I successfully had eyelid and fat removal surgery done last spring to counteract issues with TED. As a high school teacher, the comments regarding my "stare" and red eyes were getting to the point that I didn’t want to go to work.
The surgery was out-patient, completely pain-free but required almost two weeks out of work – I looked like Rocky after his first fight with Apollo Creed! Insurance covered most of the cost as the corneal invovlement was significant (constant pink eye, surface damage, dryness….) and I have a history of uveitis.
The surgery was performed 18 months after the documented onset of TED symtoms. Orbital decompression was not considered necessary at that point as there was not significant muscle inflamation showing on the MRI just fat pockets…
I was extremely pleased with the cosmetic results – and I have had virtually no issues with conjuctivitis and no comments from students!
My only issue is that one eye still exhibits some lid lag. The left eye (originally the worse of the two) is perfect, while the right eye still lags behind when blinking. Also, this surgery doesn’t address the muscle issues – like the discomfort I feel when looking up or side to side – this is only an issue when looking to the upper and lateral extremes. I was told that orbital decompression might be required if the proptosis became more extreme or the muscles became invovled more…
Hope this helps. ~Carolann
