From Mary Shomon Your Thyroid Guide
Radiation May Not Help Graves' Ophthalmopathy Patients
September, 2001
According to research in the journal Ophthalmology (2001;108:1523-1534), radiation treatment for thyroid eye disease may not be useful, and research doesn't show any convincing reason for the treatment.
In Graves' ophthalmopathy -- also known as thyroid eye disease -- patients can experience bulging eyes, double vision, and other vision and eye-related problems.
The researchers looked at 42 patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy, and treated one eye with radiation, and the other eye received a placebo. At At follow-up, 3 and 6 months post-radiation, no significant
differences were observed between the treated and untreated eyes.
In a statement on their research, the scientists concluded that "Because this treatment is still in wide use, is expensive and is not without risk, it is our belief that it should not be used for patients with mild or moderately severe ophthalmopathy."
(Ophthalmology, 2001;108:1523-1534)
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