Each year, approximately 1 million Americans learn that they are victims of Graves' eye disease, an autoimmune disorder that can lead to blindness. The disease most frequently attacks women in their 20s and 30s, but men also are at risk. Smokers are at greater risk of developing the disease and of suffering permanent damage from it. Flax seed may help your body to fight the inflammation associated with Graves' eye disease, but it is risky because it may boost your body's already overactive immune response. Consult your doctor before adding flax seed or any other supplement to your diet because of possible adverse effects or interaction with your medications.
Definition
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder in which your body misidentifies your thyroid as a foreign object and your white blood cells attack it. In the fight for survival, your thyroid produces an excess quantity of thyroid hormone, which may cause high blood pressure, heart palpitations, heat intolerance and fatigue. Graves' eye disease, also called thyroid eye disease, is a form of Graves' disease where the autoimmune response also affects your eyes. The connective tissue within your eyes and the muscles that move them are particularly vulnerable because they contain proteins that are similar to that found in thyroid tissue. Your ocular symptoms may include bulging eyes, inability to close your eyelids completely, swelling in your eyelids, redness, itching, burning, a scratchy feeling and watering.
Progression
In most cases, the eye bulging associated with Graves' eye disease makes it difficult or impossible for you to close your eyes completely. As a result, your tears do not adequately clean and lubricate the full surface of your cornea, which leaves it vulnerable to irritation and infection from dust and dirt. In severe cases, some patients develop ulcers on their corneas. Swelling inside your eye socket also can pinch the optic nerve, which may cause vision loss. Between 10 percent and 20 percent of Graves' eye disease patients experience symptoms that could cause permanent loss of sight, according to experts at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center. Damage to your eye muscles can restrict movement and you may experience double vision because your eyes cannot move together. If you do not receive treatment, you may experience scarring, which could make the double vision permanent.
Flax Seed Oil
Flax seed oil contains acid alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that your body uses to produce omega-3 fatty acids, which help to decrease inflammation. Before you add this supplement to your diet, however, consult your doctor, because flax seed also boosts your immune system. Since Graves' disease is the result of misdirected immune activity, your doctor will want to weigh carefully the anti-inflammatory benefits against the risk of increasing the immune system damage to your thyroid. Flax seed also carries risks if you take it with other medications, especially blood thinners.
Treatment
Your doctor may prescribe a drug such as propylthiouracil or methimazole to counteract your thyroid's ability to produce hormones. A relapse is possible, however, even if you continue to take the medication as directed. If your case is severe, your doctor may use radiation or radio iodine therapy to reduce the inflammation. Some doctors use steroids, either alone or in combination with radiation, to combat swelling. Surgery is an option to relieve pressure on your optic nerve and to create space behind your eye to allow it to move back into the socket in its normal position.
References
- University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center: Graves' Eye Disease or Thyroid Eye Disease
- University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences: Thyroid Eye Disease
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Hypothyroidism
- MayoClinic.com: Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil
- MayoClinic.com: Graves Disease
- All About Vision: Using Flaxseed Oil and Fish Oil to Relieve Dry Eye
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