Thyroid Eye Disease 101: A Guide to Educate and Spread Awareness

If you have thyroid eye disease (TED), you may have tried to explain to friends, loved ones, caregivers, or other people in your life what TED is and how it impacts you. Without the lived experience, it may be difficult for someone to understand.

Although they may not ever fully understand the impact that thyroid eye disease has had in your life, it may be helpful to guide them toward resources that can help paint the picture.

We've compiled some of our top informational articles and articles about firsthand experiences with thyroid eye disease to create a guide that you can share with others to help spread awareness and knowledge about TED.

If you've been sent this article by a loved one, please take the time to read through the sections and click on articles that can educate you on the basics of the condition, as well as the emotional and physical impact it may be having on your loved one.

Understanding the basics of thyroid eye disease

We understand that a doctor explaining TED may include a lot of medical jargon that is hard to follow or understand, especially when you or a loved one is in the moment of diagnosis. Searching for information online may also be confusing. Here are some basics of TED all in one easy-to-access place:

• What Is Thyroid Eye Disease?
• What Are The Risk Factors of Thyroid Eye Disease?

Symptoms

Here are some symptoms that someone who has TED may experience. Having a better understanding of symptoms can help you to support them and what they may be feeling:

• What Are Common Symptoms of Thyroid Eye Disease?
• Impact on Eyes
• Impact on Thyroid
• Comorbidities

Testing and diagnosis

A person with thyroid eye disease may be nervous about some of the testing that they may have to undergo. Here is some information about the testing and diagnosis process that people may experience.

Having this information may help you to support them through any anxiety they may be having, understand something they've gone through, or ask questions that they can ask their doctors:

• Diagnosis and Testing for Thyroid Eye Disease
• Eye Exams for Thyroid Eye Disease</li>
• Imaging for Thyroid Eye Disease
• Blood Tests for Thyroid Eye Disease

Treatment

You may be wondering about the types of treatment options that a person with TED has. Learn more about the possible treatment of TED in these articles:

• Treatments for Thyroid Eye Disease
• Medications
• Surgery
• Supportive Treatments for Thyroid Eye Disease

Living with thyroid eye disease: The impact

People with TED experience physical and emotional changes that they have to endure. Their lives are impacted in many ways, including their daily routines, appearance, vision, mental health, and relationships – just to name a few. Read about some of the changes people with TED sometimes have to make:

• Living With Thyroid Eye Disease
• Thyroid Eye Disease and Its Impact on Daily Life
• Emotional Impact of Thyroid Eye Disease
• Financial Impact of Thyroid Eye Disease

Support

Support is one of the most important parts of a person's journey with thyroid eye disease. Support can be shown in many different ways, from many different people.

Chances are if you are seeing this article, you are already supporting or interested in supporting someone with TEd. Two ways you can support someone who has TED is by educating yourself on the condition and being there as a shoulder to lean on.

In our community, we have Health Leaders who share their personal experiences with thyroid eye disease. They do this so those living with the condition, their loved ones, and their caregivers can better understand the journey. Everyone's journey is different. But you can read some of their articles to get new perspectives and comment on them to learn more!