ago and my psoriasis became very angry and my eyes started to itch in the inner corners that evening. I went to the hospital a few weeks after, where they said that I have severe dry eyes and they think it is psoriasis effecting my eyes. I was given strong steroid drops but they made my eyes even worse. I started getting cyst in my eyelids, pain in my eyes and constant twitching and pulsation in both my cheeks which lasted for 4 months.

I was also given antibiotics for months which also seemed to irritate my eyes. I was then given ciclosporin ointment by Moorfields, as I paid to see them privately as I was desperate for help. I got myself into so much debt. That didn’t do anything after 9 months of use. My eyes got worse and worse each month.

I can hardly open my eyes and they are extremely tight and uncomfortable. I can't enjoy anything because your eyes are really your main sensory. I didn't want to get out of bed in the mornings. I had to give up a job I loved. This has really impacted my mental health.

I have now been given the diagnosis of sever ocular psoriasis and have been on Adalimumab for 3 months now but personally I don't feel it is helping as my eyes still feel extremely tight, it has only eased the heaviness. In all fairness though, I do have a slightly better quality of life from how I was in December 2023. Maybe things just need to settle. I am praying the biologics will help me or I am being referred to St Guys and St Thomas Hospital soon. I just now want a better quality of life. I have to travel to a hospital out of my area, but they have been extremely good to me and are a true blessing. They gave me hope and I would like to thank Dr Shah for helping me , Dr Verdolini and Jennifer Ingram my biologic specialist, because it is so rare. Jenny has been extremely supportive and given me so much of her time. It is not visible on my eyes, only my body.

Please note that there is currently no evidence to suggest that vaccines are bad for psoriasis (or likely to make it worse, or flare). Please check out the latest information on the Covid vaccines and psoriasis here.

Ocular psoriasis is extremely rare. Please visit an opticians or speak to your dermatologist if you have any concerns about your eye health.