Thyroid Eye Disease
Thyroid eye disease is when the tissues around the eye swell. It also known as Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy or Graves’ Disease.
Thyroid eye disease happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks the muscles and tissues around the eyes.
This makes the eyes bulge and swell and can cause double vision.
Thyroid eye disease is common in people who have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). It can also occur with an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
Radiation Therapy and Thyroid Eye Disease
The best person to talk to about radiation therapy for thyroid eye disease is a radiation oncologist. A radiation oncologist is a specialist doctor who is part of the team that takes care of people having radiation therapy.
You can ask your doctor for a referral to a radiation oncologist to learn if radiation therapy is an option for you.
The Treatment Team
Doctors make a treatment plan for each person based on how bad the eye symptoms are and what treatments have been tried before.
The type of treatment a person gets is worked out by a team of doctors and health professionals often called a Multidisciplinary Team.
A highly trained radiation oncology team takes care of people having radiation therapy. This includes radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, medical physicists and radiation oncology nurses.
Treatments for Thyroid Eye Disease
Doctors sometimes suggest medicine and eye drops. Glasses with special lenses can help with double vision.
In bad cases, doctors may operate to fix eye bulging and lessen pressure on the optic nerve.
Doctors can also use radiation therapy for thyroid eye disease if other treatments have not worked, or if the condition is severe.
Radiation therapy is focused on the area around the eye to reduce swelling. The treatment aims to stop the disease from getting worse and improve the symptoms.
Doctors often use radiation therapy and oral steroid medication. When used together these treatments are very effective for thyroid eye disease.
Types of Radiation Therapy Used for Thyroid Eye Disease
External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)
This is the most common type of radiation therapy used for thyroid eye disease.
The treatment team use a machine called a linear accelerator to do EBRT from outside the body.
People get EBRT once a day, 5 days a week from Monday to Friday for 2 weeks. Each treatment takes 10-15 minutes.
Side Effects of Radiation Therapy for Thyroid Eye Disease
Radiation therapy is more effective with fewer side effects than ever before.
Recent advances mean radiation oncologists can effectively target the disease while getting less radiation on healthy body parts. This has reduced side effects a lot.
Side effects from radiation therapy vary between people, even for those having the same treatment.
While some people feel no side effects, most will feel some mild side effects during and/or just after treatment. These usually get better after a few weeks.
A small number of patients experience more serious and/or long-term side effects.
The radiation oncologist will talk to you about side effects and answer any questions before treatment.
People usually cope very well with radiation treatment for thyroid eye disease.
The side effects of radiation treatment can be split into 2 groups:
- Early side effects which occur during and shortly after radiation treatment. Early side effects may include:
Eye irritation: Some people get dry, irritated eyes that look red.
- Late side effects which can occur months to years after radiation treatment. Late side effects vary between people and can happen a few months to a few years after treatment. These side effects may occur once, continue over time, or come and go.
Cataracts: There is a slightly higher chance of getting cataracts, but this is very rare.
Other Useful Resources for Thyriod Eye Disease
Find additional information about cancer types, research groups, and support groups.
Radiation Oncologist
The best person to talk to is a radiation oncologist. You can ask your doctor for a referral to find out if radiation treatment is right for you.
GPs and Health Professionals
Information for any health professional involved in a patient's cancer care with a particular focus on primary care providers.
Talking to Your Doctor
Your GP or other doctors in the cancer team can organise a referral to a radiation oncologist.
Treatment Centres
Search and find your closest Radiation Oncology Treatment Centre.
