Preventing Graves' Ophthalmopathy

Graves' ophthalmopathy and Graves' hyperthyroidism are closely linked, but the precise relation between these different expressions of the same disease is poorly understood. One much-debated issue is whether ophthalmopathy develops or becomes more severe as a result of the treatment of hyperthyroidism with antithyroid drugs, thyroidectomy, or radioiodine. The question must be considered in the context of the natural history of Graves' ophthalmopathy. In patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism, eye disease appears before the onset of hyperthyroidism in about 20 percent, at the same time as hyperthyroidism in about 40 percent, and after hyperthyroidism in about 40 percent. Furthermore, this eye . . .