Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Exophthalmos

The word exophthalmos comes from the Greek language and means the ‘bulging’ or protrusion of the eyeballs.

Exophthalmos is not a disease in itself but a sign of another condition, usually something that affects the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is located in the neck and controls metabolism (the rate at which your body uses energy). The most common reason for exophthalmos is Grave’s disease. Grave’s disease is a type of auto-immune disease (in which the immune system attacks certain tissues in the body) that causes an overactive thyroid gland.

In most cases exophthalmos affects both eyes. When only one eye protrudes this is usually called proptosis. The term proptosis is used to refer to the protrusion of any organ in the body.

• Symptoms
• Causes
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• Treatment

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