Eyes sticking out all the time? may be a sign of Graves' disease

Eyes that stick out generally indicate expressions of shock, gasp, or even anger. However, if your eyes stick out at any time, you should immediately consult a doctor. Exophthalmos, or proptosis, is a medical term that is often used to describe the bulging eyeball. This disorder is common in people who have thyroid disease, specifically Graves' disease. What is Graves' disease, and why does it cause the eyes to protrude? What's the danger? Check out the complete information in this article

What is Graves' disease?

Graves' disease is a disorder of the immune system that causes the thyroid gland to become aggressive. The function of the thyroid gland itself is to produce thyroid hormones to control body activities. If the thyroid gland is overactive and produces more thyroid hormone, it will cause hyperthyroidism.

Graves' disease affects 1 in 3 people in the world, and is more common in women aged 30-50 years or people who smoke. People who have immune disorders such as type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatism) are also more likely to develop this disease

Why can Graves' disease cause the eyes to stick out?

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease, a condition in which the body's immune system turns to attack healthy tissue (instead of foreign disease-causing cells such as viruses or bacteria). In this case, the immune system attacks the thyroid gland located in the neck and the muscle and fatty tissue around the eyes, causing swelling of the eyes.

The inflammatory effect caused by this attack can then increase the pressure on the eyeball. In some patients, this can compress the nerves of the eye. The swelling and inflammation that occurs also weakens the function of the eye muscles called extraocular muscles.

Some of the symptoms that people with Graves' disease have, other than bulging eyes, include:

Eye pain
Dry eyes
Irritated eyes
Photophobia or sensitive to light
Frequent tears
Diplopia or double vision caused by weakened eye muscles
Blurred vision
Blindness, when the nerve of the eye is pinched
It is difficult to move the eyes, because the eye muscles are affected
Feeling the pressure behind the eyeball

Bulging eyes due to Graves' disease can cause long-term vision problems. Even so, the effects rarely persist if the condition is treated promptly.

How do doctors diagnose this condition?

First of all, an ophthalmologist will examine the ability of your eyes to move. Then the doctor will measure how far your eyeball protrudes from where it should be with a device called an exophthalmometer. The eye can be called abnormally protruding outward if the length of the protrusion is more than 2 mm from the upper normal limit.

How can this eye condition be treated?

There are several treatments that can be done to treat bulging eyes due to Graves' disease, such as:

Quit smoking to reduce the risk factors
Take medication to lower the level of thyroid hormone in the blood. These medications don't directly treat your eye problems, but they can prevent them from getting worse
Artificial tears lubricate dry eyes
Using sunglasses for photophobia
Corticosteroid injections can help lower the inflammation that accompanies your condition
Surgical action