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A woman is covering her face with her hands while a huge tube of lotion wraps around her eyes.

Unexpected Consequence of TED

Kelly Severseike's avatar image

By Kelly Severseike

Last Updated:

2 min read

I have a small dry line on my left eyelid. My left eyelid never fully came back down after having thyroid eye disease (TED). I didn't have surgery to correct my eyelids. My doctor and I decided the change in my eyelids wasn't drastic enough to need surgery. So sometimes, the way my eyelid creases behind my eyes during the day can cause friction. My right eyelid does not have this problem since it has essentially returned to where it was before TED.

About a year ago, I stopped using the eye cream I had been using religiously for about a year. I loved it but it was not available in my area. I don’t know why I didn’t just buy it online again. I could live without it and it would be fine... I was wrong.

This or That

Do you use an eye cream to help with your thyroid eye disease symptoms?

Trying different eye cream routines for my TED

In the past year, I have had months where I would try different eye creams, thinking nothing of it. My eyes were not a fan of this idea. The skin around my eyes would burn even when the ingredients in them weren’t harsh. The sensitive skin around my eyes was too sensitive for sensitive skin products!

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So I would resort to not putting anything on my eyes. I thought they would be fine having nothing. I seriously didn’t think this one through. I have dry skin as it is. My skin is prone to getting dry spots and rashes. I should have known something would have happened to my eyes if I hadn’t put anything on them to help soothe the inevitable dryness I would get. Hindsight is always 20/20.

The unexpected consequence

But life got busy, work got busy. I was hardly focused on my eyes. Too busy trying to survive while constantly running around to notice what was forming on my left eyelid. I first noticed it when I tried putting an eye cream on it I hadn’t used before. The burning skin made both my eyes water. I quickly stopped using it, thinking it would heal on its own over time and go away.

It’s been four months and the light red line remains in the crease of my left eyelid. While the foreign eye cream made me aware of its presence, not doing anything didn’t help me either. Skin rubbing against each other causes friction. Dry skin rubbing against each other causes what I have now. It’s not noticeable to anyone but me.

Looking forward to my old routine

At the end of the year, I caved and ordered the eye cream my eyes loved. At the time I am writing this, it has yet to arrive. I don’t know if my eyes will react to the eye cream in the same way they have in the past. I will keep you updated. I’m hoping the gentle cream that made the skin around my eyes feel pillowy soft and look better overall will still hold its magic. I’m expecting it will take some trial and error to get used to it again.

I have used eye cream since I got TED, and I’ve written articles about my journey with eye creams. I didn’t realize how much it helped my eyes to put cream on them twice a day, but I learned my lesson.

Treatment results and side effects can vary from person to person. This treatment information is not meant to replace professional medical advice. Talk to your doctor about what to expect before starting and while taking any treatment.
This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The ThyroidEyeDisease.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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