[Anonymous October 8, 1996 at 9:40 pm Post count: 93172]

#1168599

Dave, that isn’t fun to hear, because I’d like to think nothing more difficult will happen. It’s really helpful that you shared it anyway. I’m wondering how I will know when a doctor knows what he’s talking about! It doesn’t look like mine does, from what I’m being told by Bruce and Jake, and now you, Dave. I’m really glad I haven’t done anything yet! Thanks all!
Dianne

[Anonymous October 8, 1996 at 10:07 pm Post count: 93172]

#1168600

Hi Dave-

I have gone thru the proptosis and double vision (without thyroid problems) and my first Opthal. wanted me to wait at least 2 yrs before any surgery. Its been over 3 yrs now and I’m glad I waited! Much of the proptosis is gone so decompression is more of just an option to look better now. Still have the double vision tho which makes my right eye pretty useless and I’m seeing a surgeon about that next week.

I was legally blind at one point and had orbital irradiation. My eyes are now 20/20, not sure if the radiation helped or not since it still took another year & a half before the Grave’s ran its course and the Glaucoma also went away.

All the best, Bruce

[Anonymous October 8, 1996 at 11:47 pm Post count: 93172]

#1058468

I read of so many of you who have the proptosis, but few of you who have
the double vision. I have the double vision, but not the proptosis.
My Grave’s Disease showed up in the Spring of 1994. By June when I first
learned of it, I entered the hospital with Thyroid Storm and was treated
with the radioactive iodine June 22.
BUT, my double vision did not show up until January 1995! At first,
infrequent and then more often and then constant. And yes, Jake, I believe
my surgeries may have been too early,before all the change had stabilized.
At this point I have downward gaze double vision and am having great difficulty reading and managing
tasks that are about dinner plate distance. The strabismus doctor wants
me to talk to the neuro-opthalmologist about another CT scan to see if
other muscles are affected.
What a life!

[Anonymous October 9, 1996 at 8:22 am Post count: 93172]

#1168601

Dave, Dianne and Bruce,

Greetings. Hope this message finds you all well. Double vision is a pain
in the neck so to speak. My doctor in Miami told me after I was done with
my surgeries that they are glad I was willing to wait and do the surgeries
as they were needed. Some docs believe in treating the eye disease aggressivly
and sometimes it causes more surgeries. But the key is if they can make
the double vision bareable with prisms while you wait for the surgery. I
wore frunel press on prisms for about two years in different diopters until
my eyes setteled down. During this time I could not drive for long periods
until I got use to the the prisms. I have ended up with permanent double
vision after the orbital decompressions but I see well in primary gaze with
ground in prisms. I have ground in prisms (12 diopter, six base out in each eye)
and only see double when I try to look up and to the right. Dave you have
the worse problem with double vision in downward gaze. I know I look down
a heck of a lot more than I look up. Does make looking at traffic lights
interesting. I turn my head sideways and look left (now up) and I do get
some looks. I have to do the same thing in the store sometimes. My family
I love to go the the Florida Manatees base ball games and I now have to sit
behind the screen because I almost got beaned by a foul ball because I thought
it was about ten feet away while I was trying to look up and see where it was
going and it almost hit me square in the face. I guess my hope of catching a
foul ball from someone famous is over (unless I catch it with a body part and
they let me keep it because they feel sorry I had to go to the hospital to get
a eye put back in or something). But we do what we can and we press on.
Keep in touch and keep writing. Dave would you like me to ask my doc in Miami
for a reference for your city? I would be most glad to do that.

REgards,
Jake

[Anonymous October 9, 1996 at 10:38 am Post count: 93172]

#1168602

Jake-

I hate it when people throw things my way to catch! Ha, that’s funny about the baseballs.

They haven’t offered me prisms yet, of course my right eye doesn’t seem to stay still. If I close my left eye and try to walk, I fall down or look like I’ve been hitting the bottle. I have to drive with a pair of sun glasses (eyes are very sensitive still) that have the right lens blocked out or else I see two different roads. Not cool. When I look down tho, the images pretty much come together. Just try to drive with your head tilted way back tho.

Will check on prisms next tuesday when I see the eye muscle guy.

Have a great day! Bruce

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