Thyroid eye disease is an autoimmune disorder that can wreak havoc on a patient's vision and appearance, causing dryness, redness, double vision, difficulty closing eyelids and in some cases, a noticeable bulging of the eyes.
“Moderate to severe thyroid eye disease can also be socially stigmatizing, affecting patients beyond their clinical symptoms,” says Dr. Lilangi S. Ediriwickrema, a UCI Health ophthalmologist at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute and an assistant professor in the UC Irvine School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology.
Ediriwickrema, who specializes in oculofacial plastic surgery and neuro-ophthalmology, is part of an interdisciplinary team formed to treat patients with thyroid eye disease.
First to diagnose While the disease most often affects individuals who are already experiencing an overactive thyroid, it sometimes appears in individuals with low or even normal thyroid levels — especially if they smoke. It’s not unusual for an ophthalmologist to be the first to diagnose a thyroid imbalance when a patient seeks care for dryness, vision problems and eyelid swelling.
At the eye institute, patients diagnosed with thyroid eye disease may be referred to the oculofacial plastic and orbital surgery team led by Dr. Jeremiah P. Tao. He and Ediriwickrema work closely with various specialists to determine the best treatment options, with the ultimate goal of preserving vision.
For some patients with thyroid eye disease, prescription medicine may offer relief and allow the condition to resolve itself. In certain cases, however, surgery is the most effective and efficient treatment.
“It’s important for patients to be seen by specialists who have all the tools in their toolbox to not only monitor their condition but also treat the disease,” explains Tao, a professor of ophthalmology at the medical school.
Read more: https://www.ucihealth.org/blog/2024/09/help-for-thyroid-eye-disease