Some Causes and Features of Bulging Eyes
Cause |
Common Features* |
Tests |
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Eye symptoms: Pain, watering, dryness, irritation, sensitivity to light, double vision, and loss of vision Usually affecting both eyes General symptoms: Palpitations, anxiety, increased appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, inability to tolerate heat, increased sweating, and insomnia |
Blood tests to evaluate thyroid gland function Sometimes CT or MRI |
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Orbital cellulitis (infection of the tissue within the eye socket, or orbit) |
Affecting only one eye Eye redness, pain deep within the eye, pain when moving the eye, and aches in and around the eye Red and swollen eyelids Inability to fully move the eye in all directions Impaired vision or loss of vision Fever Sometimes preceded by symptoms of sinusitis |
CT or MRI |
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A mass in the eye socket such as a tumor (cancerous or not) or blood vessel malformation |
Loss of or a decrease in vision and pain in one eye Sometimes double vision or headache |
MRI or CT |
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Retrobulbar hemorrhage (bleeding in the eye socket) |
Usually affecting only one eye Symptoms that begin suddenly Loss of vision, double vision, and eye pain In people who have recently had eye surgery or an eye injury or who have a bleeding disorder |
CT or treatment done immediately |
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* Features include symptoms and the results of the doctor's examination. Features mentioned are typical but not always present. |
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CT = computed tomography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging. |
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