Graves’ disease is a disorder that causes your thyroid gland to make too much of certain hormones — a condition called hyperthyroidism. In addition to weight loss, a fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, and crankiness, among other symptoms, it also can cause your immune system to attack healthy cells by mistake. In some people, the muscles and tissue around the eyes are targeted.
About half of people with Graves’ disease notice some eye issues, and some have severe vision problems. Experts think this happens because the tissues in your eyes have proteins like ones in your thyroid gland.
Doctors don’t think thyroid eye disease can be prevented, but you’re more likely to get it — and have a worse case of it — if you smoke.
• Symptoms
Graves’ can cause a wide range of issues with your eyes. Some people might have a little redness and minor pain, while others have strong swelling, dryness, and more severe pain. It’s also possible to have bulging eyes — because your muscles swell and your eyes are pushed out — and pressure may build up in your eye socket. In rare cases, you can have double vision or other problems with your sight.
Most people with the condition notice eye symptoms within 6 months (before or after) of being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. People who have severe hyperthyroidism aren’t necessarily more likely to have eye trouble than those who have milder cases.
• Diagnosis
If you think you may be developing thyroid eye disease, you may need to see an endocrinologist (a doctor who specializes in problems with hormones) and an ophthalmologist (eye doctor). If you know you have Graves’, your doctor should be able to find out if you have the eye problem with a standard eye exam.
In some cases, you may need blood tests, or imaging tests like a computerized tomography (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. With a CT scan, X-rays are taken from different angles and put together to make a more complete picture. And an MRI uses powerful magnets and radio waves to make detailed images.
If you haven’t been diagnosed with Graves’ disease, step one probably will be to get your thyroid hormone levels checked with a simple blood test.
