I am eating my hat

I told the eye specialist that I thought I had Graves Orbitopathy, and he smiled and said, "Well, then I don't have to examine you at all. I will just send the bill to the insurance company." He was obviously amused with me, but very patient. No doubt he regularly sees people who have diagnosed themselves ahead of time. 

His assistant had already put drops in my eyes so he could better examine them and he proceeded to do so. For now he has determined that both eyes are dried out and have damage, including the cornea. It seems I don't blink often enough and when I do, the eyelids drag across my eyes and cause the damage. Apparently my tear ducts don't work well enough anymore, which could be because of a variety of reasons. He said that this causes all the symptoms I have been bothered by, including the great sensitivity to light and the headaches. 

I am to use an ointment in my eyes for a month and to massage them gently every day. This is to stimulate the tear ducts. I also consciously have to remember to blink more often. Every time I feel extra pain, I have to do that because that is a sign that my eyes are dry. 

My brother in law is going through the exact same process as I am at the same time at a different hospital. My sister and I compare notes over the telephone and find out that he and I are exactly on the same track. His eye specialist also suggested that a few times a day he put a warm, damp washcloth over his eyes, so I am going to do that too. It sounds like that would feel great. 

Luckily, there still is paracetamol and I do take advantage of that. I would not get through the day without it. I also need a better pair of sunglasses.