The Causes And Possible Course Of Treatment For Bulging Eyes

Bulging eyes is a condition where the eyes seem to be protruding from their normal position in the eye socket. Some other terms used to refer to bulging eyes include proptosis, exophthalmos, and protruding eyes. Some instances of what might appear to be bulging eyes might be a mistaken identity of prominent eyes, a hereditary condition that is usually harmless.

Sudden development of bulging eyes should be a cause for concern, and an individual must seek attention from an eye specialist as soon as possible. Excessive exposure of a big part of the eye to air will interfere with the lubrication and moistening process, and when the pressure gets too much it can interfere with the vision process and possibly lead to vision loss. A doctor has special instruments to determine whether an individual has bulging eyes or not, therefore it is very important to go for diagnosis as soon as you suspect you or a loved one has the condition.

Most common causes for Bulging eyes

The development of bulging eyes can have a close relationship with some common eye and thyroid diseases such as Glaucoma, Haemangioma, Hyperthyroidism, Neuroblastoma, and Haemorrhages behind the eye. Also, people suffering from leukaemia, Graves’ ophthalmopathy, and several other eye conditions are likely to develop bulging eyes.

In the case of prominent eyes, there is little cause for concern because the condition is hereditary. However, it is important to look at images of the individual when he or she was young and compare them with present day photographs. If the individual had protruding eyes from a tender age, then it truly is the non-threatening condition.

Signs that an individual has Bulging eyes

The most obvious symptom here includes the eyes seeming as if they are protruding too far from the socket. Other symptoms include; pain in the eye, dryness, difficulty in closing the eyes fully when blinking or even sleeping, a lot of white space between the eyelid and the top part of the iris, difficulty in normal eye movements, redness in the eye, and scarring in serious conditions.

Here are some practices to adopt or let go of in order to get some relief from the condition, especially if it is related to a thyroid disease:

1. Quit smoking
2. Protect your eyes from direct sunlight and dust – which is an irritant
3. Use eye drops to deal with the dryness
4. Use more pillows to raise the head in bed, since this reduces puffiness in the eyes

Possible course of treatment

Owing to the numerous possible causes for bulging eyes, the treatments will tend to vary with the cause. Therefore, visiting a doctor is very important so that he or she can establish the root cause and prescribe the best treatment method.

• It is very common for people suffering from the condition to require eye lubricating agents such as eye drops and artificial tears, for them to keep the eye moist and well lubricated. Furthermore, in order to address the cases of inflammation behind the eye, doctors will usually prescribe corticosteroids.
• People suffering from Graves ‘ disease usually undergo orbital decompression, a process where one or several of the eye socket’s four walls is removed. The decompression allows fat tissue to find a way out of the orbit, which in turn causes the eye to regain its normal position in the socket.
• Bulging eyes resulting from a thyroid disease will require treatment through several stages, depending on whether the disease is in its active phase or whether it is in its inactive phase. A thyroid disease can cause the thyroid hormone to be overactive or underactive, and medication to control the level hormonal activity in the thyroid is available.
• Radiotherapy is another course of treatment that uses X-rays to get rid of cells and reduce tissue and muscle swelling. A few side effects of this treatment can include mild cataracts and worsening of the bulging eye symptoms for a short period.
• In cases where the doctors consider the condition to be extremely serious, reconstructive or even plastic surgery may be the only course of treatment. Doctors usually result to this form of treatment when they realize that medication is not dealing with the bulging and yet they want to improve the eye’s appearance. In addition, when the condition has led to complications in the blood vessels, surgery is usually the only way out.

Is prevention an option?

Sadly, most of the cases of bulging eyes that have hereditary connections are impossible to prevent, so an individual will need to seek treatment immediately after the condition starts to surface. However, most other occurrences of bulging eyes have preventive measures as well and cures.