It's fairly common to get eye issues with an autoimmune disease. If you've been diagnosed with a condition like those listed below, it’s important to be aware that they might impact your eye health.
It is important to have regular eye tests if you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition including, but not limited to:
Rheumatoid arthritis.
Lupus.
Ankylosing spondylitis.
Sjogren’s syndrome.
Multiple sclerosis.
Thyroid disease.
Read more below for information on autoimmune disease, common symptoms, signs, diagnosis and treatment.
Your immune system is constantly working to destroy germs, and other health threats, but sometimes it mistakenly targets your body’s own healthy cells. Some of these disorders make the immune system attack cells in your eyes or the surrounding tissues. They can cause inflammation, dry eyes, vision problems and more.
There are over 80 known autoimmune disorders, and each of them affects the body in different ways. For example, rheumatoid arthritis typically affects the joints, while Type 1 diabetes affects insulin production.
Many of these conditions also impact the eyes. For some autoimmune disorders, inflammation in or around the eyes is the first sign something's wrong. Other times, you can get a lot of other symptoms affecting different parts of your body.
Immune disorders can be systemic (affecting many parts of the body) or organ‑specific.
Some autoimmune disorders make the immune system attack many different parts of the body, including the eyes. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis or lupus (SLE).
Some autoimmune diseases mainly or only affect one part of the body. For example, Sjogren's syndrome mainly affects the eyes and mouth.
Autoimmune diseases can affect the eyes in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often mistaken for other conditions, and people sometimes get misdiagnosed. This is why it’s important to have any changes in your eyes examined by an experienced specialist.
Here are some common eye symptoms that may be caused by autoimmune diseases ‑ though not everyone will experience all of them. Be aware that this autoimmune eye disease list of symptoms isn't comprehensive, and some people get other signs too.
During an immune disorder flare‑up, conditions like Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can make the muscles around your eyes swell.
Conditions like Sjögren’s syndrome, coeliac disease, Guillain‑Barré syndrome, Graves’ disease and psoriasis can affect your tears, making your eyes feel very dry.
Learn more about dry eye syndrome
Immune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis can cause uveitis, which leads to a painful eye that’s sensitive to light. Multiple sclerosis can also cause a painful ache in the eye when you look around.
Learn more about eye pain
Conditions like diabetes, Graves’ disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus and Behçet’s disease can cause blurry or double vision, floaters, flashes or even sight loss.
Learn more about diabetic retinopathy
Some immune disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s and Sjögren’s syndrome, can cause keratoconjunctivitis, making eyes and eyelids red or bloodshot. (See keratoconjunctivitis diagram below for more information.)
Learn more about red eye
Eye problems can be the first sign of an autoimmune disorder, like early optic nerve inflammation in multiple sclerosis. Many people also get tiredness, joint pain, skin rashes, fevers and more.
Noticed your eyes hurting, or a change in your sight? Whether it’s something new or something that’s been bothering you for a while, we’re here to help.
Learn more about this common symptom of autoimmune eye inflammation.
There are many autoimmune diseases that can affect vision. If you have an autoimmune condition and notice anything unusual with your eyes, it’s really important to get this checked by your GP, an optometrist, or a rheumatologist. Some autoimmune diseases can lead to serious eye problems if left untreated including, in rare cases, loss of sight.
Many kinds of autoimmune disease can affect the eyes. This autoimmune eye disease list covers some of the common issues we see at our stores in Australia, but there are other disorders that can also be involved.
Sjogren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disease that attacks the glands which keep your eyes moist and lubricated (it can also affect glands in your mouth and other parts of your body). As a result, the eyes can become very dry.
Learn more about dry eye syndrome
Graves’ disease is when the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, leading to an overproduction of thyroid hormones. For some people, it causes inflammation of muscles and tissues around the eyes which can result in bulging, puffy eyes.
Learn more about puffy eye
MS is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. About 33,000 Australians suffer from MS. It can cause inflammation of the optic nerve, nystagmus and double vision.
