Thyroid Eye Disease


Thyroid eye disease may go by several names, including Grave’s Disease and Thyroid Ophthalmopathy, but the condition should always be taken seriously since it can impact your vision and your long-term eye health. Learning more about this condition is important so you can recognise when medical attention is needed.

Understanding Thyroid Eye Disease

As the name suggests, this condition targets the eye. The tissue around and behind the eye becomes inflamed and swollen. As a result, the fatty areas start pushing on the eyes. They can end up being pushed forward causing a condition known as proptosis. In other cases, the inflamed tissue can push down on the muscles that make the eye move. This makes it impossible for the eye to move so vision is affected. When the swelling becomes severe, the tissue can press down on the optical nerve and that can cause major vision problems by preventing or disrupting the sending of light images collected by the eyes to the brain for interpretation.

Grave’s Disease, as the condition is often called, can affect other parts of your body as well. The endocrine system and fatty tissues in the lower half of the body are the other common targets of the disease. You should keep in mind that not everyone who gets Grave’s Disease is going to experience thyroid eye disease. While less than 3% of the population have the disease, between one-fourth and one-half will develop this eye condition.

The Role of the Thyroid

In the body, the thyroid is one of the most important parts of your body. However, it is also quite small. You’ll find your thyroid located in the middle front of your neck, and you’ll benefit from its efforts most of the day.

The thyroid is part of the endocrine system and is responsible for releasing the chemicals and hormones that determine metabolism and growth in the body. Individuals who have problems with their thyroid seem to be at greater risk for developing this condition, although the relationship between the thyroid’s functioning and the eye problems is not entirely clear.

next page>>>


Laser Eye Surgery Enquiry Form

Complete this form if you would like information about laser eye surgery including costs & suitablity.