Thyroid eye disease (TED) is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks
orbital tissues, resulting in characteristic changes in eyelid position, globe position in
the orbit, extraocular muscle balance, and optic nerve function. TED is a potentially
blinding disease, and current treatments largely consist of nonspecific reduction of
inflammation using corticosteroids or radiation therapy. Regardless of treatment, once TED
progresses from its inflammatory phase to a more fibrotic, resolution phase, the orbital
changes become fixed and can be modified only by surgery.
The investigators propose to treat a cohort of patients with active TED using a selective
COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, and to compare these patients to an observational control group.
The investigators hypothesize that celecoxib will reduce the severity of disease and/or
prevent progression to proptosis, diplopia, and corneal exposure or compressive optic
neuropathy.