[Colonel44]

#1065266

I had a recent MRI on my Brain ordered by my Neurologist to rule out TIA,instead they uncovered a strange anomolly in my Left Optic Nerve,i was told that it was a lesion on the connector cord from Brain to Left Optic Nerve,so I had my local Optometrist to view it,who in turned forwarded it to a medical Eye Doctor,who in turn rechecked my vision,to make sure no cancer was present,who has forwarded it to another Eye Dr a Surgeon,its been 3 weeks and still no word so I made appointment to see my Opthomologist to view my MRI Disk,my depth preception night driving has decreased and at times my vision is blurry even with glasses at 2.25 range,in 99 and 00 I had 2 RAI to kill my Graves Disease,My Eye Muscle like yours is twitching and in constant motion,Iam not sure if Eye Surgery is in my Future,but Thanks for your Post!

[judithann]

#1065267

Should I have more surgeries. I have graves without thyroid involvement (eu graves ?). Really confused about it all. Been in denial since 2006 quit smoking 15 months ago finally. Saw another Dr. 6/20. Not a candidate for OD. Have had one muscle surgery which did not stop double vision. Going to see another Dr. who says she can do more surgery. My vision is pretty good except for the double vision. I am going to be 70. Of course don’t drive anymore although I can if I cock my head back to bring single into focus, looks funny. I don’t drive though. This is really not a joke and I apologize for the way I have approached this post. Any comments ?

[Ski]

#1065268

If you have an opportunity to have further muscle surgery, consider it, definitely. The different muscles react differently to TED, so it’s not surprising that your first surgery couldn’t completely resolve it. I think you can get there. At least have the consultation, take all the questions you have and explore every possible point, but do consider it. It is so important just to be able to see clearly. If you can get there, it’s worth it.

[scarlett]

#1065269

Hi! I had my eye muscle surgery on May 26 – about a month ago. I really think my doctor is a wizard or magician or something – I left that day with such an improvement, I couldn’t believe it. Seriously – I noticed improvement immediately.

First off, about waiting “long enough” to have the surgery. My doctor told me repeatedly “I’m not going to fix you if you’re going to fix yourself.” He reminded me several times that this condition can correct itself, either wholly or in part, so I needed to be patient. I went back three times over the course of several months to have my vision measured, and the measurements never significantly changed.

I had awful double vision that could not be corrected with prisms. Of the three kinds of DV, (horizontal, vertical and torsional/twisted), I had some of each. My doctor said that if the degree of difference between the two images that you see is under approximately five degrees, (they are less than five degrees apart) your brain can ignore/compensate for it and you’ll never know that something is off when you focus on it with both eyes. If it’s over five degrees, you do see both images.

Before the surgery, my vertical difference was roughly 18 degrees, meaning that one image was 18 degrees above (or below?) the other. At my two week post-op visit, it was three. He knocked out 15 degrees in one swipe and it may get better as the healing continues.

Before surgery, my torsional measurement was about 7 degrees — what I saw was rotated seven degrees from vertical. Now, it’s about 1.5.

Before surgery, I’m not sure what the horizontal was, but now it’s insignficant.

My peripheral vision to the right is pretty bad – which he predicted – but that’s fine. I can just turn my whole head if I need to see to the right.

He had prepared me for the possibility of two surgeries to get the DV corrected, but, if things continue, it’ll be just the one! I go back to see him in September, but right now, I’m satisfied enough to stop here.

It was done under general anesthesia. I had no pain at all afterwards – just wild itching in my eyes that was helped greatly by an ointment he gave me. By that, I mean it wasn’t really a constant itch – it was like a stabbing itch. It would come! and then it would go away. And it sort of felt like I had something in my eye for a while. Also, my eyeballs were vivid red for a few days afterward and a little swollen. He told me I wouldn’t have any bruising, but I did have a little – I’m extremely fair-skinned, so what shows up on me wouldn’t show up on people who actually have some pigment.

As for having someone with you after the surgery – I live alone and don’t really have family to stay with me – I was fine alone. (I’m in my 40s) I went home immediately after the surgery and didn’t leave the house for a few days. I had people check in on me, but really – I’m one who doesn’t like to be doted over when I’m recovering from something. I took it extremely slow, and didn’t do anything except watch TV. It was amazing to watch TV and see only one image!

And I bought one of those huge wedge pillows to sleep on to keep my head elevated and to reduce swelling.

I was always scared of eye surgery – my big fear is to have permanent vision impairment of any kind. This surgery, however, was such a life-changer. I’m so glad I had it and so thankful for the results.

[jwarr14]

#1065270

Hi, I am having strabismus surgery on Sept 20th. Im so scared but I know that it will be worth it. Do anyone have limited vision already out of the eye they had surgery on? i do and the surgeon stated theres little to no chance that my vision will get better, I have my fingers crossed though. I am hoping that with exercises and being careful that it will go as planned. Is there anything big that I should know about having the surgery? My preop isnt until the day of the surgery. Thanks in advance for your help!

