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Updated: May 27, 2026

Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach for Thyroid Lobectomy
Published on: May 12, 2023
The diagnosis and treatment of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy
Daniel J Gould1, Forrest S Roth, Charles N S Soparkar
1Department of Plastic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. djgould@bcm.edu
Background:
Little is written in the plastic surgery literature about thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), a condition that is separate from Graves-Basedow disease and may not be accompanied by hyperthyroidism. Many patients with this disease frequently seek periocular aesthetic reconstruction prior to medical workup.
Methods:
This study presents a comprehensive review of the literature surrounding TAO in order to better understand the prevalence, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and appropriate management of TAO.
Results:
TAO is frequently under- or misdiagnosed by health-care providers. Patients seeking blepharoplasty or other oculoplastic procedures may have underlying TAO, and the prevalence of TAO in patients who have had a blepharoplasty is approximately 3%. This condition occurs five times more often in women than in men. As a product of the relatively high prevalence of this disease and its underdiagnosis, TAO patients may experience perioperative and late complications due to surgery.
Conclusion:
Blepharoplasties performed on TAO patients must be undertaken with care and insight to avoid cosmetic and functional complications.
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