Corneal Tomographic Parameters in TGD
Corneal Tomographic Parameters in TGD
The current study involved analysis of the corneal tomographic parameters of patients with
 thyroid gland dysfunction (hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism), including those with an
 autoimmune etiology, in comparison to healthy controls without TGD, using pentacam, in an
 attempt to detect possible early corneal changes and to highlight whether early screening of
 those patients would be necessary for early detection of KC.
A total of 100 eyes of 50 patients with TGD and 100 eyes of 50 healthy controls were
 enrolled. Diagnosis of TGD was based on history, clinical examination and laboratory
 investigations. Exclusion criteria included previous thyroid medications, thyroidectomy,
 previous ocular surgery, corneal pathology and other risk factors of keratoconus (KC). All
 eyes were examined by Pentacam, (Oculus Optikgerate GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). Pentacam
 parameters were compared between TGD patients and controls. Spearman's correlation
 coefficient between different pentacam parameters and the level of free T4 and TSH was
 calculated.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  For TGD patients: Patients with a recent diagnosis of TGD (the study group) were
 recruited from endocrinology outpatient clinic of Specialized Medical Hospital,
 Mansoura University. Diagnosis of TGD was based on précised history, clinical
 examination and laboratory investigations. In order to avoid bias, patients with
 history of intake of any thyroid-related medications (antithyroid medications or
 thyroxine replacement), radioactive iodine or thyroidectomy were excluded from the
 study. Therefore, we only included patients who did not received treatment yet For the
 control group, fifty age and gender matched healthy subjects without known personal or
 family history of thyroid disease or any autoimmune diseases were recruited from
 candidates of refractive surgery referred to the outpatient clinic of Mansoura
 Ophthalmology Center for pentacam assessment and who were proved to have normal
 corneal pentacam parameters. They were further examined by the endocrinologist to
 exclude thyroid dysfunction; this was supported by normal thyroid function profile
 (serum TSH and free T4) and negative anti-TPO and antithyroglobulin antibodies.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  patients with previous thyroid medications or replacement therapy, thyroidectomy or
 radioactive iodine intake participants with a history of ocular surgery or trauma, use
 of any topical medication or contact lens wear, patients with any corneal pathology,
 Corneal dystrophy, corneal scarring or any concurrent ocular disease. To eliminate
 other risk factors for KC, we also excluded participants with a history of persistent
 eye rubbing, vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), atopy, Down syndrome, Turner's
 syndrome, or congenital rubella. Pregnant or lactating females were also excluded from
 the study.