Complications in chronic anterior uveitis may not affect visual outcome

Patients with chronic anterior uveitis generally have good visual prognosis, and the occurrence of complications does not seem to affect patients’ visual outcome, according to a retrospective study. Patients with uveitis associated with an underlying disease may be more likely to experience posterior segment complications, the study authors found.

Victor Menezo, MRCOphth, and Susan Lightman, PhD, FRCP, FRCOphth, FMed Sci, at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London retrospectively studied 91 eyes of 68 patients with anterior uveitis that lasted longer than 3 months. Patients were divided into three groups: those with idiopathic and nonidiopathic chronic anterior uveitis and those with Fuchs’ heterochromic uveitis. Visual acuity and complications were evaluated.

No statistically significant differences in visual outcomes were found among the three groups of patients. There was a trend for patients with nonidiopathic chronic anterior uveitis to have an increased risk of cystoid macular edema compared with those with idiopathic disease. At all follow-up times, no significant differences in visual outcome among the groups were found.

The study is published in the June issue of American Journal of Ophthalmology.