The Prevent Blindness Art Therapy Program was created to help individuals with Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) and their care partners (spouses, family members, friends, loved ones) create art using a variety of artistic media to help express themselves and cope with feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression.
Art therapy has been shown to help improve mental, emotional and even physical wellness the process of creating art in a group setting can help reduce anxiety and depression, provide a way to express difficult emotions in a creative manner, and reduce isolation, which could be particularly important for people experiencing the challenging symptoms of TED. This program also provides an opportunity to build new connections by sharing stories and experiences.
An Evaluation of the
Prevent Blindness Art Therapy Program and Its Impact
(Executive Summary)
Art Gallery
These works were created and shared by participants in the Prevent Blindness Art Therapy program.
By Judy B.
By PB&J
To be able to express what I was feeling through art was incredibly helpful. I would recommend that this process be used for everyone dealing with TED at some point. Sometimes verbalizing isn’t enough to express what you are going through.”
by Paul B.
By Christine
By Christine
By Barb
The colorful collage on the outside represents the side of me that keeps trying to enjoy life as normal, but it also represents my camouflage for the fear and anxiety of TED that most people can’t see.”
By Barb
By Barb
By Deborah
By Deborah
By Deborah
By Deborah
By Deborah
By Deborah
By Deborah
Art therapy was vastly more enjoyable than I could even imagine! It was a time of relaxing and even enlightenment at what was hiding inside. I enjoyed our wonderful Emma and all my classmates who opened my eyes as a way to understand TED and the challenges in life! I am so thankful for this experience!”
By Judy and Paul B.
By Judy B.
By Jacque B.
By Jacque B.
By Jacque B.
By Jacque B.
By Jacque B.
By Jacque B.
By Jacque B.
By Christine G.
By Christine G.
By Christine G.
By Christine G.
By Christine G.
By Christine G.
By Christine G.
By Christine G.
By Christine G.
And remembering that life is an art form - colorful, creative and at times a bit messy and random. As I reach the other side - now free from Graves and TED, I turn back only to reach out a hand to those who are presently navigating through the thick of it. I want to be a light in their darkness.”
By Leyla L.
By Leyla L.
By Leyla L.
By Leyla L.
By Leyla L.
By Deborah V.
By Deborah V.
I see a rock that will do as my chair and point my face to the sun while inserting my feet into the cold clear water. I happily choose pebbles as my treasures to carry home with me. Then, find sticks and other rocks to create a new trajectory for the water to flow.
I send leaf boats along their way to their new place in the world. The water feels numbing, but cleansing. The dark reeds are of the past.
The green grass is the present; a bird sings to me; a fawn watches me curiously while it waits for its mother. I feel blissfully carefree and light because I am not weighed down by the passage of time. I feel the sun’s warmth and know that a power much greater than myself is watching over me.”
By Deborah V.
By Deborah V.
By Deborah V.
By Deborah V.
This was so much fun just to see what revealed itself.”
By Deborah V.
By Deborah V.
By Deborah V.
By Deborah V.
I was inspired by a classmate who created a 3-D image with hers. So with my tiny bit of clay left, I fashioned a bird in a nest. (Layer 2).
Next I used colors inspired by the ocean. But I was not happy with the result. Then, ((Layer 3) I was inspired my my granddaughters unique very abstract vision in an image she painted, and I again added color and detail to the heart. This turned out to be a step-by-step process, which I think my life is as well.
The final layer is my realization that I might not know what the end of the day, or week etc. will look like, but if I carefully take one step at a time, I will have a positive outcome.”
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
First work is a clown face. I believe clowns to be scary. Having TED, and other immune diseases is scary.”
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
The second drawing is where I wish to be. It represents the ocean. There is sound of the waves, people, seagulls, life, peace, solidarity, and indicates feeling at loss with my emotions not grounded but in a better place. It also represents the strength of my creativity.”
By Lynn Z
The second drawing is where I wish to be. It represents the ocean. There is sound of the waves, people, seagulls, life, peace, solidarity, and indicates feeling at loss with my emotions not grounded but in a better place. It also represents the strength of my creativity.”
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
Also, once encountering Graves’ disease you are forgotten, misunderstood, misdiagnosed. Just as those laying in a graveyard. Their stones are damaged, flowers are dead, forgotten. In my “not so” normal world having graves, a person lives in a whirlwind of hate, which is how I lost my vision.
