What is Thyroid Eye Disease?
Thyroid Eye Disease, also known as TED, is an autoimmune disorder. This problem occurs when the immune system attacks the eye tissue surrounding the eye causing the patient to have inflammation. TED has two phases: the "acute" and "chronic" phase. The first phase is the "acute", active, phase in which the inflammation that start to form during this phase can damage your eyes. The second phase is the "chronic", inactive, phase where the inflammation is no longer active; however, this does not mean that the patient no longer has TED.
Who is more likely to develop TED?
Women are five to six times more likely than men to develop TED. It is estimated for there to be 16 per 100,000 women and 2.9 per 100,000 men in the general population who have this disease. TED occurs most often when people are in their 40s or 60s. Also, cigarette smokers, patients with Graves’ disease, and other thyroid conditions increase the risk for developing TED as well