Healthy Vision – Seeing Clearly Despite Challenges of Thyroid Eye Disease

Living in the Sunshine State is great. We get to enjoy sunshine and outdoor activities year-round but it can take a toll on your eyes.

If you are like most people, you have learned healthy eating habits, that exercise is good for you and to put sunscreen on when outside, but do you know about eye health and diseases that can affect your vision.

Some diseases that affect your eyes as you age include more commonly known Cataracts and Glaucoma, to the rarer Diabetes-related retinopathy and Thyroid Eye Disease. Symptoms range from irritation and pain in the eyes, decreased vision, to vertigo, joint or muscle pain or inflammation of the blood vessels. If left untreated you might notice you have problems with everyday activities like blurry vision when watching television or reading a book to more severe issues like migraines and double vision to even seeing spots or blindness.

Taking steps to care for your eyes can help prevent vision loss, blindness, and many other conditions from occurring. These five steps can help you manage your eye health.

1. Regular Eye Exams: Annual eye tests make it easier for the eye doctor to determine if your eyes are healthy. These tests also ensure your glasses or contact lenses prescription is current as well as determine if you have any eye diseases and even use it to gauge whether you have other health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

2. Follow a healthy lifestyle: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help to support your overall health and improve your symptoms. This includes eating a well-balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and getting enough rest.

3. Use protective eyewear. Protect your eyes when doing chores around the house, playing sports, or on the job to prevent eye injuries from happening. This includes wearing safety glasses, goggles, safety shields, and eye guards that are made of polycarbonate.

4. Give Your Eyes a break: The eyes are clearly quite the sensitive organs. If you watch too much TV, work on the computer for hours at a time, or do anything else without taking a break, your eyes will suffer. Be sure to step away from the screen or other activity at least once every couple of hours so you can moisturize your eyes with eye drops, take extra blinks, and get some fresh air.

5. Know the Symptoms: With a proper diagnosis, many of the diseases can be successfully treated so you can enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

The Right Diagnosis is Key
Thyroid eye disease (TED), also known as Graves’ ophthalmopathy, is a rare, autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 1 in every 6,250 women and 1 in 34,482 men, approximately 19 in 100,000 people per year, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

TED is characterized by proptosis (a condition where the eyes are pushed forward and bulge outward) leading to eye pain, double vision, and difficulty closing the eyelid.

Tepezza (teprotumumab-trbw), which is a part of the “Horizon infused brand portfolio” is a medication used for the treatment of TED. Tepezza improves the signs and symptoms of TED, including eye pain, redness, and swelling, eye bulging and double vision. In clinical trials: more than 8 out of 10 patients taking Tepezza experienced a visible reduction in eye swelling, 7 out of 10 patients saw improvement in double vision; and 5 out of 10 patients saw their double vision completely go away.

Brenda’s Story: Grave Challenges
In 2015, Brenda felt that something was off. Her heart rate was too high. To others, she just didn’t seem like her usual self. Her doctor diagnosed her with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes the thyroid to make too much of a hormone called thyroxine.

Her symptoms eventually subsided, but in 2018 she experienced new ones. This time Graves’ manifested in the form of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), an inflammation of the eye muscles, eyelids, tear glands, and fatty tissues behind the eye. Brenda now suffered from constant headaches and double vision, which made it impossible to read or watch TV.

The first treatment Brenda tried involved 12 straight days of radiation which did little to improve her symptoms. The next option appeared to be surgery until the FDA approved Tepezza, a new treatment for TED administered through infusion therapy. Sage Infusion partnered with the drug’s manufacturer, Horizon Pharmaceuticals, to become a preferred site of treatment.

Brenda decided to drive two-and-a-half hours each way from her home in Cape Coral to Sage Infusion Tampa, where she received Tepezza infusions. While it was a haul, it was worth it. Brenda has described the Tampa facility as “beautiful” and the staff as “wonderful”. Brenda’s friend would come with her to each appointment, and they could sit together in a private space while she received her infusion. After completing 8 rounds of Tepezza infusions at Sage, Brenda experienced a significant improvement in her condition.

“Patients love the facility,” says Brenda’s doctor. “It’s been a great experience for our office as well as the patients. It’s miraculous how well these patients are doing even after the first injection”.

Brenda hopes that she won’t need further treatment for Graves’, but if she does, she says “it will be at Sage”. With the opening of Sage Infusion Fort Myers, Brenda will have a much shorter drive if needed on her journey back to health.

At Sage Infusion, we provide expert patient-centered infusion care in a contemporary boutique environment. Sage Infusion eases your medical burdens by handling the care coordination process, including insurance authorization and patient progress updates. Our flexible scheduling meets our patient’s needs with extended hours. Day, night, and weekend appointments are available. Our physician assistants and nurse practitioners follow the National Infusion Center Association guidelines and our proprietary clinical protocols. Sage Infusion offers a variety of comforting amenities and patients can choose to receive treatment in the open lounge or a semi-private room.

With locations in The Villages Lake Sumter, Fort Myers, Clearwater, Orlando, Sarasota, and Tampa, Sage Infusion offers the best infusion and administration facilities in the Sunshine State. At Sage Infusion, we’ve reimagined patient care. From a quick start to upfront pricing and financial assistance, to compassionate care by our clinical experts in a serene environment, you will experience infusion therapy like never before. Sage Infusion accepts most insurance providers and will complete your prior authorization process making it easy to focus on your health.

Sage Infusion

352-565-5553
sageinfusion.com/swwellness
910 Old Camp Road, Suite 196, The Villages, FL 32162