What to do if thyroid cancer causes vision loss

Thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor originating from the thyroid follicular epithelium or parafollicular cells. There are many reasons for visual impairment, including surgical complications, radiation damage, hypothyroidism, metastatic cancer, etc. It is recommended to seek medical attention in time and conduct targeted treatment after the cause is identified to avoid delaying the disease.

1. Surgical complications: Surgery is the preferred treatment for thyroid cancer. However, due to the complex anatomical structure around the thyroid gland, surgery may damage the recurrent laryngeal nerve and superior laryngeal nerve, causing hoarseness, coughing when drinking water, and even difficulty breathing and suffocation after surgery, which can lead to vision loss in patients. Damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve can be treated by taking methylcobalamin tablets orally after surgery to repair the damaged nerves and provide symptomatic treatment;

2. Radiation damage: During thyroid surgery, the neck needs to be exposed to radiation, which may damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss. At the same time, patients may develop cervical fibrosis after surgery, which may cause dysphagia and further increase the degree of vision loss. Glucocorticoids should be given according to the doctor's advice to relieve mucosal edema and dysphagia, and rehabilitation training can be carried out to promote vision recovery;

3. Hypothyroidism: After thyroidectomy, patients may experience hypothyroidism, which leads to decreased metabolic rate and decreased sympathetic nerve excitability, resulting in decreased vision. You can take levothyroxine sodium tablets orally as prescribed by your doctor to improve the symptoms of hypothyroidism, and pay attention to the appropriate intake of iodine-containing foods in daily life, such as kelp, seaweed, etc.;

4. Metastatic cancer: Some patients with advanced thyroid cancer may experience cervical lymph node metastasis, which compresses the optic nerve and causes vision loss. It is necessary to promptly remove the primary lesion through surgery, and cooperate with radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells.