Evaluation of the central corneal thickness, retinal thickness and intraocular pressure in patients with euthyroid hashimoto"s thyroiditis

Abstract

Aims:There are few data concerning the effects of thyroid disorders on intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT) and retinal thickness (RT) and to our knowledge no data have been reported in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). In this study we aimed to evaluate the alterations in IOP, CCT and RT in patients with euthyroid HT. Methods:In this cross-sectional study we examined IOP, CCT and RT in patients with euthyroid HT and age and gender matched controls. Results:We evaluated 80 eyes of 40 patients with euthyroid HT and 96 eyes of 48 controls. Serum sensitive thyroid stimulating hormone (sTSH) (2.10±1.04 vs 1.92±1.23 uIU/ml), free triiodothyronine (fT3) (3.19±0.43 vs 3.14±0.34 pg/ml), and free tetraiodothyronine (fT4) (1.20±0.14 vs 1.18±0.13 ng/dl) levels were similar between the two groups. No statistically significant difference was observed in mean RT (266.93± 26.46 vs 275.35± 38.81 µm), CCT (533.68±29.28 vs 540.06±29.13 µm), or IOP (13.98±2.42 vs 14.32±2.62 mmHg) between HT patients and controls. In the HT group Anti-TPO was negatively correlated with mean RT (r = −0.227, p = 0.033). Conclusions:We have found no differences in CCT, RT and IOP between euthyroid HT patients and controls. In the present study, however there was a negative correlation between the anti-TPO levels and RT.

Association between Thyroid Function and Ocular Parameters

“…However, it should be noted that our study lacked ethnic diversity, since it included only Caucasians of Croatian origin. The results of our study support those studies that did not observe a change in corneal thickness in hypothyroidism [ 7 , 17 , 20 , 25 ]. A patient with hyperthyroidism had a shallow anterior chamber depth [ 34 ], which was in accordance with our results, since a decrease in anterior chamber depth was observed in patients with hyperthyroidism.…”

“…In their study that included 31 subjects with congenital hypothyroidism and 19 healthy individuals, they observed no change in corneal parameters (central corneal thickness, corneal curvature, corneal volume and anterior elevation, and posterior elevation at the thinnest point) in diagnosed and treated congenital hypothyroidism [ 20 ]. A study that included 40 patients with euthyroid Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and 48 healthy controls found no difference in central corneal thickness, retinal thickness, and IOP between these two groups, while the levels of TPOAb negatively correlated with the retinal thickness [ 25 ]. Additionally, a study that included 48 patients with HT and 49 healthy controls did not observe a significant difference in central corneal thickness between these two groups, while IOPcc was significantly higher in the HT group [ 17 ].…”

“…However, our study showed the presence of thicker corneas in patients with hyperthyroidism compared to healthy individuals. In patients with hypothyroidism, either no change [ 7 , 17 , 20 , 25 ], a decrease [ 18 ], or an increase [ 19 , 21 ] in corneal thickness compared to healthy individuals was observed. However, it should be noted that our study lacked ethnic diversity, since it included only Caucasians of Croatian origin.…”