Grave's disease in the eyes is an eye disease that causes inflammation, bulging eyes and double vision.
Grave's disease in the eyes affects your eyes through "Thyroid Eye Disease", and is also called Grave's ophthalmopathy and occurs when the body's immune system attacks the tissues and the muscles that are behind the eyes.
The common signs and symptoms of Grave's disease in the eyes include bulging eyes, irritation and dryness, swelling, eyelid retraction and vision changes.
Vision changes with Grave's disease in the eyes include trouble moving your eyes, blurry vision or even double vision.
Eyelid retraction with Grave's disease in the eyes is where your eyelids pull back higher than normal, which leaves more of the white part of your eye exposed.
Swelling, with Grave's disease in the eyes involves puffy or swollen eyelids and tissues around your eye socket.
Irritation and dryness with Grave's disease in the eyes includes a gritty feeling, redness, dry eyes or even too much watering.
And bulging eyes with Grave's disease in the eyes, is also called proptosis or exophthalmos, which makes your eyes look like they are staring.
The phases of Grave's disease in the eyes includes the active phase and the inactive phase.
The active phase of Grave's disease in the eyes lasts from 6 months to 2 years, in which inflammation and symptoms get worse over time.
And the inactive phase of Grave's disease in the eyes is where the inflammation stops and the symptoms of the Grave's disease in the eyes stabilize, although some permanent tissue changes or even bulging can remain.
Treatment for Grave's disease in the eyes includes cool compresses, dark sunglasses and using lubricating artificial eye drops for dryness.
As well as medications like corticosteroids to lower the swelling or using targeted drugs like teprotumumab also known as Tepezza.
And in some cases surgery, like orbital decompression or eye muscle surgery can be done to protect your vision and fix eye position after the inflammation cools down.