Curious...

[neve]

Is it generally thought to be true that an aqueous deficiency is often caused by an autoimmune disorder, even if a person also has poor quality tear film as well as a diagnosis of map-dot, allergic conjunctivitis, bleph, MGD? Just interested in any opinions on this topic. Thank-you !! Just trying to learn what I can from the more experienced members of this forum.

Neve

[Colin P]

My own Aqueous defficiency problem, has not had a specific diagnosis, heck it just happend apparantly! in females (and maybe males?) hormonal issues are one of the biggest culprits (anyone care to elaborate??)..
And speaking from recent experience once it's there, pretty much unavoidable stress, worry and anxiety makes things worse somehow.

A new one on me, as ive not read it before anywhere, is a thyroid gland test, ive an appointment made by my Opth to go and get it checked out, how the thyroid gland and dryeye problems are related is new to me?.

[y-gwair]

new one on me, as ive not read it before anywhere, is a thyroid gland test, ive an appointment made by my Opth to go and get it checked out, how the thyroid gland and dryeye problems are related is new to me?.

Thyroid disease occurs when your immune system decides that thryoid tissue is 'foreign' and starts to attack and destroy it. However, other tissues in the body have thyroid hormone receptors which means they are also at risk from attack by thyroid antibodies. Eye tissues are particularly at risk for this reason, and can be damaged in a number of ways. Swelling and distortion of the eyes known as protopsis due to Graves disease is what most people think of re. thyroid eye disease (as in the case of Marty Feldman) but damage to the lacrimal gland resulting in dry eye can also occur commonly as a result of autoimmune hypothyroidism. You need to have TPO antibodies tested as well as thyroid hormone levels.

[Trac]

I had my thyroid tested a couple weeks ago.
Thyroid antibodies (Thyroid Peroxidase Ab)
Free T3
Free T4
TSH
TPO
They all came back within normal range, nothing was boarder line. Does this mean no thyroid problems? I have also been tested twice for autoimmune diseases and both times it came back negative.

[Colin P]

Oh-heck! i do hope mine is ok?...

[Trac]

I was hoping my thyroid test would show something that could be treated and I could get over this dry eye problem instead of just treating the symptoms of dry eye and never getting better.

[y-gwair]

Sadly I didn't find taking thyroid replacement hormones helped my dry eye problems, though the damage was probably done years before. Antibodies are usually elevated long before hormones levels alter so no, with those results you are probably ok. Thyroid and autoimmune diseases aren't the only cause of aqueous dry eye, having this problem doesn't necessarily imply you have an autoimmune problem, it's just that it is quite a common problem in people who suffer with thyroiditis, lupus, RA and other connective tissue diseases.

[Trac]

Well, I guess that it is good that I don’t have thyroid or autoimmune problems. I recently realized that as a kid I often had red, puffy eyelids and I had “granulated eye lid”. Now, I am thinking that perhaps that was a precursor to dry eyes?