Learn more about double vision
Reiter’s syndrome is a kind of inflammatory arthritis that affects the joints, eyes and urethra. It causes autoimmune eye inflammation and can lead to conjunctivitis and uveitis (inflammation of the middle layer of the eye).
Learn more about conjunctivitis
Rheumatoid arthritis is perhaps best known for its effects on people's joints, but it can also impact your eyes. It can cause dry eyes and inflammation of the sclera (the whites of your eyes).
Bechet's disease is a systemic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout your body ‑ including in the eyes. Many people with Bechet’s disease have inflammatory symptoms such as uveitis and retinal vasculitis (inflammation of the retinal blood vessels).
Sarcoidosis is a rare condition that makes small patches of red and swollen tissue called granulomas develop in the organs of the body. It usually affects the lungs, skin and eyes.
Noticed your eyes hurting, or a change in your sight? Whether it’s something new or something that’s been bothering you for a while, we’re here to help.
If you have symptoms of an autoimmune disease, getting diagnosed and treated early is very important. It can help prevent the condition from getting worse and ease your symptoms.
Unfortunately, diagnosing autoimmune disorders can sometimes be challenging. This is because the symptoms are often mistaken for other health issues.
If your doctor believes that your immune system is affecting your eyes, they may refer you to an eye specialist (optometrist or ophthalmologist), or to a specialist in immune conditions (rheumatologist or immunologist). These doctors will use different methods to work out what's going on.
At your eye test, the optometrist will investigate your eye health through the following ways:
The doctor will want to know about when the symptoms began and ask information about what it feels like. They'll also ask about symptoms in other parts of your body.
This detailed eye scan shows damage to the retina or optic nerve, which can be linked to some immune disorders. Available in our stores across Australia.
Learn more about OCT scans
A slit lamp is a powerful microscope with a lamp attached. Again, it allows optometrists to closely inspect your eyes and spot signs of inflammation.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, computed tomography (CT) scans and blood tests can also be helpful and can be arranged via your GP or medical specialist
If you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that affects your eyes, your GP or specialist will put together a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Some treatments will involve medication, while others may focus on self‑care or home remedies to help manage flare‑ups. Below are some of the more common treatment options for autoimmune‑related eye conditions.
Here are some of the common medical treatments that are used to treat autoimmune eye problems. It's important to be aware that different immune disorders may have very specialised treatments, so this isn't a complete list.
These medications reduce your immune system's inflammatory response. This can really help with calming down autoimmune eye inflammation. They can make flare‑ups less uncomfortable.
Home remedies and self‑care can also help with managing flare‑ups of autoimmune disorders that affect your eyes.
If your eyes feel especially sensitive to light when you have a flare‑up, wearing sunglasses can help, particularly when spending time outdoors.
Lubricating eye drops can ease dryness, discomfort and scratchiness during an autoimmune flare‑up.
Again, if you have dry eyes, it can be helpful to use a humidifier. These devices release moisture into the air in your home. That means tears don't evaporate as quickly from your eyes.
Good sleep, stress management, less alcohol and not smoking can help reduce flare‑ups and discomfort.
By getting your eyes checked regularly by an optometrist, they'll be able to spot any changes in your eyes and give you advice on how to relieve many kinds of discomfort.
While both conditions can be linked to autoimmune disorders, they affect different parts of the eye:
Optic neuritis is inflammation of the optic nerve. It can be painful or painless, but often causes vision changes such as blurred or dim vision.
Uveitis is inflammation of the middle part of the eye (the uvea). It usually causes a painful, red eye and can also lead to floaters or blurred vision.
Sjogren's syndrome and dry eye syndrome share similar symptoms, including gritty feeling eyes, a burning sensation and temporary blurred vision.
Sjogren's syndrome is specifically caused by the immune system attacking the glands that produce fluid in your eyes, mouth and other parts of the body.
Dry eye syndrome is a more general issue, and it can be caused by things like a blocked oil gland in the eye, contact lens usage or environment.
