Thyroid Eye Disease Information and Treatment
A dysfunctional thyroid can have many side affects on your body—including your eyes. When the thyroid is overactive or under active, it triggers your immune system to enlarge the muscles that move the eye (thyroid eye disease).
Thyroid Eye Disease Symptoms
Symptoms of thyroid dysfunction typically show up before symptoms of thyroid eye disease. However, your eyes might be affected appear before a thyroid dysfunction diagnosis or when the thyroid appears to be normal.
Symptoms of a dysfunctional thyroid are:
Overactive Thyroid
- Nervousness
- Tremors
- Irregular heartbeat
- Increased sweating
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea
Under active Thyroid
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Constipation
Symptoms of thyroid eye disease are:
- Bulging of the eyes
- Double vision
- Redness of the eye
- Retraction of the eyelids
- Difficulty closing the eyes
- Irritation
- Sensitivity to light
- Decreased vision
If left untreated, thyroid eye disease can cause optic nerve damage. So if you have a dysfunctional thyroid, or a family history of the disease, it’s important to have routine screenings to catch thyroid eye disease before it progresses.
Thyroid Eye Disease Treatment
Like other autoimmune diseases, thyroid eye disease may come and go on its own without treatment. Although it causes an acute inflammatory episode, symptoms may persist for years or indefinitely. The goal of any treatment is to improve the symptoms of the disease while stabilizing the thyroid's functioning.
We’ll help you overcome the disease's debilitating symptoms with treatment options such as:
- Lubricating drops and ointment to relieve irritation
- Eyelid surgery to help your eyes close
- Optic realignment to improve double vision
- Steroid medications to minimize enlarged eye muscles
- Radiation therapy to minimize enlarged eye muscles
- Eye surgery to increase the size of the eye's socket and reduce pressure on the optic nerve
If have thyroid dysfunction, or if you believe you have thyroid eye disease, contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our board-certified ophthalmologists—who are also trained surgeons. They’ll help you understand the disease and your treatment options.