Symptomatic characteristics of thyroid ophthalmopathy

Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is an eye disease caused by thyroid dysfunction. Its main characteristics are eye swelling, exophthalmos, decreased vision and limited eye movement. The symptoms and characteristics of thyroid ophthalmopathy will be introduced in detail from four aspects: eye swelling, exophthalmos, decreased vision and limited eye movement.

Eye swelling

Patients with thyroid ophthalmopathy often have symptoms of eye swelling. This swelling is not limited to the eyeball itself, but may also affect the eyelid and periorbital soft tissue. The degree of swelling varies from individual to individual. Some patients seem to have larger eyes than usual, while others feel that their eyes are swollen and heavy. This swelling is often accompanied by edema of the eyelid and thickening of the soft tissue behind the eyeball. If thyroid ophthalmopathy is not treated in time, these symptoms may gradually worsen.

Exophthalmos

Exophthalmos, or exophthalmos, is a typical symptom of thyroid ophthalmopathy. Under normal circumstances, the eyeball is almost completely wrapped by the orbital bone, and only a small part of the white eye is exposed. People with thyroid ophthalmopathy may have bulbar eyeballs due to swelling of tissues behind the eyeballs. The degree of exophthalmos varies from individual to individual. Some people may have only slight exophthalmos, while some people have almost all eyes exposed. Protrusion will bring discomfort to patients, such as dryness, foreign body feeling, blurred vision, etc.

Impaired vision

Thyroid ophthalmopathy is often accompanied by visual impairment. This decline in vision may be caused by corneal dryness, corneal ulcer, retinal edema, etc. caused by exophthalmos. In addition, abnormal thyroid function will also affect eye movement and adjustment function, thereby affecting vision. Therefore, patients with thyroid ophthalmopathy who have decreased vision need to seek medical advice in time in order to find appropriate treatment.

Restricted eye movement

Thyroid ophthalmopathy also affects eye movements. Due to the influence of inflammation on the eyeball muscles, patients with thyroid ophthalmopathy may have a limited range of eye movement, and the eyeball cannot rotate autonomously. This limitation of eye movement may lead to strabismus, diplopia and other symptoms in patients.

summary

The symptoms of thyroid ophthalmopathy mainly include eye swelling, exophthalmos, decreased vision and limited eye movement. These symptoms will have a certain impact on the health and quality of life of patients. Therefore, once these symptoms occur, the patient should seek medical advice immediately and choose a regular thyroid ophthalmic hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Early detection and treatment of thyroid ophthalmopathy will help reduce symptoms, prevent further deterioration of the disease and improve the quality of life of patients.