my graves and eyes

[Songul Binici]

I have graves disease, after medical treatment my tyroid hormones got normal a month ago. But still have problem with my right eye like bulging, swelling, redness. My doctor advised me to get steroid for my eye. I also have miyopi with -5.50. I wonder if an wavefront or intralasic lazer treatment for my miyopi can damage my right eye or not.Thank you in advance.  

[anniemoe]

Hi, I have Graves Disease and have it almost under control.  I Just wonder if there  would be a safe topical steroid under eye cream for constant swelling under my eyes? Swelling is my biggest frustration, I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis which has been much worse over these months dealing with Graves. If anyone has a wonder cream or suggestions for relief I'd be thrilled!  I had a cortisone shot for arthritis and the swelling was soo much better under my eyes for just a few days, so I wonder if a topical steroid would work?
Thanks~

[DLA]

Hi.  I developed Graves' 7 yrs ago, about 2 yrs later I was put on prednisone b/c my eyes started bugging.  It was excruciatingly painful!  Took the prednisone for 3-4 months.  Even though my uptake level was not as high as they wanted it they did RAI on me anyway, mainly b/c of my eyes.  In my case killing my thyroid worked for me.  I did sustain damage to the optical nerve as it has been squeezed and has affected my periphreal vision, but the other problems corrected themselves after I was no longer Graves'.  I am now medically induced hypo (there is a medical term for this, but I'll be hanged if I can remember it! duh  am going to have to have endo write it down), as my thyroid was completely killed off.

Don't know anything about laser treatment for this.  Would see another specialist for this one, too.  Bet like most of us you have a long list of specialists.  =)

Dac

[GravesLady]

Antibodies cause the eye disease. Antibodies that attack the eye muscles  are similar in nature to the antibodies that attack the Thyroid  that cause Graves’ disease

Taking prednisone does not derail the eye disease. It can alleviate the symptoms, sometimes, temporarily, but there is no way prevent the eye disease from occurring in those of us who are predisposed to getting it. Not at least with today's medical knowledge.

See an opthalmologist soon as possible. Even though there is nothing  that can be  done about TED even in the early signs of TED because doctors will take the  wait and watch approach. Well-trained doctors wait and watch through a year and a half or so of "hot phase" (Active Phase). Each time we have a hot phase we need to deal with what damage it is doing during that phase. I have read where people have had four hot phases, so far, and needed corrective surgery after each bout of inflammation and we can have multiple flair ups through our lives.

However, it's good for an ophthalmologist to have baseline readings for your eye measurements so they have some way to quantify the changes. Then you'll have an established relationship and the doctor will know where your eyes started.

By keeping stress levels down symptoms will be less severe. However keeping stress levels down does not guarantee that we will not end up with severe TED. Smoking can worsen thyroid eye disease.

However if you are currently hyperthyroid, the slightly larger-looking eyes might be due to excessive levels of thyroid hormone. High levels can cause the muscles of the upper eyelid to pull back, tighten/retract. Once normal levels of hormone are managed again this retraction often goes away.

There are things that can be done to help ease symptoms.

Good Luck.

[turtlekeeper]

Hi,
If you have Grave's, the ophthalmological symptoms will continue independently of what has happened to your thyroid.  Grave's causes thyroid problems and eye problems separately so the thyroid treatment fixes one thing but the eye thing is not treatable.  They keep telling me this but it is really frustrating.

[tm514]

Hi There,

I have been battling Graves Eye disease for a couple of years.  I have no idea what to tell you about the laser treatments, but you might want to post the question on the Ophthamology forum (under eye care) - hopefully one of the Docs covering that forum can help you with your question.

Good luck.   Hopefully your eye disease will stabilize soon now that your thyroid levels have done so.