Clinical Challenges: Long-Term Management of Thyroid Eye Disease

After thyroid eye disease (TED) is diagnosed and patients are started on initial treatment options, clinicians next have to focus on long-term management of the condition. “Long-term care for TED often requires a team of doctors,” said Terry J. Smith, MD, of Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, noting that the disease is both serious and progressive. Because up to half of patients with Graves’ disease typically go on to develop TED, long-term patient care should be co-managed by an endocrinologist and TED eye specialist, Smith told MedPage Today.

“Eye specialists managing TED can include oculoplastic surgeons, neuro-ophthalmologists, strabismus ophthalmologists, or optometrists who specialize in diagnosing and treating TED,” he said. “I recommend that all patients with Graves’ disease undergo a baseline comprehensive eye exam with an eye specialist and follow up with a specialist at the first sign of any eye symptoms.”

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