Intraocular pressure and proptosis in 95 patients with craves ophthalmopathy

PURPOSE: To study the cause of ocular hypertension in patients with Graves ophthalmopathy, METHODS: Intraocular pressure was measured in 190 eyes of 95 patients (mean age, 42 years; range, 11 to 86 years) with Graves ophthalmopathy. In sis eyes (four patients), changes in intraocular pressure were also analyzed upon orbital decompression, RESULTS: The mean intraocular pressure +/- SD in 190 eyes was 18.36 +/- 4.02 mm Hg (range, 10 to 34 mm Hg). The intraocular pressure in 42 od the 190 eyes was 21 mm Hg or more. The intraocular pressure in 76 eyes with proptosis of 19 mm or more was 19.96 +/- 4.49 mm Hg (range, lit to 34 mm Mg), whereas the intraocular pressure in 114 eyes with proptosis of less than 19 mm was 17.08 +/- 3.38 mm Hg (range, 10 to 28 mm Mg). The difference in the values between these two groups is statistically significant (two-tailed t test, P <.001). The mean intraocular pressure in six eyes decreased from 23.23 to 18.82 mn; Hg upon orbital decompression, a difference thar was statistically significant (two-tailed paired t test, P <.001), The coefficient of outflow facility was normal in these sir: eyes. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that ocular hypertension in patients with Graves ophthalmopathy is caused, in part, by increased intraorbital pressure associated with proptosis.