[Anonymous]

#1048246

This is just a basic overview of the eye disease.
Any sudden changes in your eyes, vision or dryness should
be seen by a good opthalmologist that knows about diseases of the eye.

What is Thyroid Eye Disease?
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Thyroid Eye Disease is also known as TED, Dysthyroid Ophthalmopathy, Basedow’s Disease, Endocrine Exophthalmos or Ephthalmopathy, Graves’ Disease, Thyrotoxic or Thyrotrophic Exophthalmos.
The thyroid gland lies in the neck in front of the windpipe and helps to maintain normal body metabolism. Association between disease of the thyroid gland and exophthalmos, an abnormal protrusion or bulging forward of the eye, has been recognized for over a century but although easily recognised the pathology is still unclear.
After diabetes, thyroid disease is the most common glandular disorder.
What causes Thyroid Eye Disease
Although associated with thyroid dysfunction, or hyperthyroid, in 10-15% of cases the condition occurs without clinical or biochemical evidence of thyroid problems. Occasionally people have a normally functioning thyroid gland but have abnormal antibodies against their thyroid gland in the bloodstream.
Risk groups and risk factors
People with thyroid dysfunction are most at risk. For those who have normal thyroid function no individual cause has been identified.
Effects of the condition
Ocular features of Dysthyroid Ophthalmopathy are similar in groups who do or do not have clinical thyroid problems.
Overactive thyroid is the most common form of thyroid upset and causes the condition thyrotoxicosis or hyperthyroidism.
There is a spectrum of changes, ranging from a slight bulging forward with marked lid retraction occurring in thyrotoxicosis to a more severe forward bulging associated with weakness of more than one eye muscle. This may follow removal of the thyroid or occur even in patients with normal or subnormal thyroid activity.
A feature of this disturbance is that the eyes appear more prominent with the whites showing and this is often accompanied by redness and a feeling of grittiness due to drying of the exposed cornea. The measurable protrusion of the eyes and the staring appearance is due to the retraction of the eyelids plus a variable amount of swelling in the tissue behind the eyes. This causes the enlarged look and weakens the eye muscles. This weakness may result in squint and double vision since the eyes are inhibited in synchronized movement.
Severe cases can cause marked loss of normal eye movements, damage to the cornea or loss of vision from pressure on the optic nerve.
Prognosis and Treatment
It is important to control any thyroid over or under activity and this is a matter for discussion between individual and their medical advisors
If the eye disease is in an ‘acute’ phase, priorities are protection of the cornea and optic nerve from damage. In rare cases this may involve steroid tablets, radiotherapy or even surgery to the eye socket. Milder cases and chronic thyroid eye disease may simply require eye drops for lubrication and ointment at night. If the condition is stable for 6-9 months, some people may require eyelid surgery for cosmetic and comfort reasons. Eye muscle (squint) surgery may be needed to counteract double vision.
Genetic element
Thyroid disease shows a tendency to run in families,

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