DUCTION RANGES IN NORMAL PROBANDS AND PATIENTS WITH GRAVES OPHTHALMOPATHY, DETERMINED USING THE GOLDMANN PERIMETER

Background: We examined whether the Goldmann perimeter is suitable for measuring the range of monocular ductions, especially in the follow-u p of patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. Methods: Using the Goldmann perimeter, the range of monocular ductions was determined in one eye of 100 normal probands (aged between 21 and 70 years) and of 36 patien ts (aged between 29 and 66 years) with a motility disturbance due to G raves' ophthalmopathy. Subjects were asked to follow target I/4e which was slowly moved by the examiner in the vertical and the horizontal m eridian. The end-point of the pursuit movement observed by the examine r was taken as the duction limit. Subjects were measured twice, in hal f of the cases by the same, in the other half by two different examine rs. Results: In the 100 normal probands, the mean ranges of ductions w ere: elevation 37.6 degrees, depression 58.0 degrees, adduction 51.6 d egrees, abduction 48.7 degrees. There was a slight age-related decline . The intraobserver and interobserver mean coefficients of variation r anged between 1.5% and 3.8%. In the 36 patients with Graves' ophthalmo pathy the coefficients were between 0.7% and 2.3%. In both the normal probands and the Graves' ophthalmopathy patients, the coefficients wer e smaller for the total vertical and horizontal duction ranges than fo r adduction, abduction, elevation and depression alone. Conclusions: M easurements of the range of monocular ductions with the Goldmann perim eter are highly reproducible and appear to be suitable for follow-up s tudies in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy.