The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a 12-week doxycycline treatment for thyroid eye disease (TED), an autoimmune condition associated with thyroid dysfunction. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 82 patients were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive doxycycline (50 mg) or to undergo no treatment. Various metrics, including margin reflex distance (MRD1 and MRD2), eyelid aperture, levator muscle function, lagophthalmos, proptosis, ocular motility, diplopia, and Graves’ ophthalmopathy-specific quality-of-life (GO-QOL) scale scoring were assessed. Exclusion criteria were uncontrolled systemic diseases, tetracycline allergies, pregnancy, lactation, or age below 18. The mean age was 51.6 years (SD), 87.8% of participants were female, and all were Caucasians. By week 12, the doxycycline group exhibited a significant improvement rate based on MRD2 (from 4 to 15 participants with physiological findings), clinical activity score (from 7 to 35 participants with non-active disease), and GO-QOL (from 51.22% to 70.73% of participants with a good life quality). Doxycycline showcased anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects in treating TED, suggesting its potential efficacy for TED and other orbit inflammatory conditions. However, these results warrant further validation through future research involving extended follow-up periods and larger cohorts.

Background and Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) may induce structural and biochemical changes in the cornea that can potentially affect corneal transparency. This study aimed to compare corneal optical density (COD) between patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and healthy controls and to evaluate its association with disease duration. Materials and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study included 90 eyes of 90 participants, with only one eye per participant included in the analysis. The study population comprised 45 eyes from patients with T2DM and 45 age- and gender-matched healthy control eyes. The study was conducted at a specialized ophthalmology center between September 2025 and April 2026. All participants underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination followed by corneal densitometry and pachymetry assessment using the Pentacam AXL (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). COD was analyzed across the total, anterior, central, and posterior corneal layers within the 0–2 mm, 2–6 mm, and 6–10 mm annular zones. COD values and central corneal thickness (CCT) were compared between groups, and correlations between disease duration and COD parameters were evaluated. Results: No statistically significant differences in COD were observed between patients with T2DM and healthy controls across any of the analyzed corneal layers or annular zones (all p > 0.05). CCT also did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.817). No significant correlations were identified between disease duration and COD parameters (all p > 0.05). Conclusions: In this age- and gender-matched cohort, patients with T2DM did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in corneal densitometry or CCT compared with healthy controls. Disease duration was not significantly associated with COD, suggesting that other factors, including long-term glycaemic control and disease severity, may contribute to diabetes-related corneal alterations.

Background and Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with structural and biochemical changes in the cornea that may influence its biomechanical behavior. This study aimed to compare corneal biomechanical properties between healthy individuals and patients with type 2 DM. Materials and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted at a specialized ophthalmology center from September 2025 to April 2026 and included 115 eyes, which were divided into two groups: 60 healthy control eyes and 55 eyes of patients with DM type 2 (DM2 group). All subjects underwent a complete ophthalmological examination and corneal biomechanical screening using Corvis ST (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). The study included participants aged 50–70 years, with central corneal thickness from 500 to 600 μm, and normal ocular findings. Exclusion criteria included a history of any previous corneal disease, uveitis, glaucoma, spherical refractive errors exceeding ±3.00 D, cylindrical refractive errors exceeding 3.00 D, prior ocular surgery, contact lens wear and systemic connective tissue diseases. Results: DM2 group was older than the control group (median age 63 years [IQR 57–68] vs. 56 years [IQR 54–59], p < 0.001). In unadjusted comparisons, deformation amplitude at highest concavity (DA HC) was higher in the DM2 group (1.05 [0.98–1.09] vs. 0.98 [0.91–1.06] mm, p = 0.002), as was integrated radius (IR) (8.00 [7.53–8.40] vs. 7.50 [6.60–8.60] mm⁻¹, p = 0.032), whereas radius of curvature at highest concavity (RC HC) (7.41 [6.77–7.86] vs. 7.52 [7.10–8.04] mm, p = 0.038) and stiffness parameter at first applanation (SP-A1) (115.50 [102.18–128.40] vs. 122.50 [107.90–142.90] mmHg/mm, p = 0.023) were lower. After adjustment for age, gender, central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure, only DA HC remained independently associated with DM2 status (β = 0.033 mm, 95% CI 0.007–0.058; p = 0.012). Conclusions: Patients with type 2 DM exhibited a corneal biomechanical profile characterized by greater corneal deformability, reflected by higher DA HC and IR values and lower RC HC and SP-A1 values in unadjusted comparisons. Of these parameters, increased DA HC remained independently associated with DM2 after multivariable adjustment. These findings highlight the complexity of diabetes-related corneal biomechanical alterations and suggest that they may not uniformly manifest as increased corneal stiffness.