[Research advances in the pathogenesis of dry eye in thyroid associated ophthalmopathy]

Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is the most common orbital disease in adults. Ocular surface diseases are the most common cause of ocular discomfort in patients with TAO, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients. The manifestations of ocular surface damage include dry eye, conjunctival congestion, edema, exposure keratitis, superficial punctate keratopathy and superior limbal keratoconjunctivitis, among which the incidence of dry eye is the highest. The pathogenesis of dry eye in TAO is rather complex. In addition to the exposure of the ocular surface caused by anatomical changes such as proptosis and eyelid retraction, in recent years, an increasing number of studies have indicated that ocular surface microenvironmental damages such as immune injury of the lacrimal gland, abnormal structure and function of meibomian glands, and chronic ocular surface inflammation are also involved in its pathogenesis. This article reviews the latest research progress on the ocular surface changes in patients with TAO and the pathogenesis of its dry eye, hoping to provide assistance for the clinical treatment of dry eye in TAO.