When discussing your lashes, how to grow them and some possible reasons for loss in fullness and length, we cannot ignore the possibility (and hopefully eliminating) the fact that a patient may have a condition that could be a contributing factor.
Enter your Thyroid, a small, hormone-secreting gland located in the lower part of your neck. This gland delivers energy to all of the cells in your body, so if there exists any type of malfunction, many symptoms can manifest.
The association between Thyroid disease and eye disease is well known. We can all picture Don Knotts and his bulgy eyes as a condition associated with an overactive Thyroid. However, the Thyroid gland controls many functions of the body. When women have hair loss of their head or eyelashes, an underactive Thyroid may be to blame.
The following is a small excerpt from Ask.com
Signs and symptoms include:
Below is an excerpt taken from ask.com that gives a brief overall description of some common Thyroid-related Eye Disease symptoms:
* Pain in the eyes, pain when looking up, down or sideways
* Dryness, itching, dry eyes, difficulty wearing contact lenses
* Inflammation and swelling of the eye, and its surrounding tissues
* Swelling in the orbital tissues which causes the eye to be pushed forward — referred to as exophthalmos — which can make Thyroid Eye Disease sufferers appear to have a wide-eyed or bulging stare.
* Bloodshot appearance to eyes
* Double vision (doctors call it diplopia)
* Impaired vision
Thyroid Eye Disease is known to go through varying degrees of severity, and can go into periods of remission as well. When it has been inactive for a period of around a half a year, it’s less likely to recur. Treatments for Thyroid Eye Disease range from lubricating eyedrops and ointments to, in very rare cases, surgery”
What it doesn’t say here is that you could experience changes in your eyelashes and if indeed you are diagnosed, Latisse may not be the treatment for you.
I treat a myriad of thyroid-related eye disease in my practice in Woodbury, NY. If you think you may be experiencing any of these symptoms, make an appointment with your Endocrinologist or Internist to get a complete physical and thorough blood work up.
Treatment is available and your condition can be managed. And of course, any questions, just shoot me an email at info@schlessingereyeandface.com or give me a call in my office 516.496.2122.
Dr. Schlessinger