Prevent Blindness Texas Declares Fifth Annual Thyroid Eye Disease Awareness Week as Nov. 18-24, 2024
— Prevent Blindness Texas provides free educational materials on Thyroid Eye Disease, including a new patient-featured episode of the Focus on Eye Health Expert series, fact sheets, social media graphics and dedicated webpages —
TX (Nov. 18, 2024) – Prevent Blindness Texas has declared Nov. 18-24, 2024, as its fifth annual “Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) Awareness Week.” TED, also known as Graves’ Eye Disease or Graves’ ophthalmopathy, is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system causes inflammation and swelling and stimulates the production of muscle tissue and fat behind the eye. This year’s TED Awareness Week is supported by Amgen, Immunovant, Inc., Tourmaline Bio, Inc., and Viridian Therapeutics.
Symptoms of TED include:
- Bulging eyes (proptosis)
- Dry, gritty and irritated eyes
- Red eyes
- Puffy eyelids
- Sensitivity to light
- Watery eyes
In more advanced cases of TED, patients may also experience:
- Trouble moving eyes and fully closing eyelids
- Corneal ulcers caused by an inability to completely close eyelids
- Colors that appear to be dull or not as bright
- Blurred or loss of vision due to optic nerve compression or corneal damage
A recent study found that patients with TED are more likely to develop depression and anxiety. They may also feel reduced self-confidence, a decreased desire to socialize with others, and difficulties with productivity at school or work. Prevent Blindness Texas offers TED patients and others the Vision Loss and Mental Wellness resource from its Living Well With Low Vision program. The dedicated webpage offers tips to support mental health and links to mental health organizations.
To help educate patients, care partners, and healthcare professionals, Prevent Blindness Texas provides a variety of free TED educational resources, including comprehensive fact sheets and social media graphics, available in English and Spanish, and a dedicated webpage. As part of its Focus on Eye Health Expert Series, Prevent Blindness also offers episodes:
- “Thyroid Eye Disease and the TED Community,” featuring Christine Gustafson,
Executive Director and CEO of the TED Community Organization and Prevent Blindness ASPECT Program graduate, discussing her TED journey, her work to establish her non-profit group, and the resources it provides. - “Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) and Mental Wellness,” featuring neuro-ophthalmic conditions expert Prem Subramanian, MD, PhD, Clifford R. and Janice N. Merrill Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs at Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center, UCHealth, discusses TED, its potential impact on mental health, and the importance of patient and healthcare provider communication to help improve health outcomes.
- “Thyroid Eye Disease (TED),” with Sara Wester, MD, FACS, professor of clinical ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and TED patient Stephen Bander.
“We are in an exciting time of offering hope and help to those with thyroid eye disease and their care partners, thanks to access to new treatment options and the development of new medications on the horizon,” said Heather Patrick, President and CEO of Prevent Blindness Texas. “Because TED often impacts vision and mental health, our goal is to provide the public, patients, and care partners with information needed to understand and mitigate the effects of TED and help patients enjoy a high quality of life for years to come.”
For more information on TED, please visit https://texas.preventblindness.org/thyroid-eye-disease/. For more information on low vision and resources, visit Living Well with Low Vision, https://lowvision.preventblindness.org.
About Prevent Blindness
Established in 1956 and incorporated in 1965, Prevent Blindness Texas is the state’s leading eye health and safety nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing blindness and preserving sight. At Prevent Blindness Texas, our vision is vision – making healthy eyes a priority in Texas. We focus on improving the state’s vision and eye health by enhancing community capacity through our core competencies of early detection, patient support, systems enhancement, public policy, public awareness, and health education. Prevent Blindness Texas touches the lives of thousands of Texans through our sight-saving programs and services through our network of volunteers and offices located statewide. For more information, or to contribute to the sight-saving fund, call 1-888-98-SIGHT or, visit us on the Web at www.preventblindnesstexas.org, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.