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Medspa

Reconstructive

Surgery

Thyroid eye disease

There are multiple names one can find for the autoimmune eye condition that can be seen with thyroid disease. These include thyroid eye disease, sometimes abbreviated as TED, Graves’ ophthalmopathy, thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO), and Graves’ orbitopathy. This autoimmune eye condition, while separate from thyroid disease, is often seen in conjunction with Graves’ disease. The condition can be seen in people with no other evidence of thyroid dysfunction, and is occasionally found in patients who have Hashimoto’s disease. Most thyroid patients will not develop thyroid eye disease, and if so, only mildly. Depending on the severity, patients may complain of the following symptoms: 1) pain in the eyes, especially when looking up, down or sideways, 2) itchy, dry eyes, 3) swelling of the eyes and its surrounding tissues, 4) swelling in the orbital tissues which causes the eye to be pushed forward, referred to as exophthalmos, giving thyroid eye disease sufferers a wide-eyed or bulging stare, 5) red eyes, 6) diplopia or double vision, 7) loss of vision.

Treatment

In mild cases of thyroid eye disease, lubricating drops or ointments are all that is needed to control the symptoms of dry eyes. For pain or swelling, a short course of steroids is usually sufficient. Some doctors recommend orbital radiation, which can be successful in some patients. Patients with thyroid eye disease need to be followed closely for the development of compressive optic neuropathy, which occurs in a small percentage of patients. In this condition, the swelling in the orbit or eye socket can compress the optic nerve, which is responsible for vision, and cause the patient to become permanently blind. For these patients, orbital decompression surgery will be performed to prevent blindness. Orbital decompression can also be performed on patients who have severe proptosis (extruded eyes). Patients who complain of double vision, depending on the severity of symptoms, can either wear prisms on their glasses or have surgical correction to reposition the eye. TED can at times cause the upper eyelids to be drawn up and give a “stared” look. This can be corrected surgically by repositioning the upper eyelids.

If you are concerned about the possibility of having thyroid eye disease, contact us today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Parsa.

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4.8 / 5.0

Based on 29 reviews

Dr. Parsa is not only an amazing surgeon! He is also very caring and meticulous! His expertise shows in his wonderful bedside manner overall knowledge of his field. I appreciate his knowledge, advice and professionalism for over 6 years. I trust him with my eyes and refers him to my family and friends! His staff is trusting and caring and I love seeing them!

Erica D.

Words cannot express how thankful and appreciative I am to have found you. I am deeply grateful for you, for your generosity and caring nature as pertaining to my medical condition. As you know, I was apprehensive about having further surgery, but you are and have been reassuring and confident in the type of procedure you would perform in order to fix my eyelid from the beginning. The fact that you are not pushy and gave me the time and space to make the decision on my own allowed me to prepare myself mentally and emotionally, that really made a difference. Besides from that, your continuous generosity made me confident that you were the right doctor for the task at hand. You will never know how appreciative I am of that. I would also like to let you know how pleased I am with the results of the surgery. I have not felt this comfortable in years. My parents are also very grateful since this was my 14th surgery. You have a true gift. Thank you again for your patience, time, concern, and overall care. I pray that God continues to give you strength to help people who truly need life-changing medical procedures.

Sophia P.

Dr. Parsa is an amazing doctor. Warm and very caring. I had my eyes done a couple years ago and I couldn't be happier. Dr. Parsa likes to take the conservative approach which I greatly appreciate in a doctor when it comes to cosmetic surgery. I also go to Dr. Parsa for Botox and he always knows just the right amount. The staff in Dr. Parsa's office are all terrific!

Todd H.