What causes bulging eyes? What are the disease factors?

Protruding eyeballs can have a great impact on us. In many cases, it is caused by some diseases, so it must not be ignored. Common causes include tumor factors, inflammation, trauma, and common myopia. High myopia can also cause protruding eyeballs.

1. Inflammatory exophthalmos Inflammation of the tissues around the eyeball can cause exophthalmos. Local inflammation and swelling of the eye will push the eyeball forward. Such as eye fasciitis, orbital periostitis, orbital cellulitis, etc., can cause exophthalmos.

2. Tumors cause exophthalmos. This type of tumor is mostly located at the back or side of the eyeball. Some occur directly on the eye socket, while others extend from nearby paranasal sinuses. Due to the space occupied by the tumor, the eyeball moves forward and protrudes. In this case, whether it is a benign tumor or a malignant tumor, surgical treatment should be performed as soon as possible.

3. Endocrine exophthalmos This is the most common cause of exophthalmos, which can be divided into thyroxine-induced exophthalmos and thyrotropin-induced exophthalmos. The former is caused by hyperthyroidism, and the latter refers to the significant exophthalmos caused by excessive secretion of thyrotropin from the pituitary gland.

4. High myopia: If high myopia is not corrected in time, it will also cause exophthalmos. This is due to excessive adjustment of the extraocular muscles and ciliary muscles, which causes excessive pressure on the eyeball.

5. Trauma: Eye trauma such as orbital blowout fracture, intraorbital hemorrhage, intraorbital emphysema, etc. can cause exophthalmos. In addition, neonatal birth injuries may also cause exophthalmos.

6. Intermittent exophthalmos: This condition occurs in patients with congenital or acquired orbital varicose veins. When they lower their heads or hold their breath, their eyeballs bulge out due to congestion and stagnation of the intraorbital veins. When the head is upright or lying on its back, the eyeballs can recover and even become slightly sunken, so it is called intermittent exophthalmos.

7. Fluctuating exophthalmos is mainly caused by the rupture of the internal carotid artery and the communication with the cavernous sinus cavity, which is more common in patients with trauma or arteriosclerosis. It manifests as unilateral or bilateral bulging of the eyeballs, and the patient can hear a rumbling sound in the ear that is consistent with the rhythm of the heartbeat.