eyelid flare

[Guest guest]

Hi, was wondering if anyone here has been to an opthamologist ? I went to one

for the first time about a persistent stye which she is treating, but she also

gave me a bunch of exams related to thyroid when she found out I had Hashi's.

She said everything looked fine except I have " eyelid flare " which is a sign of

a thyroid-related problem. Basically instead of my lids creasing in a straight

line at the outside corners, she said they " flare back " a little, making my eyes

look wider. Anyone else had this? I've always been hypo except for a couple

brief periods of over-treatment.

I'd definitely recommend folks here see an opthamologist to get checked out...

it never occurred to me to visit one as I just normally see an Optometrist for

my vision, but they are pretty thorough with the thyroid eye tests and might be

able to give you some ammunition if you feel you have a thyroid problem and

aren't getting the attention you want from an endo or GP.

[Guest guest]

yes i had it with Hashis, (I was a smoker as an adult but both parents were also

smokers,, and i had TED eyes by highschool =-diagnosed hashis at 13. underdosed

due to unrecognized Adrenal Fatigue (and probably low ferritin too)

i have had many different symptoms and problem areas of the eyes over the

years.. , inside outside, muscles and slightly protruded eyes..

that got much worse the decades i was on SInthroidl

also since 2nd grade =eyeglasses !! i have terrible vision (which i blame on the

underlying reasons that cuased my Hashis to activate at only 13 years old) and

bad vision 900/20 = does cause a more FOOTball shaped eye balls...

but i know for a fact that my pushed out shape has reverted and my eyeball

-looking at me in profile- has gotten flatter and its 'apex' no longer extends

past the outside edge of my eyelids

However on NT,, i am having DR Eye and vision issues rioght now

> >

> > Hi and Miaja,

> >

> > The *flare back* or *retracted* eye lids appear to be associated with TED -

thyroid eye disease. TED is normally found in people with TSH Receptor

Antibodies, which are common Graves' Antibodies. Could it occur in some hypos,

too? Do they also have these undetected antibodies?

> >

> > The inflammation that occurs in thyroid eye disease can cause swelling,

fatty infiltration and/or degeneration, and scarring of the eyelid muscles

resulting in eyelid retraction -- where the eyelids are pulling up and away from

the eye.

> >

> > In mild cases, you can experience dry, gritty eyes that feel " sandy " or

irritated. In severe cases, some people may have impaired eyelid closure and

experience dry spots on the cornea. This can lead to severe eye infections and

scarring with vision loss. Eyelid surgery seems to reduce eye exposure so that

the eyelids are more adequately able to protect the front of the eye.

> >

> > ---

> >

> > I have been tested twice for both the TSI (stimulating) and TBII (blocking)

TSH Receptor Antibodies and I do NOT have them. I don't have any eye lid

flaring back or retracting. However, my eyes were very swollen back in the

early 2000s when I was on synthetic T4 meds. I have scarring from the severe

swelling in the area but it is nothing to do with my eyelids it's *above* the

upper lids and below the eyebrows on both sides of my nose.

> >

> > My ophthalmologist told me he could remove the scaring but I never got the

surgery and now everyone including myself have gotten used to these scars; they

have faded and are now the same color of my skin. The thought of anyone with a

knife near my eyes horrified me. I have not heard anyone else ever mention this

happening to them; it happened to me when my body was shutting down from severe

lack of thyroid hormones so that may be why. Not many here have been diagnosed

with Myxedema Coma and lived to talk about it so in that aspect I consider

myself extremely blessed.

> >

> > I take a supplement made specifically for healthy vision called Optmax and

Omega 3 everyday, which helps prevent the dry eye many of us hypos experience –

actually anyone over 40 commonly expereinces dry eye to some extent.

> >

> > HTH,

> > ~Bj

> >

> > BTW - Some people think optometrist's aren't very knowledgeable. However,

it WAS an optometrist and NOT any of the six ophthalmologists that we took our

son to that found his visual disability.

>