Issue 6/2023
Stoyanova, N., Mitkova-Hristova, V., Konareva-Kostyaneva, M., Sivkova, N.
Department of Eye Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University – Plovdiv
Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting the soft tissues of the orbit in patients with thyroid autoimmune pathology. The clinical signs are determined by the development of an autoimmune inflammatory process in the orbital soft tissues and the extraocular muscle infiltration, which leads to an increase in their volume. The diagnosis of TAO is usually not difficult to establish, especially in patients with exophthalmos, eyelid retraction and a history of an autoimmune thyroid disease. It is based on: assessment of the thyroid status – FT3, FT4, TSH, antithyroid antibodies, complete ophthalmological examination including visus, anterior eye segment, fundus, exophthalmometry, tonometry, computer perimetry, evaluation of color vision and eye motility and imaging – MRI, CT, ultrasound of the orbits and extraocular muscles.
Address for correspondence:
Stoyanova, N.
Department of Eye Diseases, Faculty of Medicine,
Medical University – Plovdiv
4000, Plovdiv
15A, „Vasil Aprilov“, Blvd.