The Natural Course of Strabismus associated with Thyroid Ophthalmopathy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study investigated the natural course of strabismus associated with thyroid ophthalmopathy. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on the medical records of 31 patients with strabismus associated with thyroid ophthalmopathy who had been followed up for more than 6 months and had not received surgery. For the purpose of this study, a significant change of deviation angle was defined as more than 10 prism diopters in the primary position. RESULTS: Forty-two percent of patients showed a significant change in deviation angle during the observation period of 23.8+/-17.7 months. The direction of the change was vertical in 32%, horizontal in 3%, and vertical and horizontal in 6% of patients. A significant change of deviation angle developed in 30% of patients within 6 months from the initial ophthalmologic examination, in 24% between 6 and 12 months, and in 13% of patients between 12 and 18 months from the initial examination. CONCLUSIONS: Although the deviation angle of strabismus associated with thyroid ophthalmopathy tended to stabilize with time, it nonetheless was susceptible to change even 12 months after the initial ophthalmologic examination. In addition, a vertical change in the deviation angle was more frequent than a horizontal change.