The Effect of Intravenous Glucocorticoids on the Tearfilm in Eyes With Thyroid-associated Ophthalmopathy
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2017-05-18
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), also called Graves' ophthalmopathy or thyroid eye
disease, is a common orbital disease in adults. Patients with TAO, especially in its active
phase, often complain about symptoms of ocular surface discomfort, including excess tearing,
gritty sensation, increased sensitivity to light and foreign-body sensation, which are
similar to inflammatory ocular surface disorders such as dry-eye syndrome (DES). Incomplete
blink, increased proptosis and greater palpebral fissure width in TAO accelerates tear
evaporation, which increases the tear fluid's osmolarity, and results in ocular surface
damage. The administration of intravenous glucocorticoids can be an effective treatment for
TAO.
The rationale of the present study is to assess the effect of intravenously administered
glucocorticoids on the signs of DES in patients with TAO with new methods such as measurement
of tear film thickness, tear film osmolarity and scattering of the tear film and well
established methods for assessment of the severity of DES. Additionally, impression cytology
and determination of tear cytokines/chemokines will be performed to obtain information about
inflammatory processes on the ocular surface.