Guest guest Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Hi ee, About 4% of people with Hashimoto's thyroiditis or autoimmune hypothyroidism develop thyroid eye disease. About 10% of all cases of TED occur in hypothyroidism, and another 10% occurs in people who haven't yet developed a thyroid disorder. My book on TED just came out and I have a number of articles on TED on www.suite101.com. Best to you, Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Hi Beth, I'm sorry you're having trouble with TED; I keep wishing mine would just go away, although I do expect it to resolve in time. Has your doctor run antibody tests to determine what's going on? An eye doctor specializing in TED is very important. Mine is supposedly the local specialist but is encouraging me to have surgery when it would be more appropriate to let my eyes heal on their own. Elaine , who wrote Graves' Disease: A Practical Guide, has just published a book on TED, which you should get if you want a really comprehensive view. Here's a post I sent out recently describing some ways to help TED. Best wishes, --- Lots of drops--artificial tears, preservative free are better. A thicker drop or gel for night. Someone recently mentioned boric acid washes as being soothing. Some people tape their eyes shut at night to reduce irritation. I wear sunglasses whenever I'm out of the house. Flaxseed oil (EFAs) to reduce inflammation, 1 tablespoon per 100 lbs weight a day, with a bit of protein like yogurt. Other useful supplements are B vitamins and antioxidants, like alpha lipoic acid. I'm also taking a combination of bilberry and lutein. Keeping your thyroid levels from getting too high or low. Along these lines, if you are taking an antithyroid drug, this can help reduce antobodies and hence help your eyes. Avoid cigarette smoking and smoke (I find even residue on a smoker's skin can make my eyes itch uncontrollably). Get a baseline exam with someone who's experienced with TED, to rule out pressure on the nerve. Other steps to heal your immune system, such as avoiding sugar, cafeine (it's not easy!), and saturated animal fats; practicing a stress reducing method like yoga or meditation. My doctor offered me a course of prednisone, a steroid, but as I understand it the symptoms will rebound afterwards. Other options go from here. My eye doctor is ready to do surgery on my " moderate " TED but I've been advised by people here to wait till the antibody activity subsides, both because things can get worse after surgery if you still have antibodies, and also because once you go into remission, your eyes can improve. (/Hiroshima recently posted pix showing great improvement in her eyes over the past year.) Best wishes, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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