Bulging Eyes (Exophthalmos)

When an abnormal amount of the eye "white" is exposed, it may be because the eyeball is pushed forward. When this happens, the cause is often a swelling or growth that occurs behind the eye. The eye may feel dry and the patient may have difficulty seeing and may have double vision or blurriness. The eyelid may not close properly.

The most common cause of bulging eyes is Graves' disease, a type of hyperthyroidism (which is an overactive thyroid gland). Other causes may be eye tumors or an eye infection. Other people simply have shallow eye sockets as their normal appearance.