Effects of Radioiodine on the Nasolacrimal System

Radioiodine (131I) has had a longstanding role in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease.1 For >80 years, the avidity and selectivity by which the thyroid gland concentrates 131I has provided physicians a means to treat both benign and malignant thyroid diseases and has become one of the standards of care for such patients. As with all therapies, the physician’s eye toward benefits and risks has led to honest differences of opinion in terms of patient selection and dose administration.2 Although initially recommended across the spectrum of essentially all cases of thyroid cancer, it was soon recognized that 131I could be selectively employed based on risk stratification of individual patients and the goals for which the radionuclide was being employed.