Thyroid Eye Disease, Signs and symptoms, Cause, Treatment
Thyroid Eye Disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the tissue around the eye. People who have excess thyroid hormone ( hyperthyroidism ) are most likely to experience this disease. Find out the causes, symptoms, and treatment of thyroid eye disease here.
What is Thyroid Eye Disease?
Quoting from the British Thyroid Foundation, Thyroid Eye Disease is a condition in which the muscles, eyelids, tear glands, and fatty tissue behind the eye become inflamed.
When this inflammation occurs, the eyes and eyelids become red, swollen, uncomfortable, even the eyes can be pushed forward like a glare.
In some cases, this disease causes swelling and stiffness in the muscles responsible for moving the eyes.
This condition makes the eyes do not move parallel to each other and vision becomes shaded.
The eye thyroid is included in an autoimmune disorder, which is when the body’s immune system attacks the tissue around the eye.
Furthermore, the immune system’s error in attacking healthy tissue can cause inflammation in the tissue and behind the eye.
People who experience this health problem need to receive treatment from an eye specialist and thyroid specialist (endocrinologist).
Signs and symptoms of thyroid eye disease
Symptoms of this disease, which has another name graves eye disease, are generally inflammation and swelling around the eyes .
Quoting from the University of Michigan Health, inflammation and swelling around the eyes causes other symptoms of Thyroid Eye Disease, namely:
1. red and sore eye area
2. protruding eyes like glaring, and
3. dry and irritated eyes when the eyelids cannot close completely due to swelling.
When the swelling gets worse, eye conditions can get worse, such as:
1. pressure in the eye socket,
2. headache or head like pressure,
3. eyes can not move, and
4. vision is reduced when the eye tissue swells and presses on the optic nerve.
The muscles around the eyes are very susceptible to an increase in lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell ).
When the eye tightens and loses the ability to stretch, the next symptom of thyroid eye disease is.
1. The eyes are pushed forward as if they are bulging but the lids are difficult to close.
2. Abnormal eye movements resulting in shaded vision.
As the symptoms of this disease increase, most patients are afraid of losing their sight.
However, there have been no cases of blindness due to Graves ‘ thyroid disease.
What causes Thyroid Eye Disease?
Considering that this disease is an autoimmune disorder, it means that there is a problem with the immune system.
The immune system, which should protect the body from infection, instead attacks healthy tissue.
The cause of Thyroid Eye Disease is when the body’s immune system attacks the muscles and other tissues in the eye socket.
Generally, the immune system produces special proteins called antibodies that react against foreign substances (bacteria and viruses) in the body.
In people with this disease, the immune system creates abnormal antibodies called thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin.
Quoting from the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), these antibodies mimic the function of normal thyroid-stimulating hormone, which is produced in the thyroid.
Then, these abnormal antibodies affect the cells around the eye causing symptoms of this disease.
Still quoting from NORD, researchers believe that eye tissue exposed to antibodies contains proteins that look similar to thyroid gland proteins.
That’s what makes antibodies mistakenly target this protein. People with this disease can carry genetics and pass it on to their families.
Even so, not everyone who has this disease has an immune system disorder.
Researchers are still investigating the causes of eye disorders .
How to diagnose Thyroid Eye Disease?
When you are going to consult a doctor, the nurse will ask about the symptoms you are feeling.
If you have previously been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, your doctor will examine your eyes to find swelling and enlargement of the eye muscles.
After that, you may need a CT scan or MRI scan to see the condition of the eye muscles.
This health problem is generally associated with other symptoms of an overactive thyroid. However, it can still occur when the thyroid is not very active.
Treatment of Thyroid Eye Disease
Generally, the care and treatment of this eye disease is divided into two stages, along with an explanation
1. Treatment of the first stage
This active phase of treatment focuses on maintaining vision and the condition of the cornea, as well as providing treatment for shaded eye conditions that interfere with activity.
For eye care, the doctor will give you an ointment in the form of a gel. Some patients use an eye patch to prevent the eyelids from drying out.
The cause of dry eyes is that the eyes protrude too much forward, pulling the eyelids and the eyes cannot blink properly.
Treatment of the first stage of thyroid eye disease generally lasts two years.
If the condition of dry eyes is getting better, the doctor will prescribe eye moisturizers.
However, if the condition is severe, you may need oral steroids to strengthen your immune system.
2. Second stage of treatment
doctor will evaluate the first course of treatment, then there is a possibility that the patient will need a surgical procedure to correct the shaded vision.
Surgical procedures can also reduce eyelid retraction. Surgery can also help return the eye to its normal position.
You should stop smoking to reduce the severity of thyroid eye disease.
Reduce the duration of activities outside the home to avoid damage to the optic nerve and damage to postoperative scar tissue.