Introduction
Most people have had to deal with swollen eyelids at some point. Often the swelling of the eyelids is accompanied by dark circles under the eyes, which gives those affected an exhausted and overtired impression. Very often such situations occur after a much too short night.
However, too much alcohol the night before, especially salty or protein-rich food or simply an unfavorable sleeping position can also lead to swollen eyelids. In most cases, the unpleasant but harmless swelling of the eyelids disappears again within a short time. Of course, a swelling of the eyelids can also have serious reasons or be an expression of a disease. In such cases the swelling usually does not disappear by itself and must be examined by a doctor in any case.
Causes
At the beginning, affected persons often ask themselves the question why eyelids tend to swell at all? The reason is due to the structure and anatomy of the skin around the eyelids. The skin around the eyelids is particularly sensitive due to its composition.
On the eyelid, it measures only about one third of the thickness of the rest of the facial skin. It also lacks both the tightening connective tissue and the subcutaneous layer, which are normally responsible for heat storage, nourishment and cushioning. However, the skin of the eyelids, like the rest of the body, also contains the small lymph vessels that transport lymph through our body and thus ensure a sufficient supply of nutrients and at the same time a continuous removal of waste products.
If a congestion of the lymph in the vessels occurs, whether due to increased alcohol consumption the night before or simply an unfavorable position during sleep, the fluid quickly accumulates here and the vessels must expand to accommodate this additional volume. This explains why even the smallest amounts of fluid that accumulate under the eyes lead to a highly visible swelling of the eyelids. The causes that can lead to this lymph congestion with subsequent swelling of the eyelids are manifold.
In addition to the already mentioned alcohol consumption or position while sleeping, allergies or other eye diseases can also cause the eyelids to become temporarily thick. Other possible causes include barley or hailstones, tumors around the eyes, conjunctivitis, dry eyes, orbital obstruction, and local or generalized allergic reactions. In addition, swelling of the eyelids may also occur as a result of kidney failure, Quincke’s edema, heart failure or thyroid problems.
Also, plain crying, heredity and age, a blow or bump on the eye or the area around the eyes, and the female cycle may cause temporary swelling of the eyelids. Crying can also cause the eyelids to swell and become thick. This is easily explained by the fact that crying and the increased production of tear fluid creates increased pressure in the eyes and the area around the eyes.
Especially the delicate and thin areas around the lower eyelid and below are very sensitive to this and tend to swell. This is all perfectly normal and as soon as you stop crying, the swelling will subside within a few hours. Since the kidneys are the central organs for regulating the body’s own fluid balance, kidney diseases often immediately affect the eyelids and cause them to swell and become thick due to an excessive volume of fluid.
The kidneys are extremely complex organs with many different structures, so that the diseases of the kidneys are manifold. In the so-called nephrotic syndrome, an inflammatory event in the kidneys, glomerulonephritis, there is a pronounced loss of the body’s own protein via the urine, as the damaged kidneys are no longer able to filter the proteins sufficiently and retain them in the body. The filter function itself is taken over by the so-called renal corpuscles, which can be impaired by badly controlled diabetes, infections, other metabolic disorders or medication.
If the body loses protein via the kidneys, the reaction is to accumulate fluid, which, due to the anatomical conditions described above, is first noticeable in the area of the eyelids.The thyroid gland is also one of the organ systems which, if it does not function properly and fulfil its task, can lead to swelling of the eyelids. This is also the case with hypothyroidism. If the thyroid gland is not able to produce enough hormones, this results in a general swelling of the connective tissue throughout the body.
As already described above, the connective tissue around the eyelids and around the eyes is particularly thin and accordingly susceptible. A persistent swelling of the eyelids is therefore to be interpreted as a warning sign and should result in a thyroid function test. If the thyroid gland is underactive, there are often other additional symptoms. A swelling of the eyelids alone does not necessarily indicate an underactive thyroid gland.