Thyroid associated orbitopathy

Abstract

Thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) is the most frequent extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves’ disease. It is an autoimmune process affecting the retrobulbar tissue. It is the most common cause of bilateral and unilateral exophthalmos among adults. The clinical presentation may vary from mild disease to severe irreversible sight-threatening complications. Till date, TAO remains a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Diagnosis of orbitopathy is mainly clinical and treatment is based on the clinical severity of the disease. In this article, we review the pathophysiology, epidemiology, classification, clinical presentation, and management of this common yet challenging orbital inflammatory disease.