Prevent Blindness provides free educational materials on Thyroid Eye Disease, including a new patient-featured episode of the Focus on Eye Health Expert series, fact sheets, social media graphics and dedicated webpages
Prevent Blindness has declared Nov. 18-24, 2024, as its fifth annual “Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) Awareness Week.” TED, also known as Graves’ Eye Disease or Graves’ ophthalmopathy, is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system causes inflammation and swelling and stimulates the production of muscle tissue and fat behind the eye. This year’s TED Awareness Week is supported by Amgen, Immunovant, Inc., Tourmaline Bio, Inc., and Viridian Therapeutics.
A recent study found that patients with TED are more likely to develop depression and anxiety. They may also feel reduced self-confidence, a decreased desire to socialize with others, and difficulties with productivity at school or work. Prevent Blindness offers TED patients and others the Vision Loss and Mental Wellness resource from its Living Well With Low Vision program. The dedicated webpage offers tips to support mental health and links to mental health organizations.
To help educate patients, care partners, and healthcare professionals, Prevent Blindness provides a variety of free TED educational resources, including comprehensive fact sheets and social media graphics, available in English and Spanish, and a dedicated web page.
Thyroid Eye Disease and the Ted Community
featuring Christine Gustafson, Executive Director and CEO of the TED Community Organization
“We are in an exciting time of offering hope and help to those with thyroid eye disease and their care partners, thanks to access to new treatment options and the development of new medications on the horizon,” said Jeff Todd, Prevent Blindness president and CEO. “Because TED often impacts vision and mental health, our goal is to provide the public, patients, and care partners with information needed to understand and mitigate the effects of TED and help patients enjoy a high quality of life for years to come.”
