Thyroid Eye Disease : A Review for the Postgraduates
Introduction: Thyroid eye disease (TED) or thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) also called Basedow-Grave’s disease. It is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder characterized by enlargement of the orbital fat and extraocular muscles.1 It is a consequence of thyroid gland dysfunction, where antibodies are targeted against thyrotropin receptors (TSHR) known as thyroid-stimulating globulin(TSI).1 It is independent of the serum level of the circulating hormone levels. 2 TED is characterized by an active or inflammatory stage and an inactive or fibrotic stage. The active or the inflammatory stage is characterized by inflammation, adipogenesis, and accumulation of extracellular fluid, glycosaminoglycans which in turn causes enlargement of the extraocular muscles and expansion of the orbital fat. Once the inflammation settles, there is predominant scarring of the orbital tissues which marks the onset of the fibrotic stage. The natural course of the disease is quite variable. The majority of TED

