Monica Dweck, MD
Jessica Hanson was diagnosed with Graves’ disease only five years ago, but there are days when it feels like a lifetime to her. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that can cause an overactive thyroid, clinically known as hyperthyroidism. It can be treated with medications, but removing the thyroid to facilitate hormone regulation is also performed in many cases. In some patients, Graves’ disease is accompanied by thyroid eye disease, a rare condition often referred to as TED, and its symptoms—bulging, watery, dry, red or painful eyes, vision changes, eyelid retraction—are often physically and emotionally debilitating.
A year after being diagnosed with Graves’ disease Jessica began experiencing TED symptoms. The diagnosis upended Jessica’s life as she knew it, but she was grateful she was referred to Harsha Reddy, MD, at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. Over the next three years he performed four surgeries to help correct the bulging and eyelid retraction. “He was very kind, knowledgeable, and talented,” she says, “This was happening during the COVID-19 pandemic, and planning surgeries was tough. Meanwhile I was navigating absolutely devastating symptoms that affected my appearance, and I couldn’t recognize myself in the mirror. I’m very grateful to have had these surgeries with such an incredible and compassionate doctor, but TED and the emotional ramifications of the disease still affect me every day. And there is no cure; the symptoms can come back, and one has to live with that fear.”
Dr. Reddy took a sabbatical in early 2023 to be a volunteer in Rwanda and referred Jessica to Monica Dweck, MD. Jessica correctly expected Dr. Dweck to be as experienced as Dr. Reddy, but was not expecting the depth of compassion Dr. Dweck showed, from her very first appointment. “The experience was so different than what I expected from an initial visit with a new doctor,” Jessica says. ”I expected simply a discussion about my medical history and a new baseline exam, but Dr. Dweck quickly looked at her notes and then immediately asked me about my mental health. She was genuinely concerned with my quality of life and seemed to immediately understand that I was in a specific stage of adjustment—I was just a few months out from my last surgery, and there are still a lot of emotions to navigate. She saw me as a person, not just a disease or symptoms to be managed. Her kindness was everything I needed in that moment.”
Dr. Dweck considers her patients partners and teammates. “I have been treating thyroid eye disease for over 25 years,” she explains. “I know how devastating it can be for patients. Among my goals for patients is to educate them as to what is going on with their eyes and what can be done to help them manage the disease. And importantly, to try and understand how my patients are dealing with this disease emotionally. It is key for patients to be able to feel some degree of control over what is happening to their eyes, if possible. I want to help patients get that control. I love my patients!”