The appearance of a person with TED is characteristic. Some well-known people with TED include former American First Lady Barbara Bush and actors Maria Aitken, Marty Feldman and Miriam Karlin. The eyes usually protrude and become starey, red and inflamed.
Bags appear above and below the eyes.
Sometimes patients develop obvious squints. Most people who are unfortunate enough to get TED have mild eye problems but in a few the condition can be severe and cause serious damage to vision. Common symptoms include irritable eyes, excessive watering, smarting and aching behind the eyes. In more advanced cases, there is double vision and persistent blurred vision. Because TED is relatively rare, the diagnosis can be missed.