Does thyroid eye disease happen suddenly?

If your thyroid is affected by thyroid eye disease, you may notice the symptoms within the first six months after birth.

Your baby will often seem fussy or unwell, or display poor sucking or breastfeeding abilities. How does thyroid eye disease happen? Children with thyroid eye disease have a gland in their pituitary that produces too much thyroid hormone. When this gland goes out of control it can affect the growth of the eyes and the other organs. This causes swelling of the muscles and fluid accumulation in the front of the eyeball. The result is an abnormal growth of the white membranes (conjunctiva) that line the eye. The eyelids also get bigger and can form thick crusts over the eyeball.

What causes thyroid eye disease? Thyroid eye disease is most commonly caused by congenital hypothyroidism. This means that at birth, your baby has abnormal thyroid hormone levels, but the gland is not responding to the hormone levels normally. When the thyroid hormone levels are too high, the tissues of the body can change and become too firm and thick. These changes can cause symptoms like poor feeding and weight loss, which are not usually seen in babies with thyroid eye disease caused by a congenital problem. Do both boys and girls get thyroid eye disease? Yes, both boys and girls can get thyroid eye disease. It is more common in girls because they tend to develop signs of the condition earlier than boys. But at any age, both boys and girls can get thyroid eye disease. What are the symptoms of thyroid eye disease? The signs and symptoms of thyroid eye disease are the same for girls and boys. When thyroid eye disease starts, the baby may cry when held, and be difficult to soothe. They may appear restless, and not settle, and may become unsettled when their mother carries them in her arms. If you look closely at your baby, you may notice that the eyes are unusually large, and not quite straight. You may find the baby sucking less and not feeding easily. Your baby will have large or soft and droopy eyelids. How do you know if your baby has thyroid eye disease?

How do I know if I have thyroid eye disease?

A thyroid eye disease expert shares her tips for how to know if you have the condition.

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By Susan Sclafani, M.D., C.R.N., L.Ac.

In addition to our Big 5 conditions of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer's, our immune system fights off other common infections and illnesses. Most often we can count on having a cold, some degree of fever, an occasional sore throat, skin infection and so forth to come along with our annual bout of flu. Yet while we are fortunate in being able to fight off these relatively minor health concerns most of the time, there are times when we encounter a condition that we know no cure.

Although most people feel the need to catch up on their sleep once they suffer from allergies, asthma or hay fever, the list of little colds is endless. So if you develop eye irritation that doesn't go away, a red eye, itchy eyes or swelling, you know that you need to see your primary care physician.

Now that you know how you should react to eye redness, swelling or inflammation, let's take a closer look at how you can easily recognize if you have thyroid eye disease. What is thyroid eye disease? Thyroid eye disease is a condition that affects the function of the thyroid gland. It is also referred to as Grave's disease or thyroid eye disease. Although thyroid eye disease tends to affect women more than men, sometimes it is seen in men. The symptoms of thyroid eye disease include the eye area being swollen, dry, irritated, yellow, gray, or swollen. Some of these signs are not specific to thyroid eye disease, but in my practice, I have discovered that any of them can signify thyroid eye disease.

Since thyroid eye disease affects the eye areas, which are located inside the skull and are not easily visible, patients are usually unaware that they have this disease. The symptoms of thyroid eye disease may be present without any eye redness or swelling. Some individuals do not realize they have an enlarging thyroid gland until the thyroid's size becomes noticeable. The symptoms of thyroid eye disease can sometimes improve after surgery for an enlarged thyroid gland.

What can be mistaken for thyroid eye disease?

What should be done next?

Thyroid Eye Disease Treatment. Your healthcare provider may recommend medications to treat the pain. Medications that your healthcare provider uses to treat this condition may include corticosteroid creams or ointments, topical lubricants, antibiotics (eg, erythromycin and bacitracin), and/or corticosteroid sprays. Your healthcare provider may also recommend lifestyle changes such as eye massage or wearing spectacles to protect the eyes from excessive amounts of light.

You may be a candidate for levothyroxine to treat any underlying hypothyroidism if you are prescribed this medication. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content.

Who is most likely to get thyroid eye disease?

This topic has been covered ad nauseum.

People with Hashimoto's will get it from time to time but if you aren't among the ones we see in clinic all the time, it's more likely you have a family history.
Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) is an autoimmune condition that causes an enlargement of the eye known as thyroid eye disease, caused by inflammation of orbital fat. Some theorize that TED is an allergic reaction to thyroid hormone, but further investigation suggests that thyroid antibodies may not be involved in TED.

What is the incidence? The American Thyroid Association says it occurs in about 2% of the population. It is more common in children, women and people over 40. The TED Foundation says thyroid antibodies are a very sensitive way of identifying who is most likely to have TED and it's prevalence in children is 4%. The TED Foundation has much research data and information but it's pretty dry and is better for scientific journals.

In the end. The key to TED is finding it early so it's treatable. Treatable by what, you ask? For those who do it a month or two later, there are usually three measures: Eye drops: Steroids like prednisolone and triamcinolone help soften swollen eyes which can make things worse. Eye drops can help make things better and prevent further damage.

Iodine treatment: Iodine can shrink the swelling. Surgery: This may help prevent the need for long term medicines and can also change the shape of your eye. If so, you could look really cute.