My family member was healthy, with healthy eyes almost 4 years ago. A few days ago, we got the diagnosis she's blind.
Since she's still healthy, we've been looking into how this happened. 4 years ago, her doctor strongly suggested a "non steroid standard maintenance inhaler " called Advair. Her pharmacy strongly recommended it. We're very careful to read warnings on all medications, but we didn't realize the fine print that said the product may cause changes in vision actually meant she'd be blind, both eyes, in less than 4 years.
Advanced steroid cataracts make looking through the natural, clear lens of the eye like looking through frosted glass.
My family member can see bright sunlight, and the colour red.
The human brain copes by pretending everything's fine as the eyes go blind, so she didn't realize her vision was being stolen from her, her world was getting smaller, and even things like seeing a blue sky or seeing loved one's faces were taken from her. She can't drive, has lost her independence, and is on a long waiting list for cataract surgery.
Note that "Most patients regain a significant portion - if not all - of their sight back after cataract surgery". There's no guarantee her eyesight will be completely normal after surgery. And there's apparently a fatality risk associated with the surgery. It's low, but there's still that fatality risk, as with any surgery.
I've become an unexpected caregiver. She's become unexpectedly blind. I got the better deal by far.
And the doctor and pharmacists continued to gaslight, splitting hairs by saying, "Advare's not a steroid. It's a CORTICOsteroid."
Meanwhile, my family member sits, blind, grieving the loss of her eyesight, independence, and the things she missed seeing over the past almost 4 years. She's pulled back from her friends, her faith community, her life.
I'd ask her if it was worth the risk, taking Advare, but I know the answer is, "No!"
We have medical records, pharmacy records, and other records. This is conjecture.
Ask yourself if taking YOUR asthma medication is worth going blind over. Let me know.