[judithann]

#1065271

Going to have bilaterial inferior oblique recesection with adjustment on December 28th. I hope it will relieve my symptoms of double vision, fatique, nausea from adjusting my head to see clearly. I am 70 and sure hope I can move ahead Any comments or suggestions would help me so much.
Thank you all. It is so good to know I am not alone.

[Kimberly]

#1065272

Hello and welcome! I would recommend using the search function in the top left-hand corner of the screen and do a search for posts by snelsen. Shirley has been through multiple eye surgeries, and has been fabulous about chronicling her experiences for other patients. She is finally on the tail end of the whole process with Thyroid Eye Disease, so she is a great resource for the folks here!

[judithann]

#1065273

Having eye muscle surgery 12/28/11 . I am concerned now as I have been reading that I would need OD first. Never had this. Should I ask my Dr..

[Kimberly]

#1065274

Hello – *If* you need orbital decompression, that surgery is done first. However, if you aren’t having any issues with eye bulging, your docs will go straight to the strabismus surgery to deal with the double vision.

[marocker61]

#1065275

I live in Chicago. I have had GD symptoms probably most of my life and dismissed them. The palpitations and sweats became more apparent after I had a total hysterectomy in 1995. I thought it was surgical menopause and dismissed it. In the spring of 2007 i began to have double vision. It became so intense I had to patch one eye to see at all. It was then that I was diagnosed with Graves and "industrial strength Strabismus! I went to an endo who immediately suggested to remove my thyroid. I thought that was extreme so I put it on hold and proceeded to Dr Tom Mizen Ophthalmologist at Rush Hospital. He said he could totally readjust the muscles but the thyroid had to go. What he would do was a one shot deal. So I had the thyroid out in May 2009 and the right eye was operated on December 4 2009 and the left eye was done 2 weeks later. The eye surgeries were done out patient with no pain whatsoever. It felt like I had an eyelash in my eye which was the stitches.
My levels have been even. I am going for a new field of vision test in two weeks but I am almost sure my peripheral vision is almost non-existent. If I don’t put drops in my eyes daily, my eyes tear and vision is blurry and hard to focus.
I still have GD symptoms and have gained @25 lbs. Good news is that I also quit smoking and only encounter double vision when my eyes are very tired.

[Kimberly]

#1065276

Thanks so much for sharing your story — welcome to the board!

[Reggie]

#1065277

Let me start from the decompression surgery afterwards I still had double vision. However it cleared up, I could see clear when I looked straight ahead and down. I was evaluated for muscle surgery in Oct. and told that the DV to the left could be somewhat corrected. I went ahead with the surgery and now I am back to all double vision has any one ever experienced this?

[sutan351]

#1065278

Reggie,

I you look back on this posting – I think you’ll see some of my comments. I’ve had two eye muscle surgeries and am still dealing with double vision and now have close up double vision. In my experience Strabismus is a very trickly surgery and moving one muscle can cause double vision at another angle. There is no exact science and the goal of the surgeons is to have you seeing single vision in primary gaze and when looking down. If you had that not sure why they recommended you proceed with surgery. Double vision is very frustrating I can relate. I can get single vision straight ahead with glasses that have a prism correction, but the downgaze is double. And my downgaze was single vision before my two muscle surgeries. My surgeon is reluctant to do another correction – can make things worse. Still dealing with that decision, because I’m not happy with my current situation.

As a surgeon told me early on…..surgery is a slippery slope! I’ve had 5 since my dx with Graves. Some things are better , but my vision is still an issue.

Sandy

[sparerib]

#1065279

I am doing a search on “botox” for strabismus. I have read the posts from 2010 from Shirley and Blessings and wonder how this all turned out. I had OD in May 2011 and it was very successful. Most of the double vision disappeared for about 6 months. The ophthalmologist to whom I was going to discuss the next phase–the muscle surgery told me after three visits that I likely do not need it and wants to discuss a botox injection instead. I decided to search this forum before the full web about this because I got such good advice from this forum before the OD surgery.

Has anyone had botox in lieu of muscle surgery? Please let me know if you did and how it turned out. I am now having some recurrence of the double vision–just the past two weeks. I do have prisms in my glasses and they have done the trick most of the time, but I am hoping not to have to do the muscle surgery.

Both the ophthalmologists say I am not in the inflammatory stage and as of my last visit in December my measurements were stable, but I had a major back surgery in November–5 hours in the prone position and that may have caused some minor set backs.

[Kimberly]

#1065280

Hello – Hopefully, you will get some responses from others who have used Botox. I’ve heard it mentioned in passing at previous conferences, although the subject wasn’t discussed in detail.

One thing that I do remember is that Botox is not a permanent solution or cure, and that injections might need to be repeated. This is an issue that you will want to discuss with your ophthalmologist. Take care!

[Author]

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