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  • Anonymous
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    Post count: 93172

    Hi, Shirley!

    Eyelid retraction is a common symptom of Thyroid Eye Disease. If you search the BB by subject, you will find many posts about it. I believe the latest one was posted by Dianne W on 04/06/99. At least look for that post, as Dianne gave a good overview of the condition.

    The following site has been mentioned on the BB before, so I’ll make reference to it. Here is what http://facialworks.com/thyroid.html has to say about eyelid retraction:
    “The “stare” that people commonly associate with thyroid disease is due to retraction of the upper and/or lower eyelids. TRO can cause scarring in the eyelid muscles. This scar tissue contracts or shortens, leading to retraction of the eyelids and white showing above and below the colored part of the eye. The amount of retraction tends to be variable, often changing week to week. In some patients the retraction will disappear with time. In addition to contributing to an unusual appearance of the eyes, the eyelid retraction can cause significant dryness, irritation and tearing. Light sensitivity is another common complaint. Severe drying of the front of the eye can occasionally lead to vision loss.

    Whenever possible, we wait for the eyelid position to stop changing before proceeding with surgery. Surgery involves moving the eyelids into a more normal position. in the upper eyelids this is usually performed by removing or stretching the scarred muscles. In the lower eyelids, a graft is often needed to help push the eyelid upward. Eyelid repositioning can make a tremendous difference in both the feel and appearance of the eyes.”

    Personally, I had eyelid retraction surgery done on my upper lids. It’s an outpatient procedure that involved mild discomfort, some swelling and bruising. It was an easy procedure that brought about instant results. It took a few weeks before I could enjoy the full effect, as the eyelids adjusted in their positioning as they healed. Just so you know, it is not uncommon for patients to have to do the procedure twice, for some fine tuning with appearance and eye comfort. My second retraction surgeries were the answer to my Graves’ eye woes!

    I have some other Thyroid Eye Disease sites bookmarked that I will send you via email. Thank you for posting your address!

    Wishing you health and happiness,
    Debby
    OLAF, NGDF

    Anonymous
    Participant
    Post count: 93172

    Hi Shirley,

    Let me know how it goes with the ocular plastic surgeon. I saw one a couple of weeks ago, and he gave me alot of encouragement. I had previously saw other opthomologists, optomostrists, eye docs, etc, with no luck what so ever. The ocular plastic surgeon told me I had to go thru the four different surgeries. The first one is, orbital decompression (my eyes protruding are not that bad, they are only pretruding a little, but I guess he still has to do that surgery), second is to straighten my eyes (I have double vision on the periphial part, plus at night I have double vision looking straight forward), the third surgery is for eyelid retraction (which I wish he was doing that one first, it is my worst problem to me), then the fourth surgery is to remove the fatty tissue above my eyelids and below my eyes (where it is really puffy, due to the extra fat that has been produced from my eye disease). I go back to him at the end of the month, and I just can’t wait to start having these surgeries to correct my eyes. I have had these problems for around 3-4 years now, with the majority of them (double vision, blurred vision) starting around a year ago, so I think I am out of the hot stage. I started out with graves disease 4 years ago and went thru the RAI around a year ago. I then took synthroid for around 6 months, I hated that medicine, then I changed to Armour (natural thyroid) and I feel great again, except my eyes, that is the only problem I have now. Let me know how it goes with your apppointment. Just e-mail me if you want. Good luck, I sure know what you are going thru.

    Jennifer

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