Bulging of the eyeballs associated with hyperthyroidism is called?

• A. Exophthalmos
• B. Ptosis
• C. Enophthalmos
• D. Strabismus

Answer: (A)

Exophthalmos is the outward bulging of the eyeballs, a sign often seen with hyperthyroidism, especially Graves’ disease. In this condition, autoimmune processes cause the tissues behind the eye to swell and the extraocular muscles and orbital fat to enlarge, pushing the globe forward. Clinically, this leads to a wide-eyed appearance and can expose the cornea if the lids don’t close fully.

This is distinct from other terms: ptosis is drooping of the upper eyelid, enophthalmos is backward displacement making the eye appear sunken, and strabismus is misalignment of the eyes. On imaging, you’d look for forward displacement of the globe and enlarged orbital tissues to correlate with exophthalmos.