-
AuthorPosts
-
I am currently taking OTC eye drops for the tearing from dryness of the eyes. Dr prescribed Restasis bt I am a bit nervous about starting a drug that has to tkae mnths to work and also one that I would probably not want to be on much longer than that anyway. My eyes are very sensitive and many people experience stinging – which I probably will. Dr said I can also try tear duct plugs. I ahve been having eye tearing, irritation, swelling and some bulging for about 18 months now. I heard it usually lasts about 2 years and goes away on its own. Is that true? Should I just wait it out? Do the plugs work? I work on the computer all day and it is just unbearable. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
It’s true that typically the eye disease runs its course in 1-3 years (smokers typically endure the longest period of disease). It doesn’t exactly just "go away," because any severe damage may result in scar tissue, which can keep the eyes from returning completely to normal.
In the meantime, your tears are also typically less viscous, less thick, which can affect the comfort of your eyes, and can endanger the cornea. The first thing to do is ensure that you use artificial tears liberally, in every circumstance when your eyes are exposed to irritants (sun, wind, flourescent lighting, computer screens). Every 15 minutes is NOT too often to ensure your comfort. Use artificial tears without preservatives, NOT "get-the-red-out" drops. When you’re using the drops that often, you can’t have preservatives, they are irritants when used that much.
The plugs do help some people, because they keep the tears you DO have from draining out of the eyes so rapidly, which can keep the moisture level more constant and increase your comfort. You can try dissolving plugs at first, that way if you don’t like them, they eventually dissolve and you don’t have to deal with them again. If you LOVE them, you can go on to insert permanent plugs, or cauterize the ducts to close them permanently.
The issue here really has more to do with keeping your cornea healthy during the process of disease. Corneal damage cannot be corrected, and can result in permanent vision loss, so you need to protect yourself at all times. Chronic dryness can result in corneal scratches, ulcers and cuts, so moisture is your best defense.
I recommend you try the Restasis. Its mode of action is as an anti-inflammatory on the tear-producing glands, which is why it takes a month or more to become effective; but it actually can stop the damage that is working to destroy your tear production, and can even reverse some of it, if you are having this damage. There’s no guarantee it will improve over time if you do nothing to treat it. It might get worse instead. If your dryness isn’t caused by this kind of inflammation then you won’t be helped by Restasis, but it’s worth a try. It does sting mildly when first applied, but you’re using it as a treatment, not as a soothing drop, and the stinging doesn’t last more than half a minute. I find it’s well worth it for the help it gives me.
The punctal plugs are also worth a try, especially if you do computer work. I have all four of my puncta cauterized, but my case is severe. You will probably love having the lower puncta done.
You might also download this little utility that will remind you to blink frequently: http://www.dryeyezone.com/reminders/index.html One of the reasons being at the computer is difficult is that we fail to blink when we should. I have to force myself to blink every 6-10 seconds or keep that "blinker" on my desktop. (The blinker is a little blinking eye, and is available in a choice of eye colors.)
The eye disease will usually become inactive after a period of time (around two years), meaning it will stop getting worse and possibly even improve some. That doesn’t mean it will return to normal. In a few people with the milder forms of the disease, and in some fortunate people with moderate forms, a lot of the eye changes will reverse, but for many others, especially those with significant proptosis and eye muscle involvement, and who have fat deposits in the tissues around the eyes, the changes are permanent without corrective surgery, and even then in cases such as mine, the eyes will never be normal. In spite of all the best treatments, I have disabling dry eyes and can’t spend time outdoors or in any moving air, as I’m continually fighting against painful corneal erosions. So use everything you can, but unfortunately you can’t expect it to go away.
I will let you know that I had Graves, I got the radiation pill treatment. My eye was buldging and it did return to normal in about 6 months. So hang in there it will get better.
DianneW wrote:I recommend you try the Restasis. Its mode of action is as an anti-inflammatory on the tear-producing glands, which is why it takes a month or more to become effective; but it actually can stop the damage that is working to destroy your tear production, and can even reverse some of it, if you are having this damage. There’s no guarantee it will improve over time if you do nothing to treat it. It might get worse instead. If your dryness isn’t caused by this kind of inflammation then you won’t be helped by Restasis, but it’s worth a try. It does sting mildly when first applied, but you’re using it as a treatment, not as a soothing drop, and the stinging doesn’t last more than half a minute. I find it’s well worth it for the help it gives me.The punctal plugs are also worth a try, especially if you do computer work. I have all four of my puncta cauterized, but my case is severe. You will probably love having the lower puncta done.