People are not good with the disabled. Being partially blind, I cope, maneuver myself for survival. Somedays not having good sight, or just being overwhelmed with what is going on, people will judge. Some people surrounding me are bigots, gossipers, or plainly insecure. This creates a slow death. My body attacks me from the inside and others attack me outward.”
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
By Lynn Z
“I walk the talk” symbolized with a mouth and long legs. I keep my promises, which began my journey having graves. In the painting one eye is larger than the other. Tears come down the face a common symptom with graves, but they represent what’s inside my heart. Blood shot eyes, irritation, this is graves symptoms. I sit between days, mornings, into starry nights wearing go-go boots, mini skirt, big hair, my era. I have one ear up towards the sky listening and the other one at the side of my face. Black cat represents being a witch, intuitive. Let’s say, when someone lost one of their senses the others are sharp. I hold a plant representing the earth which I am a Conservationist. Steer represents the southwest. In all, I am reaching for the stars. Abstract is considered apart from concrete existence. Not applied meaning not being put into practice or a particular use, I explain as being disabled. Difficult to understand, because of disease and situations I have been placed in and my reaction towards them.
Complex.”
By Lynn Z
By Erica F.
By Erica F.
After I came to Peace with my diagnosis, I regained and found my Power. The power to continue to be, to love, to help others, to live without fear and to look at myself in the mirror.”
By Erica F.
By Francine G.
By Francine G.
By Francine G.
By Francine G.
By Francine G.
By Francine G.
By Jesse G.
in this Valley
By Jesse G.
I reimagine the valley I’m in and where I want to be. There’s flowers and more greenery. There’s a river that is abundant. The sun is rising behind the mountains. I imagine myself hiking, swimming and soaking up the sun. This image represents hope for my future and my gratefulness for all the things that I have in my present.”
By Jesse G.
By Jesse G.
By Jesse G.
By Jesse G.
By Anonymous Artist
The outside of the mask shows…
“How I’m doing today after my sessions of art therapy. I feel in my heart that I’m better. I understand that my eyes will never be what they were but I’m not hating myself anymore.”
By Anonymous Artist
Sunny [and] flowing is how I want to be.”
By Anonymous Artist
By Anonymous Artist
By Anonymous Artist
By Anonymous Artist
By Anonymous Artist
By Layla L
“Crazy water calming down. Serene. Hope light and fullness. Birds in the air.”
By Layla L
By Layla L
By Layla L
By Layla L
By Layla L
By Layla L
The TED Community Organization
The TED Community Organization is comprised of patients, caregivers, medical professionals, and individuals who advocate for those dealing with Thyroid Eye Disease (TED). The group hosts monthly TED ART get-togethers, which are designed to help people with Thyroid Eye Disease gather in community to create art and community. The TED ART get-togethers are not art therapy sessions, but rather community activities for people with TED to set aside time to make and share art together.
About the Prevent Blindness Art Therapy Program
Participants will:
- Join eight (8) weekly 2-hour virtual sessions* from the comfort of their own home.
- Build community and connections with other people who are affected by TED.
- Create art using a variety of artistic media to express thoughts and feelings.
- Interact with registered art therapists who will tailor the program topics, themes and materials for people affected by TED.
- Explore art therapy as a way to cope with feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression.
*Please note: the majority of the session will be dedicated to making and creating art and participants will not need to focus on a screen during art-making time.
Who is eligible to apply?
Individuals with Thyroid Eye Disease and their care partners (spouses, family members, friends, loved ones). Prior experience is not necessary. Individuals who are not artists or do not consider themselves creative can still benefit and should consider participating.
Benefits of participating in the Prevent Blindness Art Therapy program
- Art therapy has been shown to help people improve their mental, emotional and even physical wellness
- The process of creating art in a group setting can help reduce anxiety and depression, provide a way to express difficult emotions in a creative manner, and reduce isolation, which could be particularly important for people experiencing the challenging symptoms of TED.
- The opportunity to build new connections, help yourself, and help others by sharing stories and experiences.
When will sessions take place?
For the Spring 2024 program, sessions will take place between April 4 and June 1.
The Prevent Blindness Art Therapy Program and art materials required for participation are offered to participants for free, thanks to generous grants from Amgen and Viridian Therapeutics.