Determination of the degree of the eye mobility in patients with endocrine ophthalmopathy by the method of automated analysis of two dimensional images of the eye-balls

Introduction. One of the major mechanisms in the pathogenesis of endocrine ophthalmopathy (EOP) is a disorder of the state of the extraocular muscles (EOM), which leads to the development of exophthalmos and impaired mobility of the eye-ball, causing diplopia in the patient and worsening the quality of his life until the disability. Objective: To explore the possibility of determining the mobility of the eye-ball in patients with EOP using 3.83 (0.96) mm in the eight diagnostic positions of the gaze. Material and methods. There were examined 136 eye of EOP patients treated at the SI ?Institute of the Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy after V. P. Filatov of NAMS of Ukraine? by the automated analysis of two-dimensional images of eyeballs in 8 diagnostic positions of the gaze: up, down, outwards, inwards, upwards, outwards, upwards, inwards, outwards, down, down-medially. Results. There were obtained the metric characteristics of the mobility of the eye balls in different directions of the gaze in millimeters. It is found that the smallest degree of mobility is determined by the vertical when looking upside down (2.82 (1.1) mm and 2.82 (1.06), respectively), the highest ? when looking outwards up-(3.66 (1.15) mm) and downwardly-outwardly (3.83 (0.96) mm). Determining the degree of mobility of the eye by the automated analysis of two-dimensional images of eyeballs in 8 diagnostic gaze positions in patients with EOP in the dynamics of observation after treatment can reliably assess the effectiveness of the therapy (p <0.00004). Conclusion. The method for automated analysis of two-dimensional images of eye balls in 8 gaze directions in EOP patients allows to estimate the degree of mobility of the eye in the binocular study with the data of its metrics and can be used to determine the functional state of the EOM in the dynamics of monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment.