ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to find out whether saccadic eye movements of patients with different stages of thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) differ from those of healthy individuals. Horizontal and vertical saccades with an amplitude of 10°, 20°, 30° and 40° of 4 groups of 36 patients with different stages of TAO and 10 control subjects were recorded using the induction scleral search coil technique. Two constants of the main sequence (V0 and α) were calculated for each eye. Statistic analysis of the two constants revealed changes of saccadic properties in all stages of TAO. The changes were more pronounced in patients with severe acute and longstanding restrictive disease; they were less pronounced in those with early mild disease. To our surprise, however, patients without TAO but proven auto-immune thyroiditis revealed the most characteristic changes. Our results suggest that recordings of rapid eye movements and main sequence analysis of saccades could well contribute to the clinical assessment of TAO, especially when in doubt about existing TAO in thyroiditis.
