Graves and eye disease

[MamaP]

I am posting for a friend who has just had radioactive iodine for Graves hyperthyroidism and is concerned she may have an eye problem. She says they are sore and swollen,like having sand in her eyes. Her doc is not sure this is connected. I would like to point her in the direction of getting some good advice. Is there a website you could recommend? Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

[Janis Hickey]

This link on the British Thyroid Foundation website gives an overview of thyroid eye disease: http://www.btf-thyroid.org/index.php?op ... Itemid=149

You can call us at the British Thyroid Foundation for further information, or one of our telephone volunteers – the details are on our website - http://www.btf-thyroid.org under Resources – BTF Telephone Contacts.

The Thyroid Eye Disease Charitable Trust, with whom we work closely, will also be able to help: http://www.tedct.co.uk

Some people with Graves’ disease do get thyroid eye disease and if your friend is in anyway concerned she should see her doctor and ask for a referral to an endocrinologist - a consultant who specialises in thyroid disorders (if she is not already seeing one, and it is normal for people with Graves' disease to be referred to an endocrinologist) and to an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) who specialises in thyroid eye disease.

[Professor Colin Dayan]

I would agree that this does sound like thyroid eye disease, and your friend should be assessed either by an endocrinologist or an ophthalmologist. If there is double vision, or problems with seeing red colours brightly (ie problems with her vision) then she should be referred urgently by her GP to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) with experience in thyroid eye disease (usually an "orbital surgeon").