Do you feel dryness in your eyes? You feel irritated and when you move them, it hurts. Or, is there redness in your eyes? They might feel watery and swollen. Or, maybe you feel everything that is mentioned above. Your vision may have gotten blurred or you have double vision. Maybe, your eyes are bulging out a little more than usual. What could it be?
There is a possibility that you have thyroid eye disease. Now you might wonder, wasn’t thyroid gland situated below your adam's apple and how is this even related to eyes? But, it is possible to have thyroid eye disease. If you have an autoimmune thyroid disease, especially Grave’s disease, you are more likely to have thyroid eye disease.
As per a study published by National Institute of Health, “Thyroid eye disease, although rare, is the most common inflammatory orbital disorder and is associated with autoimmune thyroid dysfunction. It is a progressive disorder with symptoms and signs that may cause significant facial disfigurement, visual disability, but rarely blindness.”
To understand thyroid eye diseases, OnlyMyHealth interacted with Dr Abhijeet Desai, Cataract and Refractive Surgeon, Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeon, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, Borivali, Mumbai.
What Is Thyroid Eye Disease
Explaining thyroid eye disease, Dr Desai said, “Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a complex inflammatory disorder of the orbit characterised by inflammation of the extraocular muscles- the muscles become enlarged up to 8 times their normal size and may start compressing the optic nerve. Subsequently the degeneration of the muscle fibre leads to fibrosis which can cause inability to move the eye freely and double vision.”
Also read: Iodine Toxicity Can Increase Your Risk Of Hyperthyroidism: How To Prevent It?
Risk Factors
- Patients who have hyperthyroidism can develop thyroid eye disease.
- Grave’s disease is the most common subtype of hyperthyroidism.
- It is more common in females in the 3rd to 4th decade of life and may be associated with other autoimmune diseases.
According to Dr Desai, thyroid eye disease is mostly seen in patients who have hyperthyroidism and smoking is a risk factor for developing thyroid eye disease in patients with hyperthyroidism.
Complications
Thyroid eye disease can lead to fibrotic contracture of lid muscles causing lid retraction which gives a frightened appearance to the eyes.
It can cause the eyes to bulge out and compromise the complete closure of the eye thereby causing dryness of eyes of severe degrees. It can also cause inability to move the eyes freely and double vision as mentioned above. In severe and untreated cases it can cause loss of vision due to compression of the optic nerve.
Measures And Tips To Recover From Thyroid Eye Disease
Dr Desai helped us list down the measures, tips and preventive methods, for thyroid eye disease.
- Good control of the thyroid status along with regular visits to your eye specialist for early detection.
- Most patients can be managed medically while some patients may require surgery depending on the severity of the disease.
Conclusion
Thyroid eye disease comes from thyroid dysfunction and is an autoimmune disease, it might be difficult to prevent it but one can manage their thyroid status and all the other problems would be managed appropriately. Follow the above mentioned tips by Dr Desai and keep your eyes healthy. It is important that you do not ignore any of the signs and symptoms and immediately see an eye specialist for better recovery.