Thyroid eye disease is an autoimmune disorder and its occurrence and severity cannot be predicted. However, there are certain simple life-style related changes that can make life easier for a patient with TED.

Quit smoking!                                                                                                                                                  If you have thyroid eye disease, cigarette smoking is going to make it worse. This is proven beyond doubt by medical research. Not only smoking, but even ‘second smoke’ from your friends who might harm you. The same applies to tobacco chewing too. So say no to Nicotine!


How to reduce fluid bags around the eyes                                                                                        Many patients with thyroid eye disease have fluid collection around the eyes, especially in the morning half of the day. It makes them look soggy, tired, and lazy. This happens because during  sleep as we lie still, fluid collects within the loose (and swollen) tissues around the eyes.Here are a few useful tips to reduce it naturally:

Slightly raising the ‘head end’ of your bed can do wonders to avoid this puffiness. For this, you need to slide in a brick or a wooden block under the head end of your  bed (just taking extra pillows won’t help, but the entire bed needs to be inclined) such that your head is slightly at a higher position than your body throughout sleep.

A 5-15 mins of cardio exercise immediately after waking up (yes, even before you brush/bathe) can expedite the process of draining away the collected fluid around the eye, thereby helping to reduce the puffiness. Skipping, jogging, or treadmill are good options.

Avoid salty meals which add to the fluid accumulation around your eyes, especially in thyroid eye disease patients. So the next time you have puffy eyes after a yummy Chinese dinner, you know what caused it!