You might also download this little utility that will remind you to blink frequently: http://www.dryeyezone.com/reminders/index.html One of the reasons being at the computer is difficult is that we fail to blink when we should. I have to force myself to blink every 6-10 seconds or keep that "blinker" on my desktop. (The blinker is a little blinking eye, and is available in a choice of eye colors.)
The eye disease will usually become inactive after a period of time (around two years), meaning it will stop getting worse and possibly even improve some. That doesn’t mean it will return to normal. In a few people with the milder forms of the disease, and in some fortunate people with moderate forms, a lot of the eye changes will reverse, but for many others, especially those with significant proptosis and eye muscle involvement, and who have fat deposits in the tissues around the eyes, the changes are permanent without corrective surgery, and even then in cases such as mine, the eyes will never be normal. In spite of all the best treatments, I have disabling dry eyes and can’t spend time outdoors or in any moving air, as I’m continually fighting against painful corneal erosions. So use everything you can, but unfortunately you can’t expect it to go away.
THANKS FOR THIS INFORMATION. My eye doctor prescribed SYSTANE for me. This was last month when I had my first check up with him. At that time, I already have the retraction, more evident on my right eye. He said it is still "mild and we have to wait further before the right treatment could be administered. I can understand that since at that time, I was still waiting for my thryoid function test results to arrive. Then, when I came to see my endocrinologist. He prescribed methimazole 10 mg. twice daily. He said that my hyperthyroidism is mild. But because I have the related Graves Opthalmopathy, I need to be treated with anti-thyroid drug on a minimal dosage.
As for my eyes, one month after my visit with my opthalmologist came, today- my eyes are reddish, tired, dry and has burning sensation at times. They are puffy and my eyelids are swollen.
I have to wait to see where it is leading to for how long? Just sharing here….thanks.
Pizzicatto,
Systane is a very good over-the-counter artificial tears lubricant, and my favorite of all that I’ve tried. I use it very frequently to help keep my eyes from drying out. The red, gritty, burning, and watering eyes, are a symptom of dryness. The more often you use the Systane drops, the less you’ll experience those symptoms. If you forget to use it today, you’ll pay the price tomorrow with more pain.
You asked how long you’ll have to wait to see what will happen with your TED. Most of the time, the active phase of the eye disease (the period during which worsening takes place) will be within a 1-2 year period from when it starts. (It can be longer if you smoke). I know it’s difficult waiting during this period, but you can help the outcome by working with your doctor to keep your thyroid levels as normal as possible, and helping to make certain you don’t become hypothyroid.
Other than that, keep in mind that while it’s common to have mild symptoms of TED, very few will have the severe manifestations. In other words, the odds are in your favor. Chances are that you’re seeing the worst already, and over time even this will probably improve in the future once the disease stabilizes. Your ophthalmologist will have a good idea when he hasn’t seen any changes for six months or so that you’re probably over the active phase.
Best wishes
hello,
my eyes are so swollen sometimes hard to see i just returned to work last week. I work in a grocery store and took 3 months off as i was so sick now that i am back the customers want to know what happened whats wrong lol i dont even know what to tell then????? I say graves and they say what? so what a eazy way to tell them? and the eye swelling how can i bring that down? i have a doctor whos so buzy not any time for me. Thank you , ShelleyShelleyz wrote:hello,
my eyes are so swollen sometimes hard to see i just returned to work last week. I work in a grocery store and took 3 months off as i was so sick now that i am back the customers want to know what happened whats wrong lol i dont even know what to tell then????? I say graves and they say what? so what a eazy way to tell them? and the eye swelling how can i bring that down? i have a doctor whos so buzy not any time for me. Thank you , ShelleyHi Shelley,
Wow, I understand the difficulty finding an easy answer to the question about "what’s wrong with your eyes". I too had a job working with the public, and had many different responses from people. Often people reacted to me negatively because they assumed from my facial expression that I was angry! (That’s a danger for people with severe TED.) Wearing sunglasses was a help to me in that regard.
