Frontiers in ophthalmologyPub Date : 2025-05-20eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1554279
Durgul Acan, Beyza Betul Cakar, Eyyup Karahan
{"title":"Low anterior chamber volume as a risk factor in non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.","authors":"Durgul Acan, Beyza Betul Cakar, Eyyup Karahan","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1554279","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1554279","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to compare the anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber volume (ACV), and iridocorneal angle (ICA) of the eyes of patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and normal eyes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this cross-sectional study, 28 patients with NAION who were admitted to our institution were examined. Central corneal thickness (CCT), ACV, ACD, and ICA of all eyes were measured using corneal topography (Sirius, CSO, Italy). Axial lengths (ALs) were measured using an IOL-Master 500 (Carl Zeiss, Meditec). The eyes of these patients were compared with the eyes of 29 healthy individuals of similar age and gender.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean ALs of the eyes with NAION and those in the control group were not statistically different, measuring 22.95 ± 0.68 mm and 23.13 ± 0.80mm, respectively (p=0.651). While the average ACV was 137.93 ± 41.01 mm<sup>3</sup> in the control group, it was significantly lower at 117.86 ± 22.23 mm<sup>3</sup> in the patients with NAION (p=0.038). The mean ACD, ICA, and CCT values in the control and study groups were not statistically different, with 2.82 ± 0.57 mm and 2.64 ± 0.31 mm, 41.62 ± 6.99° and 40.14 ± 7.04°, and 542.48 ± 19.39µm and 544.68 ± 31.26 µm, respectively (p1 = 0.236, p2 = 0.693, and p3 = 0.959). No statistical differences were found between the eyes with NAION and their fellow eyes in terms of AL, CCT, ACD, ACV, and ICA (p>0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Differences in anterior segment morphology were observed in eyes with NAION compared to healthy eyes. Decreased ACV may be a risk factor for NAION.</p>","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1554279"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12129766/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144217802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in ophthalmologyPub Date : 2025-05-19eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1581212
Dalia Camacho-García-Formentí, Gabriela Baylón-Vázquez, Karen Arriozola-Rodríguez, Enrique Avalos-Ramirez, Curt Hartleben-Matkin, Hugo Valdez-Flores, Damaris Hodelin-Fuentes, Alejandro Noriega
{"title":"Synergistic AI-resident approach achieves superior diagnostic accuracy in tertiary ophthalmic care for glaucoma and retinal disease.","authors":"Dalia Camacho-García-Formentí, Gabriela Baylón-Vázquez, Karen Arriozola-Rodríguez, Enrique Avalos-Ramirez, Curt Hartleben-Matkin, Hugo Valdez-Flores, Damaris Hodelin-Fuentes, Alejandro Noriega","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1581212","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1581212","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Artificial intelligence (AI) shows promise in ophthalmology, but its potential in tertiary care settings in Latin America remains understudied. We present a Mexican AI-powered screening tool and evaluate it against first-year ophthalmology residents in a tertiary care setting in Mexico City.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed data from 435 adult patients undergoing their first ophthalmic evaluation using an AI-based platform and first-year ophthalmology residents. The platform employs an Inception V3-based multi-output classification model with 512 × 512 input resolution to capture small lesions when detecting retinal disease. To evaluate glaucoma suspects, the system uses U-Net models that segment the optic disc and cup to calculate cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) from their vertical heights. The AI and resident evaluations were compared with expert annotations for retinal disease, CDR measurements, and glaucoma suspect classification. In addition, we evaluated a synergistic approach combining AI and resident assessments.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For glaucoma suspect classification, AI outperformed residents in accuracy (88.6% vs. 82.9%, <i>p</i> = 0.016), sensitivity (63.0% vs. 50.0%, <i>p</i> = 0.116), and specificity (94.5% vs. 90.5%, <i>p</i> = 0.062). The synergistic approach achieved a higher sensitivity (80.4%) than ophthalmic residents alone or AI alone (<i>p <</i> 0.001). AI's CDR estimates showed lower mean absolute error (0.056 vs. 0.105, <i>p <</i> 0.001) and higher correlation with expert measurements (<i>r</i> = 0.728 vs. <i>r</i> = 0.538). In the retinal disease assessment, AI demonstrated higher sensitivity (90.1% vs. 63.0% for medium/high risk, <i>p <</i> 0.001) and specificity (95.8% vs. 90.4%, <i>p <</i> 0.001). Furthermore, differences between AI and residents were statistically significant across all metrics. The synergistic approach achieved the highest sensitivity for retinal disease (92.6% for medium/high risk, 100% for high risk).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>AI outperformed first-year residents in key ophthalmic assessments. The synergistic use of AI and resident assessments showed potential for optimizing diagnostic accuracy, highlighting the value of AI as a supportive tool in ophthalmic practice, especially for early career clinicians.</p>","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1581212"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12127187/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144210406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in ophthalmologyPub Date : 2025-05-15eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1583599
