To people with Graves' disease: Do you have eye issues?

Posted by mcmurf2 @mcmurf2, Apr 3, 2020

I have a question for people with Graves disease. I was wondering what your eye 'feelings' are like. I have been having issues with my eyes . It is mainly my right eye. My eyes did not get real big as I got on medication soon after being diagnosed and it is in 'remission' now. But, my right eye is still, well,,, it feels funny, can't say it is actually pressure but is feels swollen a lot. When I went to the eye dr many months ago, she put me on Restasis 2x a day as I tested for dry eye. When I went to Mayo, they did a complete exam and said to continue with the drops. Nothing changes. Sometimes it will water and get irritated so I use other drops as was told to do during the day in between the Restasis treatments which are morning and night.

Was just wondering what others with Graves are going thru with their eyes.

thanks

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Diabetes & Endocrine System Support Group.

burnt2acrisp | @burnt2acrisp | Apr 4, 2020

Both of my eyes were affected with much the same feelings that you are experiencing. Another peculiar symptom was that the outer covering of the 'whites' of the eyes became loose and saggy, by exerting a gentle upward pressure against the lower eyelid the white part would actually 'roll up' like loose fabric and form a crease. Dr. said this was symptom of dry eyes.
Unlike you I had pretty extreme swelling due to delays in diagnosis followed by rough treatment, but the 'roll up' membrane came before that. Also bright light very painful.
Biggest hitch was that the swelling material behind the eyes that was forcing the eyes to 'bug out' continued to swell for about two years after treatment. Drs. didn't realize this for about a year, and two years in they resorted to radiation treatments to neutralize the swelling material as the process appeared to be accelerating.
I hope your doctors are diligent in making sure that the swelling indeed ceased. This measurement must be performed over successive visits. I was told at the time that small percentage of patients continued to swell slightly for up to a year after treatment. If you experience double vision to any degree when turning your eyes to the side be sure to bring it up to dr. That was the first sign of swelling problems with my eyes. Eyes front - no double vision. Turning eyes left, right, up or down initially produced mild double vision. Also an increasingly painful 'pulling' sensation when turning eyes off center.
If your dr. thinks you could use an overnight eye ointment as well as the Restasis to mitigate effects of dry eyes I guess they'd have brought it up.