I found that people’s attention spans for a long explanation about the Graves’ wasn’t very good, so I simply told them I had Graves’, which was an autoimmune thyroid-related condition causing the eyes to protrude, like the actor Marty Feldman and Barbara Bush. Most people simply said they’d never heard of such a thing. I said that I hadn’t either, until it happened to me. But one elderly gentleman I saw daily developed a crush on my eyes for some reason. He thought they were fascinating. When I had the surgeries he didn’t love me any more, LOL!
When you speak of the eye swelling and wanting to bring that down, or are you talking about your eyes protruding (proptosis) from the orbits, or are you talking about swelling in the skin around the eyes, or both (or something else)? How is your thyroid being treated? If you can answer those questions I might be able to give you more specific answers, but generally the eye disease will have a phase of 1-2 years (perhaps longer if you smoke) where the changes are active and inflammatory, and then settle down. After that the eyes usually improve to one degree or another. Other than keep your thyroid levels normal and avoid smoking, there’s nothing specific you can do to help the general course of the eye disease.
It is so hard to deal with how I look. I didn;t realize how much I have changed until I went for a passport photo and looked at the picture of me and gasped!.
The protruding, which the doc said was not severe, is bad enough, but the swelling of the lids and the redness from the tearing, makes me look sick and tired all the time. I am working with the Systane drops for the tearing and it helps some – but the mornings are still tough. Does anything work for thw swelling? I sure hope this only lasts 1-2 years, because I am almost at 2 years and sometime I just want to give up!When I wake up in the morning my eyes are so puffy.
Beleive me I have tried eyedrops beauty creams none of these worked for me..
I have a gel mask that I put in the freezer. I place them over my eyes for about 10 mins and PRESTO puffiness went down about 75%.. or a wet washcloth
place in the freezer.. It is going to be really cold.. feels good when your stressed out…
Try it out and let me knowHELLO GUYS,
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! YES ITS THE SWELLING AROUND THE EYES MY EYE BALLS ARE NOT TO BAD!!!!! BUT BAD SWELLING ON THE LIDS AND UNDER I AM ON METHTMAZOLE A 5 MG A DAY AND THE SYSTANE EYE DROP , ALSO 25 MG OF ATENOLOL FOR MY HEART, I HAVE BEEN ON 4 METHMEZOLE THEN 2 THEN 1 NOW A HAFE WE FOUND OUT I HAVE GRAVES IN EARLY DEC NO BODY EVER CALLED MY EYES TED NOT FOR SURE WHATS THAT MEANS???/ THANKS AGAIN ,SHELLEYI have a gel mask that I have used on occasion but never consistently. I will go back to it and try using it every day to see what happens. But I still have a very difficult time in the mornings with the tearing, especially working on a computer screen, which is essential for my job. Can anything help make the morning sensitivity better? I put drops in after I wake but that doesn’t seem to be enough. I only use drops once in morning and before going to bed because. I don’t use it during the day because of some eye makeup I wear. I have to use some makeup or I look dead.
When in my tearing/sandy/swelling phase, the mornings were tough as my eyes were especially puffy after tears streaming all night. It was like crying all night effect. To undo that night "job", nothing helped but time. By mid-morning, my swelling would go down. Had I been working then (I was SAHM), I would’ve probably started waking up earlier if I wanted to look better before I appeared at work – depending on how sleep-deprived I was.
I’ve found that raising the head of my bed minimizes the amount of swelling I get around my eyes. It uses gravity to keep the fluids from settling there. My husband put 4×4 blocks under the frame at the head. It’s better than using a mountain of pillows because you can still sleep flat on the bed and get the benefit. Big pillow mountains create a stress point wherever we begin to bend, plus it’s easy to roll off or move the pillows in your sleep, so if your bed is raised, that can’t get undone before morning. The difference, for me, was pretty remarkable.
HELLD AND THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR HELPING, SORRY THE CAPS HARD TO SEE TODAY! I FOUND OUT IN DEC THAT I HAVE GRAVES, I AM ON METHIMAZOLE 5 MG, ATENOLOL AND SYSTANE, I WA ON 40 MG OF METHIMAZOLE AT FIRST MY LEVELS WERE REALLY HIGH…… THE SWELLING IS AROUND MY EYES LIDS AND UNDER THATS WHAT I NEED HELP WITH DON’T KNOW HOW TO BRING DOWN??????? THANK YOU EVERY ONE FOR YOUR HELP, SHELLEY
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.