Thyroid Eye Disease Symptoms

Bulging eyes and other Thyroid Eye Disease symptoms

Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) can cause a number of different symptoms. You may notice that some symptoms develop slowly and others appear quickly.

Once TED reaches the "chronic" (or "inactive") phase, scar tissue that started to form during the "acute" (or "active") phase can leave you with ongoing symptoms like eye bulging, eye pain, double vision, and pressure. So, it is important to recognize symptoms early and start a treatment plan with your doctor. The sooner you spot changes to your eyes, the sooner your doctor can help.

Bulging eyes

Although there are many symptoms of TED to look out for, bulging of the eye is one of the most common and noticeable.

Real pictures of bulging eyes before TEPEZZA treatment

During the acute phase of TED, the eyeball may bulge forward in one or both eyes. This symptom, which you may hear your doctor call proptosis (prop-toe-sis) or exophthalmos (ek-sof-thal-muhs), can continue throughout the chronic phase as well.

Front and side view of bulging eyes protruding from the eye socket

See how TEPEZZA reduced eye bulging in these patients from the clinical studies

What causes bulging eyes?

During the acute phase of TED, muscle and fat tissue behind the eye become swollen. This swelling can push against the back of the eye, causing it to bulge forward.

How are bulging eyes measured?

During an eye exam, your TED Eye Specialist will use a special ruler called an exophthalmometer (ek-sof-thuhl-mom-i-ter) to measure how far the eyes have bulged.

Generally, your TED Eye Specialist will measure eye bulging before, during, and after treatment. This helps them keep track of how much your eyes have improved.

See how TEPEZZA works

TEPEZZA is the only medicine to treat Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) at its source, not just the symptoms. Watch a video to see how TEPEZZA treats TED.

Watch now

Other potential symptoms of Thyroid Eye Disease to look for

TED affects everyone differently. You may experience all or some of the symptoms listed below. After reading about the symptoms of TED, you can use the interactive tool Talking to Your Doctor about TED to help you prepare for your next appointment with your doctor.

Dry, gritty eyes

Eyes feel dry and gritty
This may make it feel like there’s something in your eye, like sand

Swollen, puffy eyelids

Eyelids look red and swollen
Your doctor may call this eyelid edema (ih-dee-muh)

Watery, teary eyes

Eyes are constantly watery, when not crying
This can make it hard to see clearly because of extra fluid

Red, swollen eyes

Eyes appear red, bloodshot, and swollen
Your doctor may call this erythema (er-uh-thee-muh) or chemosis (key-moe-sis)
This is sometimes confused with allergies or an infection

Light sensitivity

Eyes may become sensitive to light

Eye pain or eye pressure

Pain may be felt in, around, and behind the eyes, and when moving the eyes
Pressure may be felt behind or around the eyes, which can lead to headaches

Misaligned eyes

Eyes look crossed or misaligned
This can lead to double vision
Your doctor may call this strabismus (struh-biz-muhs)

Blurry vision

Vision becomes out of focus or blurry

Pulled-back eyelids, also called eyelid retraction

Eyelids are pulled back (retracted)
This may cause a constant stare or wide-eyed appearance
It may also make it hard to close your eyes
To sleep, your eyes may need to be taped shut
This can expose more of the eye than normal which can lead to other symptoms like dry eyes

Double vision represented by two eyes merged on top of each other

Double vision

One image will look like two
Your doctor may call this diplopia (dih-ploh-pee-uh)
Double vision can be:
- Temporary (for example, upon waking up in the morning)
- Situational (for example, when looking to the left or right, or toward the corners of the eyes)
- Constant (always present)

See how these different types of double vision look.

Color vision loss

Colors look dull or washed out
In rare cases, all color vision may be lost

Changes to color vision could mean your sight is at risk. If you notice color vision changes, talk to your doctor right away.

Vision loss

In rare cases, blindness may occur

If you notice any vision loss, talk to your doctor right away.

Find a TED Eye Specialist

Not all doctors are used to treating TED. Find a TED Eye Specialist in your area to make sure you are seeing a doctor who has experience treating it.

Find a TED Eye Specialist

Want to learn more?

Get more information

USE and IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about TEPEZZA?

Infusion reactions can happen during or within 24 hours after your infusion of TEPEZZA. If you have a reaction while receiving TEPEZZA, your doctor or nurse will slow or stop your infusion and treat your reaction. If you have a severe infusion reaction, your doctor may stop your treatment completely.

Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have any of these symptoms during or after your treatment with TEPEZZA:

High blood pressure
Fast heartbeat
Redness of the face/Feeling hot

Difficulty breathing
Headache
Muscle pain

If you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, TEPEZZA may make your IBD symptoms worse. Symptoms of worsening IBD may include: an increased number of loose stools with stomach pain or cramps, and blood in your stools. After each TEPEZZA infusion, tell your doctor right away if you have worsening IBD symptoms.

TEPEZZA may cause an increase in your blood sugar. Before starting treatment with TEPEZZA, tell your doctor if you are currently being treated for diabetes, know your blood sugar is high, or have been diagnosed with diabetes. It is important for you to take your treatments and follow an appropriate diet for glucose control as prescribed by your doctor.

Before receiving TEPEZZA, tell your doctor if you:

Have inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis).
Are currently being treated for diabetes, have been diagnosed with diabetes, or know your blood sugar is high.
Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. TEPEZZA may harm your unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant or suspect you are pregnant during treatment with TEPEZZA.
- Women who are able to become pregnant should use an effective form of birth control (contraception) prior to starting treatment, during treatment and for at least 6 months after the final dose of TEPEZZA.
Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if TEPEZZA passes into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best ways to feed your baby during treatment with TEPEZZA.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, dietary and herbal supplements. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your doctor and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

What are the possible side effects of TEPEZZA?

The most common side effects of TEPEZZA include muscle cramps or spasms, nausea, hair loss, diarrhea, feeling tired, high blood sugar, hearing problems, taste changes, headache, dry skin, weight loss, nail problems, and changes in menstruation.

This is not a complete list of all possible side effects. Tell your doctor or treatment team about any side effect you may have.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please visit TEPEZZA.com for more information.

USE

TEPEZZA is a prescription medicine used to treat Thyroid Eye Disease.

P-TEP-US-00841 12/22