According to British researchers, radiation to the eye areas, a procedure known as “orbital radiotherapy,” is not effective as a solo treatment to deal with thyroid eye disease, and in particular, reducing or eliminating double vision. In the research, patients were looked at over a six year period, and assessments were conducted 3, 12, and 24 months after the treatment. Among the patients studied, radiotherapy resulted in no change in patients who had double vision. Approximately half of the patients went on to require surgery.

While orbital radiotherapy is extensively used to treat thyroid eye disease, this is one of the first times the effectiveness on the eye’s motor function and impact on the disabling diplopia/double vision symptom has been evaluated.

Source: "Radiotherapy in thyroid eye disease: The effect on the field of binocular single vision," Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, April 2002, Vol. 6, Number 2.