Sujit Shah, Gautam Motwani, Pavan K Verkicharla
{"title":"\"REACH'' for troubleshooting peripheral defocus myopia control spectacles.","authors":"Sujit Shah, Gautam Motwani, Pavan K Verkicharla","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1583599","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1583599","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1583599"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12119269/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144183685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in ophthalmologyPub Date : 2025-05-09eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1616466
Catherine Cheng, Barbara Pierscionek
{"title":"Editorial: Women in lens and cataract.","authors":"Catherine Cheng, Barbara Pierscionek","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1616466","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fopht.2025.1616466","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1616466"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12098023/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144144723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in ophthalmologyPub Date : 2025-05-05eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1493171
Stefano Malvindi, Elena Sammarco, Andrea Elefante, Vittoria Lanni, Domenico Cicala, Francesco Esposito, Ciro Picardi, Adriana Iuliano, Dana Cohen, Giuseppe Mariniello, Antonella D'Aponte, Ciro Costagliola, Francesco Briganti, Diego Strianese
{"title":"Real-life efficacy and safety of oral propranolol for ocular adnexal infantile hemangiomas: observational cohort study.","authors":"Stefano Malvindi, Elena Sammarco, Andrea Elefante, Vittoria Lanni, Domenico Cicala, Francesco Esposito, Ciro Picardi, Adriana Iuliano, Dana Cohen, Giuseppe Mariniello, Antonella D'Aponte, Ciro Costagliola, Francesco Briganti, Diego Strianese","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1493171","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1493171","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess the effectiveness and safety of oral propranolol for the treatment of ocular adnexal infantile hemangiomas.</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>retrospective observational cohort study. Propranolol was administered at an initial oral dose of 1 mg/kg and subsequently increased to 2 mg/kg for 1 year. Outcomes were evaluated by comparing pre- and post-treatment clinical findings, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) findings and/or orbital magnetic resonance imaging findings from baseline to 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 48 weeks. Regression was graded as follows: satisfactory when 90% and above of the baseline lesion volume and extension decreased, acceptable when 50 to 90%, mediocre when 30 to 50%, poor less than 30%.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-four patients were included in this study. The mean age at presentation was 4 ± 1 week. Sixteen (71%) patients were females and 7 (29%) were males. The mean follow-up duration was 18 ± 3 months. Therapy was started for of 23/24 patients at 5 weeks old, of 1/24 started at 9 weeks of age. The median age was 5,16 weeks. Sixteen patients (66%) had satisfactory resolution between 3 and 6 weeks, 5 (20%) after 9 weeks, and 3 (12%) after 12 weeks. One patient (5%) had a mediocre response after 24 weeks. One patient withdrew from therapy because of hypoglycemia, which was successfully managed as an outpatient. No significant adverse reactions, such as bradycardia, hypotension, bronchospasm, or congestive heart failure, were detected in this cohort.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study indicates that the real-life use of oral propranolol for infantile hemangioma yields a high success rate with a lower morbidity than previously reported, particularly when managed by a proficient and multidisciplinary team.</p>","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1493171"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086078/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Isolated third cranial nerve palsy as the presenting sign of tuberculum sellae meningioma: a case report.","authors":"Azizah Alotaibi, Fay Althunayyan, Shuroq Alshehri, Hosam Al-Jehani","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1525183","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fopht.2025.1525183","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tuberculum sellae meningioma (TSM) is an uncommon tumor among all intracranial meningiomas. As these tumors grow, they compress the surrounding structures, including the optic nerves and the pituitary gland. Ocular motor nerve palsy (OMNP) can occur as an isolated mononeuropathy or as part of multiple cranial nerve palsies. The role of corticosteroids in the management of OMNP has not been fully studied in the literature. In this report, we present a case of a previously well middle-aged woman who presented with severe headache and isolated OMNP on examination. MRI of the brain showed a small TSM that extends into the right optic canal. In our case, we noted the expedient and complete recovery of isolated OMNP within a few days following treatment with dexamethasone. This case report is on an isolated OMNP associated with TSM, which has not been previously reported. In addition, it highlights the role of corticosteroids in achieving rapid recovery from OMNP.</p>","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1525183"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12074959/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144082519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in ophthalmologyPub Date : 2025-04-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1525868
