Thyroid-Associated Orbitopathy: Management and Treatment

ABSTRACT

Thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) is a leading cause of orbital and strabismus symptoms in adults. Over the last decade, new treatments have greatly changed available options to alleviate symptoms and improve outcomes. This article discusses the pathophysiology and natural disease course of TAO, including when to pursue urgent treatment and when to consider other diagnoses. This article highlights the interventions that may alter the disease course and offers a comprehensive review on evidence-based interventions for both supportive therapy and systemic agents. The surgical strategies and principles for the treatment of TAO are discussed, including indications for combined surgical interventions and varying surgical techniques.

KEYWORDS:

• Thyroid-associated orbitopathy
• thyroid eye disease
• thyroid ophthalmopathy
• Graves’ ophthalmopathy

Disclosure statement

Institutional Review Board submission was not required for this manuscript as this article is a major review.

Permissions

The authors received written permission from the subjects to use and print their photographs. The authors received written permission from Elsevier for the re-print of Kalmann and Mourits’ Figure 1.

Additional information

Funding

SLR is funded in part by an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, NY.