[The effect of surgical treatment on thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy]

To evaluate the effect of muscle surgery on strabismus caused by extraocular muscle for thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), and assess the change of vision acuity, intraocular pressure, visual field and blood flow velocity in central retinal artery that made by surgery treatment.

Recession and release of the extraocular muscles were used in 17 TAO patients (20 eyes) with strabismus caused by the change of extraocular muscles. In those patients one of them was undergone superior rectus tendon resection and other one was undergone superior rectus suspension. Another patient right eye was undergone inferior rectus recession and the left one with superior rectus recession. For rest of 14 patients with 17 eyes inferior rectus recession was performed. The vision acuity, intraocular pressure, visual field, and blood flow velocity in central retinal artery were measured pre- and post-operatively.

In 17 patients (20 eyes), 5 eyes vision acuity improved two or more lines and 15 eyes was unchanged postoperatively. Intraocular pressure and mean defect of visual field showed statistically significance (P < 0.01). The peak systolic velocity (PSV) and the end diastolic velocity (EDV) were significantly increased, and the resistance index (IR) was significantly reduced (P < 0.05).

Muscle surgery of strabismus caused by extraocular muscle for TAO in the quiescent period can eliminate strabismus, decrease intraocular pressure, improve visual field and blood flow velocity in central retinal artery.