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eye bulge cause by too much thryroid med
Do you feel it is possible to get a bulging eye from taking too much thyroid medicine? My eye began bulging soon after being prescribed armour thyroid. I had never been on any thyroid medication prior.
No, I am not a doctor. I am a treated thyroid patient for 11 years with slight TED.
I have been on many forums, searched and read a lot about thyroid. So my information come from a little experience, other thyroid suffers/patients and from my research reading from reputable sources.
I would think the damages has already been done. Proptosis may gradually increase to the extent that the cornea (the transparent tissue covering the front of the eye) becomes exposed. This exposure leads to drying and inflammation, which can progress to severe infections and ulcers of the cornea in extreme cases. Also, the orbital swelling may be so severe that the pressure within the eye increases, leading to glaucoma. The optic nerve, which is responsible for sending information received from the eye to the brain, may become strangled, resulting in severe or total visual loss.
You might see an ophthalmologist who deals in thyroid eye disease to confirm if you do or don't have TED (protrusion of the eye, exophthalmos/proptosis, in which the eyes appear to bulge outward). The doctor might take the wait and watch approach, through a year and a half or so of "hot phase". But it's good for an opthalmologist to have baseline readings for your eye measurements so they have some way to quantify the changes. Then you'll have an established relationship and the doctor will know where your eyes started.
Stress and smoking is considered the primary trigger.
Make sure eyes are getting plenty of rest besides striving for 8 hours of sleep. Nutrient-rich diet and an avoidance of environmental triggers.
Treat with preservative free and sterile eye drop lubricants (tear supplements), artificial tears (NOT "get the red out" drops) and use them liberally, every fifteen minutes when using the computer or walking in a breeze, anything that is particularly hard on the eyes. Pressure dressings to cover the eye. Some patients tape their eyes closed when they sleep to prevent further exposure. Severe cases of corneal exposure may need a lateral tarsorrhaphy, an operation that involves stitching part of the eyelids together. In some severe cases of corneal exposure, the muscles that raise the upper eyelids are surgically weakened to cause eyelid droop so the eyelids more adequately cover the eyes. Infection and ulceration of the cornea may require frequent use of antibiotics to prevent perforation of the cornea.
See an opthalmologist first. Some other issues might be going on, for there are approx 42 health causes of proptosis, from serious as Kidney failure or Liver failure, to not so serious as lack of Vitamin E.
Good luck
I have been on many forums, searched and read a lot about thyroid. So my information come from a little experience, other thyroid suffers/patients and from my research reading from reputable sources.
I would think the damages has already been done. Proptosis may gradually increase to the extent that the cornea (the transparent tissue covering the front of the eye) becomes exposed. This exposure leads to drying and inflammation, which can progress to severe infections and ulcers of the cornea in extreme cases. Also, the orbital swelling may be so severe that the pressure within the eye increases, leading to glaucoma. The optic nerve, which is responsible for sending information received from the eye to the brain, may become strangled, resulting in severe or total visual loss.
You might see an ophthalmologist who deals in thyroid eye disease to confirm if you do or don't have TED (protrusion of the eye, exophthalmos/proptosis, in which the eyes appear to bulge outward). The doctor might take the wait and watch approach, through a year and a half or so of "hot phase". But it's good for an opthalmologist to have baseline readings for your eye measurements so they have some way to quantify the changes. Then you'll have an established relationship and the doctor will know where your eyes started.
Stress and smoking is considered the primary trigger.
Make sure eyes are getting plenty of rest besides striving for 8 hours of sleep. Nutrient-rich diet and an avoidance of environmental triggers.
Treat with preservative free and sterile eye drop lubricants (tear supplements), artificial tears (NOT "get the red out" drops) and use them liberally, every fifteen minutes when using the computer or walking in a breeze, anything that is particularly hard on the eyes. Pressure dressings to cover the eye. Some patients tape their eyes closed when they sleep to prevent further exposure. Severe cases of corneal exposure may need a lateral tarsorrhaphy, an operation that involves stitching part of the eyelids together. In some severe cases of corneal exposure, the muscles that raise the upper eyelids are surgically weakened to cause eyelid droop so the eyelids more adequately cover the eyes. Infection and ulceration of the cornea may require frequent use of antibiotics to prevent perforation of the cornea.
See an opthalmologist first. Some other issues might be going on, for there are approx 42 health causes of proptosis, from serious as Kidney failure or Liver failure, to not so serious as lack of Vitamin E.
Good luck
Thank you so much for your help! Can TED cause the eye bulge? It started not long after taking Armour thyroid. I question if I ever needed the medication to begin with... my regular doctor found nothing wrong with my thyroid a year prior. I took Armour for approx. 6 months and have been off everything for around 4 months. How do you know so much? Are you a doctor? Do you have any advice on how to reduce the eye bulge? I would appreciate any help you could offer...
well i have hyperthyroidism and it was bad and its gotten better but your eyes bulge becuase of the thyroid condition itself how long have you been taking the meds. my eyes bulge and my hands twitch.
Some people develop TED - Thyroid Eye Disease, when they take animal-based extracts such as Armour, because the immune system react to foreign proteins found in glandular extracts. Synthetic meds. doesn't cause this problem. TED has separate antibodies than thyroid disease antibodies so they work/attack independently from each other.
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