Graves’ ophthalmopathy, also called thyroid eye disease, is an inflammatory disorder affecting the orbit around the eyes and is characterized by upper eyelid retraction, lid lag, swelling, redness (erythema), conjunctivitis, and bulging. Graves’ disease is a part of the problems caused by a hyperactive thyroid. It is an ocular disease, which if not treated in time can pose a threat to a person’s eyesight. In extreme cases of Graves’ ophthalmopathy, the eye muscles get swollen. They may put extreme pressure on the optic nerve, leading to double vision or total vision loss.
It is important to determine the presence of Graves’ ophthalmopathy. Symptoms vary from patients to patients, and some of them include: Eye inflammation. Eye redness. Bulging eyes. Eye dryness. Eye sensitivity. Eyelid retraction.
Graves’ ophthalmopathy is an autoimmune condition where the thyroid gland mistakenly senses malignant cells and releases antibodies to resist against those bad cells. Since there are no bad cells, the released antibodies end up fusing with muscles in the eyes, causing the onset of Graves’ ophthalmopathy.
In general, the health care providers can diagnose Graves’ ophthalmopathy only by medical history and a physical examination. Blood tests and other diagnostic tests then confirm the diagnoses. Some of the tests are: Orbital decompression surgery Thyroid scan Radioactive iodine uptake test TSH test
The treatment includes: .. Radioiodine therapy In this therapy, overactive thyroid cells are killed by ingesting radioiodine. Use of topical lubricants, for example, artificial tears to reduce inflammation. Thyroid surgery It includes hormone replacement therapy. Medications These include drugs like Antithyroid medications. Eye surgery Eye surgery is done to treat various symptoms.
Since, this kind of disease is mainly inherited from the family, there is no prevention to Grave’s ophthalmopathy.
