Grave’s Eye Disease, also known as Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), is a dangerous auto-immune disorder. While relatively rare, its symptoms are extremely unpleasant and – if left untreated – could potentially lead to blindness.
The Causes of Grave’s Eye Disease
Grave’s Disease is the underlying condition which causes Thyroid Eye Disease. It is most commonly caused by a problem in the body’s immune system, which causes it to attack the thyroid glands. These glands regulate the body’s metabolism, growth, and development.
With Grave’s Disease, the thyroid begins producing far too many hormones, a condition called hyperthyroidism. This can cause numerous problems around the body, but the eyes are typically one of the first organs to suffer.
Symptoms Of Grave’s Eye Disease
When Grave’s attacks the eyes, it typically causes severe inflammation. The eyes begin to bulge outwards, and may extend so far out that the eyelids cannot fully close over the eyes. This is typically painful. In other cases, the bulging may cause the eyes to point in the wrong directions, leading patients to be cross-eyed or wall-eyed.
In addition, a patient may have:
- Blurry vision
- Double vision
- Prominent bags under the eyes
- A feeling of grittiness in the eyes
- Vulnerability to bright light
- Difficulty sleeping
- Disruption in color vision, such as one eye seeing colors more vibrantly than the other
Left untreated, the physical changes caused by TED can be permanent. As an example, the famous 20th Century comedian Marty Feldman (Igor from “Young Frankenstein”) suffered from Grave’s Disease as a child, leading to the lifelong wall-eyed look which was his trademark.
Treatments For Grave’s Eye Disease
Grave’s Disease is progressive, and if it is caught early enough, medical intervention can halt its progress. Typically, if Grave’s is detected in its first year, the worst of its effects can be avoided.
However, if it goes on long enough, the physical changes go beyond what medicine can fix. In those cases, surgery would be the only way to restore the eyes to their proper positions and function. Otherwise, if a patient is unable to have surgery, they may have to wear specialty glasses for the rest of their lives to correct severe misalignment in their eyes.
This is all one more reason you should schedule regular checkups! A basic eye exam can catch a wide variety of potentially-blinding eye conditions before they become serious.
If it’s been more than a year since your last checkup, click here to schedule an appointment at Valley Eyecare Center.
