Abstract
Treatment recommended for thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy varies with the particular expression of the disease in a given patient. Medical therapy may be beneficial in the early phase before extensive fibrosis of retro-ocular muscles and connective tissue is established. Although corticosteroids reliably suppress acute inflammatory changes, evidence supporting efficacy of plasmapheresis, immunosuppressive drugs, iodine-131 ablation, and radiotherapy is inconclusive. Surgery on eyelids, extraocular muscles, and orbit effectively rehabilitates most patients with even the most severe ophthalmopathy while having no effect on the underlying autoimmune process. Future research should include continued attempts to identify the putative target antigens in the orbit and to define the controls of glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Until prevention by immunologic or other medical means is attainable, surgery on orbit, muscles, and eyelids appears the most effective mode of treatment for correction of the functional and cosmetic consequences of the ophthalmopathy associated with autoimmune thyroid disease.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
