Exofthalmia, also known as eye proptosis or exorbitant eyes, is a medical condition in which one or both of a person’s eyes are more prominent than normal, which can be caused by an inflammatory process or a problem that leads to narrowing of the orbital cavity..
Several causes may be the cause of this problem, such as thyroid diseases, orbital cavity infections, among others, treatment depends on the cause of exophthalmia, which can be done with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, surgery, and in the case of a tumor, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.
- Exophthalmia can be unilateral.
- When the bulge of the eyeball occurs only on one side.
- Or bilateral.
- When both eyes bulge.
The most common causes of exofthalmia are
Graves’ disease is one of the leading causes of exofthalmia; it is an autoimmune disease, in which antibodies in the body attack the thyroid, causing hyperthyroidism and causing the onset of several symptoms, including orbital inflammation.Learn more about Graves’ disease.
How to treat
Treatment of exophthalmia caused by Graves ‘disease consists of treating Graves’ disease itself with corticosteroids, usually by mouth, in addition to lubricants for the eyes, an eye gel and / or ointment, and surgeries such as orbital decompression .
Ocular cellulitis is caused by an infection by bacteria that colonize the skin after an injury or that spread from a nearby infection, such as sinusitis, conjunctivitis, or dental abscess, for example, causing symptoms such as pain, swelling, difficulty moving the eye or exophthalmia. Learn more about eye cellulite.
How to treat
Treatment involves the administration of antibiotics and, in more severe cases, surgical drainage of the orbital abscess may be necessary.
Orbital tumors cause progressive and painless exofthalmia, the most common being hemangioma, lymphangioma, neurofibroma, dermoid cysteant cystoid carcinoma, optic nerve glioma, optic nerve meningioma and benign tear gland tumor.
How to treat
If the diagnosis is made early by fine needle puncture, followed by urgent radiation therapy, it may be possible to preserve vision, but each tumor has a very specific form of treatment, depending on the characteristics of each case.
Carotid cavity fistulas are abnormal communications between the carotid arterial system and the cavernous sinus, characterized by arterial blood flow from a high-pressure system of the internal or external carotid artery to the low-pressure venous system of the cavernous sinus. drained through the orbit, it can cause exophthalmia, double vision, and glaucoma.
How to treat
Treatment involves intravascular embolization.