For decades, clinicians who manage patients with Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) have been anticipating the emergence of new effective therapies for the management of this condition. That dream has yet to come true, but it has become apparent that conventional treatments such as steroids and surgery, when applied at the appropriate time and by centres that have accumulated sufficient experience and expertise, can lead to very satisfactory results. No idea is ever entirely new and the Amsterdam Declaration is no exception. Its predecessor is the Saint Vincent Declaration for diabetes, signed exactly 20 years earlier [1]. Like diabetes, GO is responsible for prolonged ill health, the available services are variable [2–5], and there is a strong feeling that outcomes can, and should improve. The objectives of the Amsterdam Declaration are to improve care of patients with GO and to prevent it occurring in patients who are at risk. There are specific 5 year targets focusing on raising awareness, defining pathways of care, supporting centres of excellence, establishing audit and monitoring mechanisms, and implement measures to reduce the incidence and morbidity of the disease.