What causes bulging eyes?

Some friends feel that their eyeballs are more protruding than those of ordinary people, and wonder if it is caused by some disease of their eyeballs. If the eyeball is protruding, it is recommended to go to an ophthalmologist for examination before making a final diagnosis. There are many reasons for exophthalmos.

(1) Inflammatory exophthalmos

It is mostly caused by local, adjacent tissue and systemic inflammation, such as eye fasciitis, orbital cellulitis, cavernous sinus thrombosis, panophthalmitis, etc. In addition to bulging eyes, there are also signs of inflammation such as local redness, swelling, heat, and pain.

(2) Orbital tumor

It is one of the common causes of exophthalmos; most of them are benign, with hemangioma being the majority, and the onset is slow. The main manifestations are exophthalmos, normal or decreased vision, and unobstructed eye movement. Common ones include hemangioma, meningioma, lacrimal gland tumor, neurotheca tumor, etc.; malignant tumors include leiomyoma, etc.

(3) Vascular exophthalmos

It is more common in internal carotid cavernous sinus fistula and orbital varicose veins. The former is more common after trauma, with bulging of one or both eyes, a pulsating feeling when touched, and a rumbling sound when auscultated. The exophthalmos and pulsation may disappear when the internal carotid artery is compressed, so it is called pulsating exophthalmos. The latter may be congenital or acquired, and the eyeball may bulge when the person lowers his head or holds his breath. The eyeball may recover when the head is upright or lying on his back, so it is called intermittent exophthalmos. It is mainly caused by congestion of the orbital veins.

(4) Exophthalmos due to orbital bone deformity

Due to various reasons, orbital bone deformity occurs, which reduces the volume of the orbital contents and causes exophthalmos. It is common in congenital acrocephaly, congenital ectopia of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone, hydrocephalus, etc.

(5) Traumatic exophthalmos

It is caused by local trauma to the eyes and orbit, resulting in orbital hemorrhage, tissue edema and emphysema.

(6) Thyroid exophthalmos

It mostly occurs in women, with both eyes, moderate protrusion of the eyeballs, and may be accompanied by enlarged palpebral fissures, reduced blinking, etc. At the same time, there are symptoms of hyperthyroidism throughout the body.