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Legal blindness from uveitis uncommon in hospital study
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The frequency of visual loss associated with uveitis in a study at a district hospital in England was less than that found in referral centers, and levels of legal blindness were low, according to a group of researchers.
Clive Edelsten, and colleagues at Ipswich Hospital in Surrey recruited 561 patients in three district hospitals and studied their risk factors for visual loss. Visual loss was defined as permanent loss of acuity of less than 6/9.
Visual loss of at least 6/12 in one eye was found in 111 patients (19.9%). Four patients (0.7%) suffered severe bilateral visual loss of 6/36 or less. Visual loss was associated with an age of greater than 60 years at onset of uveitis, a long follow-up and a history of cataract surgery. Visual loss was less likely in patients with acute anterior uveitis, although the authors noted that this loss still contributed significantly to the total burden.
The study is published in the April issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology.