Thyroid Function in Patients with Glaucoma

The relationship between thyroid disorders and glaucoma is not clear. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of thyroid functional disorders in patients with glaucoma.
Materials and Methods: 201 patients with glaucoma referring to Farabi Hospital were selected using simple non-random sampling. Intra ocular pressure (lOP) was measured and thyroid function tests (TFT) were done and the patients were divided into different groups according to their thyroid function status (hypo-,eu-and hyperthyroid).
Results: Mean age of the patients was 54±17 years. Of the patients, 26.9% had open angle glaucoma (OAG), and the remaining had nonopen angle glaucoma (NOAG). Of 201 patients, 8 cases (4%) were hypothyroid and 17 cases (8.5%) were hyperthyroid. The mean intraocular pressures of the hypo-, eu-and hyperthroids were 18.l±9.3, 16.8±3.7 and 14.2±3.3 mmHg, respectively, which showed no significant difference. Mean lOP in patients with goiter was significantly lower than in those without goiter (16.0±5 vs.17.l±7 mmHg, p<0.05). No significant difference in the prevalence of thyroid disorders was found between those with OAG and NOAG.
Conclusions: Compared to other studies the prevalence of thyroid disorders in patients with glaucoma is higher than that of the normal population. Our findmgs controvert the results of some other studies, in which higher prevalence of hypothyroidism in OAG than thatof hypothyroidism in OAG than that of NOAG was observed.