how to reduce swelling from thyroid eye disease
Have you had thyroid eye due to dysfunction of your thyroid gland hormones?
Is your eye swelling due to a thyroid disorder and are you looking for ways to reduce your eye swelling? Unfortunately, one of the side effects of thyroid hormone disorders is eye problems.
Doctors call ocular involvement following disorders of thyroid hormone secretion “Thyroid eye disease” or TED for short.
In the following, we will describe TED and also tell how to reduce swelling of the eyes caused by thyroid disorder.
What is TED?
What happens in eye disease following a thyroid disorder?
The muscles of your eyes, eyelids, the fatty tissue behind your eyeballs, and even the lacrimal glands in your eyes become inflamed due to thyroid problems.
Following the inflammation of these parts of the eye, you will notice that your eyes and eyelids are red and swollen, and sometimes in very severe cases you will have protrusion of the eyeball, which doctors call proptosis.
In addition to the above common changes, the muscles that move your eyes may not be able to move as they used to due to swelling and dryness, and this is where your right eye and left eye do not move in harmony with each other, and you develop diplopia.
At Ted, it is very rare for your optic nerve cells to be damaged and your vision to decline.
Sometimes swollen eyelids may not close properly, resulting in eye sores that can be very dangerous.
Doctors sometimes call it Grave's ophthalmopathy.
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that is often associated with hyperthyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
In Graves, what is the problem for the infected person's eyes?
In people with Graves' ophthalmopathy, inflammation develops in the tissues around the eye. In other words, the person's own immune system attacks the tissues around the eye.
Doctors say that eye involvement with the thyroid, or in other words, therapies, can occur in people with hyperthyroidism, or in people with hypothyroidism.
People with euthyroidism or people who have not had a thyroid problem in their tests can also get Ted.
Occasionally, people who have had Graves' treatment have developed TED after treatment.
Statistics about TED
Twenty-five percent of patients with Graves' disease will occur before, during, and after treatment.
Cigarettes are one of the main risk factors for people with Graves' disease to be treated.
Doctors say that if a person is not a smoker or has quit smoking and has Graves, he is ten percent more likely to get a cure. If a person has a smoker's graves, they are twice as likely to get a cure as non-smokers with graves.
And this chance in professional smokers will be eight times that of non-smokers
Signs and symptoms of TED
You should consult your doctor if you experience one or more of the following in yourself or those around you:
- Excessive dryness of the eyes
- Feeling uncomfortable when in bright environments or when looking to light.
- Feeling the change in the appearance of the eyes
- Dizziness or protrusion of the eyeball
- feeling wet and excessive watery eyes
- Swelling of the upper and lower eyelids
- Redness in the eyelids and eyes
- Blurred vision
- Binoculars
- Difficult eye movements
- Feeling of puffy eyes, especially under the eyes
- Sometimes there is a feeling of pain, especially behind the eyes when you look up and down and left or right
Take swollen eyelids and puffy eyes seriously and be sure to see a doctor for further examination and diagnosis.
Differential Diagnosis
Seasonal allergies, conjunctivitis, or hay fever can cause similar clinical conditions, so a correct diagnosis will be very important.
Some of the things that can help differentiate TED from seasonal allergies, hay fever, and conjunctivitis are that people with TED often feel pain in the movements of their eyebrows up and down and the sides behind their eyes.
In addition, TED like seasonal allergies or hay fever will not occur in a certain season of the year. TED does not have itchy eyes like seasonal allergies.
Adhesion in the eyelids, which is present in conjunctivitis, is not seen in TED.
Diplopia will occur only in TED and not in seasonal allergies and hay fever and conjunctivitis.
Excessive dryness of the eyes is said to be the first sign of TED in the early stages. Gradually, a person becomes uncomfortable looking at a light bulb.
Within the first six months to the first twelve months of the disorder, the symptoms can progress and worsen. After this period, the eyes usually return to their original state, but in severe inflammation, oral or injectable corticosteroids must be prescribed correctly and in the desired and standard dose to control the inflammation.
With the effect of corticosteroid treatments, the swelling and inflammation of the eyeball muscles will gradually decrease. As the swelling of the eyelids and eye muscles decreases, the movements of your eyes up and down and around will gradually become easier, and the two noses will improve.
treatment
Corticosteroids are drugs that are very effective in controlling the overactivity of the immune system. Inflammation is the result of the activity of the immune system, which is accompanied by swelling and redness of your eyes and eyelids.
Remember that you should not use corticosteroid products in the eyes, either orally or by injection, without a thorough examination and without a prescription from your doctor.
In very severe cases TED, where there is visual impairment, appropriate steroid therapy will be associated with improved vision.
In more resistant cases, combination therapy in addition to steroids will be used for more effective treatment.
This means that in addition to steroid treatments, other immunosuppressive therapies or radiotherapy should be used.
It is important to know that although corticosteroids, radiotherapy, and other immunosuppressive drugs in TED can relieve the inflammation, swelling, and redness of your eyelids and eyes, steroids can never cure or dazzle your eyes.
Your doctor may use rehabilitative surgeries if you have permanent diplopia or a marked change in the appearance of your eyes.
Eyelid surgery will be performed in cases where the swelling and inflammation of the eyelids have increased so much that it prevents the eyes from closing completely.
Decompression and eye muscle surgeries are used in very complicated cases.
Doctors say that out of all people who have TED, 5% get worse.
In these people, the swelling and inflammation of the eyelids is so severe that the eyes are not closed properly and a corneal ulcer develops that can be very dangerous.
Occasionally, vision damage and inflammation of the optic nerve and vision loss also occur.
Remember that early detection will reduce the risk of severe complications of TED.
Symptom control solutions
If you have thyroid disorders or are having TED, follow these tips to reduce the severity of your symptoms.
- If you are a smoker, be sure to quit smoking:
The chances of successful treatment in people with ted who are smokers will be much lower than in non-smokers. Quitting smoking will make drug treatment more effective.
Your doctor may start a course of Carbimazole or Propylthiouracil after you quit smoking
Improvement and control of ocular symptoms with medication is very high in people who have quit smoking or have not smoked at all.
- Control the balance of thyroid hormones:
You need to take your thyroid medication carefully and follow it closely.
Balancing thyroid hormones can reduce the risk of swollen eyes and ted
- Take a selenium supplement:
Recent studies have shown that taking two daily doses of selenium for six months has been very effective in reducing eye swelling and controlling TED.
Selenium supplements do not require a prescription, but it is best to consult your doctor before taking them.
The important point is that treatment with radioactive iodine can worsen the condition of the eyes and swelling of the eyes following thyroid disorder. Following treatment with radioactive iodine, the conditions of eye involvement will be much worse, especially in smokers. Eye problems due to thyroid disorders are annoying.
A person with eye problems, dryness and changes in the appearance of his eyes cannot be present in society as in the past, his work and emotional relationships undergo changes because the eyes play an important role in communication.
Fluctuations in thyroid hormones expose a person to mood swings, which will add to the effects of eye disorders.
Avoid using traditional methods and herbal medicines that are advertised to reduce eyelid swelling and puffiness without consulting your doctor.
When to see a doctor?
If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should see a doctor immediately:
- Intermittent dark eyes
- Intermittent blinking
- Failure to recognize color sharpness
- Exacerbation of symptoms over days and weeks
- Binoculars, especially when looking forward
- Leaning head and neck left or right or back and forth to get rid of Binoculars.