Mumta Kanda, Bita Manzouri
{"title":"The evolving role of ciclosporin in the management of vernal keratoconjunctivitis.","authors":"Mumta Kanda, Bita Manzouri","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1525868","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fopht.2025.1525868","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the spectrum of allergic eye disease, vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is classed as one of the most severe disease entities and can have profound effects on visual development as well as on the emotional and psychological well-being of afflicted children. The traditional mainstay of treatment for the condition, to control the ocular inflammation, has been steroids but the use of these drugs has not been without side effects. Ciclosporin offers an alternative to steroids, providing symptom relief and control of the ocular inflammation, whilst averting the problems associated with raised intraocular pressure, cataract formation and reactivation of herpes simplex keratitis, all recognised side effects of topical steroids. However, the journey to the development of a formulation of an unpreserved ciclosporin for use in human eyes has been a protracted one; the aim of this article is to outline this journey and the role of ciclosporin in the modern management of this debilitating disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1525868"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12062066/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144031913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in ophthalmologyPub Date : 2025-04-17eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1565762
Madhura A Tamhankar, Syed Raza, Erika Brutsaert, Estefanía Urdániz, Yelena Vainilovich, Anne Heyes, Liesl Gildea, Marco Sales-Sanz
{"title":"The burden of illness in thyroid eye disease: current state of the evidence.","authors":"Madhura A Tamhankar, Syed Raza, Erika Brutsaert, Estefanía Urdániz, Yelena Vainilovich, Anne Heyes, Liesl Gildea, Marco Sales-Sanz","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1565762","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fopht.2025.1565762","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a disabling autoimmune condition characterized by proptosis and progressive orbital inflammation involving the extraocular muscles, orbital fat, and connective tissues. Clinical features include facial disfigurement, diplopia, dry eyes, and in severe cases, vision loss. Consequently, individuals with TED suffer significant physical and psychological burdens that impact their quality of life. Currently, there is no standardized definition or <i>International Classification of Diseases</i> code for TED, and the disease landscape remains incompletely understood; moreover, TED diagnostic criteria and treatment recommendations have not been thoroughly assessed across diverse populations. It is necessary to better understand the clinical, humanistic, and economic burden of TED and identify gaps in our knowledge to improve TED management and outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To describe the current understanding of TED epidemiology, diagnosis, disease burden, and recent TED treatment guidelines, a targeted literature review was conducted, searching multiple databases using key words of specific search topics (i.e., TED; epidemiology, humanistic, economic, and clinical burden; treatment; and practice guidelines) for articles published between October 2013 and October 2023 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain). Articles published between May 2014 and May 2024 describing diverse racial and sociodemographic presentations of TED were included.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>TED is a complex disease with an array of risk factors, including thyroid dysfunction, thyroid-stimulating immunoglobin, smoking, and comorbid conditions. The natural history of TED is not clearly defined, and diagnosis is complicated due to the array of phenotypes and orbital symptoms observed. Although novel first-line treatments are available in select countries, there is an unmet need for improved treatments for moderate-to-severe and sight-threatening TED. Individuals with TED continue to experience poor health-related quality of life due to the clinical burden that TED imposes along with large healthcare resource utilization costs and treatment costs, and economic evaluation studies are limited. Importantly, there is still a need for studies that explore diverse populations and the impact of race and ethnicity on the disease landscape.