Thyroid Eye Disease

Thyroid eye disease (TED) can affect people of any age that have thyroid problems. The most common cause of thyroid eye disease is “Graves disease” associated with hyperthyroidism.

TED can be a confronting problem because not only can it affect the eyesight, it also can change people’s appearance considerably.

TED can cause a variety of issues ranging from redness of the eyes or eyelids, puffiness around the eyelids, and dry eye symptoms to problems with the inside of the eye such as glaucoma (high pressure) and strabismus (squint / lazy eyes) causing double vision and proptosis (bulging/prominence of the eye itself within the eye socket).

There are a variety of medical and surgical treatments for TED, with the most important one being very good control of thyroid hormone levels. People often need regular visits to their GP or endocrinologist to make sure their hormone levels are stable.

Other treatments may include:

  • lubricating drops for dry eyes

  • keeping the head elevated eg sleeping on 2 pillows at night

  • limiting salt intake

  • Selenium supplementation

  • a variety of medications including steroids

  • Prism glasses

  • Radiotherapy

  • Eyelid surgery

  • Eye muscle (strabismus / squint) surgery

  • Orbital decompression surgery

Any treatments required depend on the severity of the TED and whether it is active or not.

Dr Ullrich will discuss details about your individual condition with you, once a through assessment has been performed.