The aim of the trial is to compare different treatments for Thyroid Eye Disease. This is a website for patients who have been invited to enroll in the trial and for health professionals who are interested in the trial.
Thyroid eye disease is also known as TED, Graves orbitopathy, dysthyroid eye disease or thyroid associated ophthalmopathy. Although there is thought to be an association between the thyroid gland and TED, patients can have an overactive thyroid, an underactive thyroid or even normal thyroid hormone levels.
The pathology of TED is not fully understood. It is thought to be an autoimmune process in which a patient’s own immune cells damage the tissues around the eye. This can lead to swelling of the eyelids and muscles around the eye, potentially restricting eye movement and causing double vision. The eye is also often pushed forward and appears more prominent (called proptosis or exophthalmos). Other symptoms include red eyes, watering, gritty discomfort, sensitivity to light or blurred vision. In its most severe form, swelling at the back of the eye can press on the nerve the optic nerve and threaten vision.
To test the hypotheses that in patients treated with prednisolone for Active TED: