What Is Thyroid Eye Disease?
Thyroid eye disease (TED), also called Graves' ophthalmopathy, is inflammation of the eye muscles and tissues associated with Graves' disease.
Symptoms
- Bulging eyes (exophthalmos)
- Eye irritation, grittiness
- Double vision
- Pressure behind eyes
- Difficulty closing eyelids
- Vision loss (severe cases)
Causes
- Autoimmune inflammation of orbital tissues
- Occurs in 25–50% of Graves' patients
- Can occur even when thyroid levels are normal
Treatment
- Mild: artificial tears, sunglasses
- Moderate: corticosteroids, radiation
- Severe: orbital decompression surgery
- Stop smoking (smoking worsens TED significantly)
Source: American Thyroid Association, NLM MedlinePlus.
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