Thyroid Eye Disease

[cathy826]

I was diagnosed with Graves Disease a few months after the sudden loss of my oldest daughter. This was in Nov. of 2004. I have since had 4 eye operations to try and aid with the bulging eyes. They do appear somewhat improved. Not quite so bulgy, but what makes my life miserable is the constant tearing and irritation. I have tried several different kinds of drops without any satisfaction. Has anyone else experienced this problem, and if so, is there any magic treatment out there that will help.??    Thank you for any suggestions you might have.   CS

[cbread]

Hi Cathy- I feel your pain. TED is so awful I can't stand it... I had a TT in Nov and my eyes are a lot better surprisingly.  I took flaxseed oil everyday (still do) to help with lubrication and used preservative free eye drops a lot.  Elevating your head slightly at night and keeping hydrated also helped them- but I still have light sensitivity and wear sunglasses alot. Hang in there...its a brutal disease.  If you find that magic pill- let us all know!

[tm514]

I had the same problem, until my endo said one day the tearing was reflex tearing, meaning that they were tearing because they were so dry.  I was avoiding drops thinking the eyes were already plenty moist because of the tearing.  Once I started using drops regularly, they got much better.  Such a simple solution for me.

I had orbital decompression and upper lid surgery nearly three years ago. My eyes are much better, but I still need eyedrops.  I use Thera Tears - on the expensive end, but preservative free (someone said this was important somewhere!).  I have been able to ditch the night time gels - hated that stuff because I couldn't see after I put it in.

I had hoped surgery would solve all the problems, but have decided my eyes are as good as they are going to be, so I keep eyedrops handy and use them as needed.  Just saves problems later.

I am sorry you are going through this, I know how much patience is required to deal with Graves Eye Disease.  Good luck to you.

[stella5349]

You may benefit from Elaine Moore and getting more information from her. She has about the same kind of issues as you and could definately help with some suggestions.

Try this reading.

http://www.elaine-moore.com/gravesdisease

[laura1967]

I am bumping this back to the front of the posts to see if anyone experienced with this sees the post.  :)