Yes, you should go to the GP if you have symptoms of an autoimmune eye disease. These conditions won't usually go away by themselves and often need long‑term treatment.
If you've been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, one of the main symptoms is dry eyes. This can be treated in different ways, including by using eye drops, low level light therapy (LLLT), not smoking, staying away from dry or windy environments, and not staring at screens or books for a long time.
Optometrists can spot the signs of some autoimmune diseases with the help of a slit lamp and OCT scan. At Specsavers, our optometrists are trained to spot the symptoms and know how to use OCT scans and other equipment to diagnose these disorders. That being said, an autoimmune eye disease diagnosis may require the assessment of an ophthalmologist and involve other specialists such as the GP, a rheumatologist and endocrinologist.
Yes, autoimmune eye conditions normally require long term treatment. Often, this can be done with self‑care and management ‑ and by avoiding things that are likely to trigger flare‑ups.
The prognosis (outlook) for autoimmune eye diseases is often good, although it depends on the specific condition you have. If you can get diagnosed and treated early, many people's autoimmune disorders can be kept under control, and they may go into remission.
Floaters are very common and, in many cases, normal. While they can occasionally be linked to autoimmune conditions that affect the eye—such as lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis—they are far more often caused by normal changes in the eye or by other factors like infection or injury.
If there is a significant change in the floaters you regularly see, it is recommended to visit an optometrist promptly.
Learn more about floaters and flashes
Eye tests are bulk billed to Medicare, so there are no out‑of‑pocket expenses for you*.
Foster, S. (2023) Ocular Autoimmune Disease: An Introduction. Available at: https://uveitis.org/patient_articles/ocular‑autoimmune‑disease‑introduction/
(Accessed: 19 December 2025)
Glover, K., et al. (2021) Epidemiology of Ocular Manifestations in Autoimmune Disease. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.744396/full
(Accessed: 19 December 2025)
MS Australia (2023) Key facts & figures about multiple sclerosis. Available at: https://www.msaustralia.org.au/wp‑content/uploads/2023/02/key‑facts‑and‑figures‑about‑ms_2021.pdf
(Accessed: 19 December 2025)
Patel, S. et al. (2002) Ocular manifestations of autoimmune disease. Available at: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2002/0915/p991.html
(Accessed: 19 December 2025)
Rath, L. (2023) Dry eyes with immune disorders. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/eye‑health/dry‑eyes‑immune‑system‑disorders
(Accessed: 19 December 2025)
Cloudy, misty or blurred vision could be a sign of cataracts, particularly in bright conditions or at night.
Astigmatism means the cornea has an uneven shape, which can blur your vision at all distances.
Long‑sightedness, or hyperopia, means you can see things in the distance more clearly than close up.
Myopia, or short‑sightedness, means you can see nearby objects clearly, but distant ones are blurry.
Glaucoma is an eye condition that can damage your optic nerve and cause vision loss if it isn’t picked up early.
If you have diabetes, it’s important to watch out for diabetic retinopathy which can cause vision changes.
Vision that looks misty or hazy could be a sign of cataracts or another eye issue that needs checking.
Double vision means seeing two images of a single object, which can happen when the eyes are not aligned or working together properly
Do your eyes feel sore, tried or gritty? Dry eye could be the cause, making vision cloudy, or as if you have filmy eyes.
This is when the edges of your eyelids become inflamed due to an infection. It can also make the whites of your eyes appear pink or red.
Learn more about blepharitis
Seeing specks, spots or sudden flashes of light? These are common – but can also be a sign of a serious eye condition. It is worth checking out if they’re new or getting worse.
A chalazion is a blocked oil gland in the eyelid that causes a firm, usually painless lump and can lead to eyelid swelling or blurred vision.
Eye tests play a huge part in making sure your eyes stay healthy.
Check your vision
At Specsavers we are focused on caring for your eyes and giving you the best possible vision.
What to expect in‑store
An eye test is not just about getting glasses – it is a vital health check for your eyes.
All about eye tests* Listed on a valid Medicare card without Optometry restrictions.
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