Thyroid Eye Disease
Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) or Graves’ Orbitopathy (GO) is an autoimmune condition of the eye socket, affecting the muscles and fatty tissue behind the eye, causing them to become swollen, red and inflamed, while sometimes altering their appearance and making them bulge, or scarring the muscles that move the eye, causing double vision. In rare cases, TED can lead to blindness caused by optic nerve compromise at the back of the eye or from corneal exposure and infection at the front of the eyes. Whilst it is normally associated with a history of thyroid disease (particularly hyperthyroidism), this is not always the case. In its mild form, Thyroid Eye Disease is frequently misdiagnosed as a variety of other conditions and commonly requires specialist expertise to give an accurate diagnosis. This condition has two main phases: an active phase and a quiescent, or ‘burn out’ phase. Patients with active Thyroid Eye Disease will need to see an oculoplastic surgeon regularly who will often use a variety of treatments to reduce the active inflammation and limit the development of the disease.
In the burnt out phase, patients often have to contend with significant disfigurement with an altered facial appearance. The goals of treatment in this phase are to restore the pre-illness facial appearance and this will often include several different types of surgery to the eye socket, eyelids and sometimes the muscles that move the eye.
Before & After
