{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Thyroid Mystery Solved: Hashimoto's and Hypothyroidism Revealed","title":"080 The Link Between Dry Eyes and Your Thyroid w/ Dr. Rani","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2394,"description":"The Case:  Jane has been experiencing dry, irritated eyes for the past 2 years She’s treated them with steroid drops and antihistamines but the problem persists After consulting many doctors and taking tests, there seem to be no answers.    Eye irritations can range from dry, itchy eyes to puffiness. Most people reach for over-the-counter eye drops or antihistamines for temporary relief. If it’s caused by the environment or allergies, this might solve the issue but when it persists - there may be a bigger issue at play.    The Investigation My sense was that another organ was driving her eye issues. I suspected that it actually wasn’t  an eye issue, so to solve this health mystery, we had to look outside the box. And, I knew just who to contact, Dr. Rudrani Banik (Dr. Rani). She’s a board-certified and fellowship-trained Neuro-Ophthalmologist with a functional medicine approach. You may remember her, she was on episode 50.  Dr. Rani confirmed that eye issues aren’t always just about the eyes.    The Eye Thyroid Connection The thyroid is related to the health of your eyes. The receptors on the thyroid look very similar to the receptors that are found on the connective tissue in the eye socket. When there are issues with the thyroid, specifically autoimmune issues, there is the possibility that the eyes can be affected. There are a lot of different eye issues that are related to either Graves Disease or Hashimoto’s (autoimmune issues related to the thyroid).  However, sometimes the eye issues present before the autoimmune issue is detected or diagnosed making the connection difficult to make.    Symptoms of Thyroid Eye Disease The symptoms of thyroid eye issues can start out like many eye issues. For example, you might have dryness, irritation, redness, puffiness or swollen lids. The usual course of action for these symptoms might be to use drops (including over the counter and steroid gel drops), antihistamines or both but if these don’t work, these may be...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/9ZbRr0xzgu8-YRnig2AcyeY_Nu_m2EBquTr83LV8K2g/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQ4NTg5LzE3MTE1/NjQxMDktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}