Dalrymple's sign is a widened
palpebral
An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo respon ...
(eyelid) opening, or eyelid spasm, seen in
thyrotoxicosis
Hyperthyroidism is the condition that occurs due to excessive production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. Thyrotoxicosis is the condition that occurs due to excessive thyroid hormone of any cause and therefore includes hyperthyroidis ...
(as seen in
Graves' disease
Graves' disease (german: Morbus Basedow), also known as toxic diffuse goiter, is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. It frequently results in and is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It also often results in an enlarged thyr ...
,
exophthalmic goitre
A goitre, or goiter, is a swelling in the neck resulting from an enlarged thyroid gland. A goitre can be associated with a thyroid that is not functioning properly.
Worldwide, over 90% of goitre cases are caused by iodine deficiency. The term is ...
and other hyperthyroid conditions), causing abnormal wideness of the
palpebral fissure
The palpebral fissure is the elliptic space between the medial and lateral canthi of the two open eyelids. In simple terms, it is the opening between the eyelids. In adult humans, this measures about 10 mm vertically and 30 mm horizontally.
Va ...
. As a result of the retraction of the upper eyelid, the white of the
sclera
The sclera, also known as the white of the eye or, in older literature, as the tunica albuginea oculi, is the opaque, fibrous, protective, outer layer of the human eye containing mainly collagen and some crucial elastic fiber. In humans, and s ...
is visible at the upper margin of the
cornea
The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical ...
in direct outward stare.
[Cline D; Hofstetter HW; Griffin JR. ''Dictionary of Visual Science''. 4th ed. Butterworth-Heinemann, Boston 1997. ] It is named after British
ophthalmologist
Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...
,
John Dalrymple (1803–1852).
Other eye signs described within the symptomology of Graves' disease are
Stellwag's sign
Stellwag's sign is a sign of infrequent or incomplete blinking associated with exophthalmos or Graves orbitopathy. It is accompanied by Dalrymple's sign, which is a retraction of the upper eyelids resulting in an apparent widening of the palpebr ...
(rare blinking),
Rosenbach's sign (tremor of the eyelids), and
Jelink's sign (hyperpigmentation of the eyelid).
See also
*
Graves ophthalmopathy
*
Graves orbitopathy
References
External links
Dalrymple's sign
Ophthalmology
Symptoms and signs: Endocrinology, nutrition, and metabolism
{{med-sign-stub