Other side effects

Some other common side effects of chemotherapy may include hearing problems and watery eyes.

Learn more about:

Changes in hearing
Watery eyes

Changes in hearing

Some chemotherapy drugs can affect your hearing. Your doctor may recommend that you have a hearing test before you start treatment, and this may be repeated before each cycle of chemo.

You may be at risk of losing the ability to hear high-pitched sounds. Sometimes, chemotherapy also causes a continuous ringing noise in the ears known as tinnitus. While these changes are usually temporary, let your doctor know if you notice any change in your hearing.

Watery eyes

Watery eyes can be a symptom of a blocked tear duct. This can be caused by some chemotherapy drugs.

Regularly massaging the area and using eye drops can help clear blockages. Let your cancer care team know if this issue is ongoing.

This information was last reviewed in August 2018. View who reviewed this content.

Dr Prunella Blinman, Medical Oncologist, Concord Cancer Centre, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, and Clinical Senior Lecturer, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, NSW; Gillian Blanchard, Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Calvary Mater Newcastle, and Conjoint Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Newcastle, NSW; Julie Bolton, Consumer; Keely Gordon-King, Psychologist, Cancer Council Queensland, QLD; John Jameson, Consumer; Dr Zarnie Lwin, Medical Oncologist, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, and Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, QLD; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Dr Felicia Roncolato, Medical Oncology Staff Specialist, Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre, NSW. We also thank the health professionals, consumers and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title.

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