Wendy Williams: Why Graves Disease Could Make Her Eyes Appear To Bulge — A Doctor Explains

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New photos of Wendy Williams show her with a startled expression and her eyes appearing to bulge. A doctor explains how Graves Disease, which the talk show host suffers from, could be causing this effect.

Wendy Williams, 53, has admitted that she suffers from Graves Disease and that the condition can make her eyes appear more prominently, but new photos on June 15 made this effect seem even more extreme. Could Graves actually make Wendy’s eyes appear to bulge? Yes, explains California GP Dr. Ranjeet Singh who spoke to HollywoodLife.com in an EXCLUSIVE interview. “Graves is an autoimmune disease that is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in the USA,” Dr. Singh said. “When Hyperthyroidism is paired with Graves, it can lead to eye inflammation, causing swelling of the tissues behind the eye sockets, and the eyes to ‘bulge’. Not all people with Graves develop eye inflammation though, it occurs in roughly a third of cases, but, when it does occur, a patient should ensure they undergo evaluation with an ophthalmologist as soon as possible, as if left untreated, it can lead to serious vision problems, and even blindness in some cases.”

Although Wendy has never confirmed whether or not she’s having complications with the disease, the eye inflammation would definitely explain her shocked look. In addition to information about the eye troubles that Graves can cause, Dr. Singh went into more specifics about how how hypothyroidism develops. “When a person has Graves, their body produces antibodies that bind to the receptors on the surface of the thyroid gland, causing an overproduction of hormones, and resulting in an overactive thyroid,” she explained. “The thyroid is a gland that’s positioned in the neck, it secretes hormones that regulate a person’s metabolic rate and temperature, and helps ensure that all of the body’s organs function correctly. Hyperthyroidism can lead to an array of different issues, including weight loss, fainting, racing heart, heat intolerance, manic behavior, problems with sleeping, muscle weakness, and hand tremors.”

What can Wendy do to treat the complications of Graves? Luckily, there are options. “The first step in controlling Graves’ disease hyperthyroidism is medication, patients will be prescribed beta-blockers, in addition to antithyroid drugs,” Dr. Singh continued. “They will be monitored closely, and if the hyperthyroidism persists after a six month period, radioactive iodine or surgery will be recommended as the next step. Graves disease isn’t curable, but hyperthyroidism is generally controllable, and once the correct plan has been devised, treatment is usually successful.”

It’s good to know that Wendy’s disease can be maintained. Her recent suspecting look isn’t the first time questions about Wendy’s health made headlines. Back in Oct. the talk show host scared everyone when she fainted on live television while dressed as the Statue of Liberty for Halloween. She later said she was fine and just overheated in her costume.