Diabetes and thyroid-related eye disease.

Diabetes and thyroid-related eye disease cause significant morbidity. Although these are endocrine disorders, they cause different ocular manifestations. Previously unexamined epidemiologic factors offer new insight to diabetic eye disease. The association of hyperglycemia, systemic medical therapy, and visual loss is reviewed. Although retinopathy remains the leading cause of blindness, multiple "nonretinal" diabetic ocular problems occur and how these correspond with retinopathy is examined. Thyroid-related eye disease, as seen in Graves' ophthalmopathy, is an autoimmune process. This is reexamined and new ultrasound techniques to measure disease activity are described. The advantage of therapies directed against these features is reported.