Smokers with thyroid eye disease are twice as likely to require strabismus surgery as nonsmokers. RathieRajendram, MRCOphth, from the Orbital Unit, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, United Kingdom, and colleagues examined the records of 425 of the hospital's thyroid eye disease patients who were seen by the same clinical team from 1997 through 2002. Researchers studied data for the 378 patients whose smoking status was recorded at initial presentation.The age-adjusted analysis revealed that smokers were far more likely (hazard ratio [HR], 2.19) to require strabismus surgery to correct diplopia than nonsmokers. Among the patients in the study population, 83 required the surgery, including 19 of 138 (14%) nonsmokers and 51 of 196 (26%) active smokers. Seven of the 44 patients who had quit smoking in the last 5 years required surgery. Some patients underwent more than 2 operations. To see more, visit www.medscape.com
