Abstract
Purpose:
The aim of this paper is to outline the most common presentations, etiologies, complications, and visual outcomes of uveitis among children who presented to our uveitis specialty clinic.
Methods:
The medical records of patients 16 years of age or less diagnosed with uveitis presenting to the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) between 2009 and 2012 were reviewed.
Results:
Children were found to represent 15% of our uveitis cohort at AUBMC. 79 eyes of 50 children were identified for the purposes of this study. The most common presentations were chronic (61%), bilateral (61%), anterior uveitis (40%). The most common etiologies associated with the uveitis were idiopathic (48%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (12%), and Toxoplasmosis (10%). On presentation, 45% of the eyes had visual acuity of 20/50 or worse and 20% had visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. While on last follow up, 35% of the eyes had visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/50 or worse and 15% had severe visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. The most common causes of reduced vision were cataract (39%), cystoid macular edema (10%), and glaucoma (5.5%). While amblyopia was the most common complication among children younger than 8 years of age and it occurred in 23% of children in that age group.
Conclusions:
One third of our pediatric patients with uveitis had visual impairment while amblyopia was the most common complication in the visually immature. Increased awareness about these outcomes might help improve the care especially in the visually immature by assessing and treating amblyopia when present.
Keywords: 745 uvea •
417 amblyopia •
445 cataract