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>TED remains an incompletely characterized disease with major knowledge gaps, particularly among historically underserved populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1565762"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12075187/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144082523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prevalence and associated factors of reading spectacle coverage among adults aged 35 years and above living in Debre Berhan Town, North Shewa, Ethiopia, 2023.","authors":"Matiyas Mamo Bekele, Melkamu Temeselew Tegegn, Nebiyat Feleke Adimassu, Abel Sinshaw Assem, Tarekegn CheklieZeleke, Abebizuhan Zigale Bayabil, Getenet Shumet Birhan, Abebech Fikade Shumye","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1496499","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fopht.2025.1496499","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Near vision impairment can be addressed through several methods, including spectacles, contact lenses, miotic drugs, and refractive surgery. Of these options, spectacles are the most commonly used, affordable, and accessible solution. Reading spectacle coverage is an important indicator of admittance and eye care service utilization. Additionally, it serves as a valuable tool for monitoring progress toward achieving universal eye health coverage worldwide.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of reading spectacle coverage among adults aged 35 years and above living in Debre Berhan town, North Shewa, Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A community-based cross-sectional study involving 808 adults was conducted in Debre Berhan town from May 8 to June 8, 2023, utilizing a multistage sampling technique. Data were gathered using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire administered by interviewers. The information was collected through Kobo Collect version 2021.4.4 and subsequently exported to Stata version 14 for processing and analysis. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with reading spectacle coverage. Variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 in the multivariable binary logistic regression were deemed statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 780 participants took part in the study, resulting in a response rate of 96.53%. The average age of the participants was 49.58 ± 9.31 years. The proportion of reading spectacle coverage was 32.69% (95% CI: 28.82, 36.31). Factors positively associated with reading spectacle coverage included higher educational status (AOR = 3.10, 95% CI: 1.59, 6.05), awareness of near vision problems (AOR = 3.24, 95% CI: 2.08, 5.05), a history of eye examination (AOR = 3.16, 95% CI: 1.58, 6.55), experiencing difficulties with near vision (AOR = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.26, 5.21), and adding plus lens power used ≥2.50D (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.13, 3.16).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study found that the proportion of reading spectacle coverage was low. A higher level of education, history of awareness of near vision problems, history of difficulties in near vision, history of eye examination, and high adding lens power used were significantly associated with reading spectacle coverage.</p>","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1496499"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12042082/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144042858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frontiers in ophthalmologyPub Date : 2025-04-14eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1544436
Jennifer Murdock, John Nguyen, Brady J Hurtgen, Cathy Andorfer, John Walsh, Andrea Lin, Christopher Tubbs, Kristine Erickson, Kimberly Cockerham
{"title":"The role of IL-6 in thyroid eye disease: an update on emerging treatments.","authors":"Jennifer Murdock, John Nguyen, Brady J Hurtgen, Cathy Andorfer, John Walsh, Andrea Lin, Christopher Tubbs, Kristine Erickson, Kimberly Cockerham","doi":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1544436","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fopht.2025.1544436","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Elevated serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels have been shown to correlate with disease activity in patients with thyroid eye disease (TED), a complex, heterogeneous, autoimmune disease affecting thousands of people worldwide. IL-6 plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of TED through three key mechanisms that together may contribute to inflammation, tissue expansion, remodeling, and fibrosis within the orbit. First, IL-6 drives an autoimmune response targeting the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) by promoting the production of autoantibodies (i.e. TSHR-Ab, TSI), thereby triggering TSHR-dependent immune pathways. Second, IL-6 stimulates the activation and differentiation of orbital fibroblasts, which contributes to the inflammatory process and increase adipogenesis. Finally, IL-6 stimulates T-cell-mediated inflammation, amplifying the immune response within orbital tissues. Although corticosteroids and surgery have served as mainstays of TED treatment, a multimodal approach is often required due to the disease's heterogeneous presentation and response to current treatment options. TED is a chronic, lifelong condition characterized by periods of exacerbation and remission, with inflammation playing a central role in disease progression and severity. Because inflammation can flare intermittently throughout a patient's life, there is growing interest in targeting specific components of the immune system to reduce disease activity and severity. This review focuses on the current evidence supporting IL-6 as a key mediator of TED pathogenesis and explores its potential as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target of the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":73096,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in ophthalmology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1544436"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12034681/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144052460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}