Does decompression diminish the discomfort of severe dysthyroid orbitopathy?

We assessed whether patients perceived that surgical decompression had reduced the discomfort of dysthyroid orbitopathy. Standard pain instruments were administered to 13 consecutive patients of a university-based oculoplastic practice who had undergone two-wall orbital decompression for dysthyroid optic neuropathy. We used visual analog scale (VAS) ratings of pre- and postoperative orbital discomfort. On a 0 to 10 scale, relief of discomfort after decompression was rated as moderate or better (VAS > 9.0) in 13 of 13 patients (mean VAS = 9.22, SD = 0.91) and complete (VAS = 10.0) in 8 of 13. Patients perceived that surgical decompression was associated with a clinically and statistically significant (p < 0.001) reduction of discomfort.