Abstract
Purpose:
Chronic inflammation has been shown to be involved in the progress of retinal and neurodegenerative diseases. We recently reported that increased inflammatory reaction in the anterior vitreous correlates with worse visual function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). In this study, we further evaluated this correlation by aqueous flare measurement.
Methods:
This study included 244 patients diagnosed with typical RP, and 30 cataract patients as controls. Aqueous flare, a marker for inflammation and breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier, was measured by the laser flare cell meter FC-500 (Kowa Company Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). The relationships between aqueous flare on the one hand and, on the other, best-corrected visual acuity and mean deviation (MD) of static perimetry tests (Humphrey Field Analyzer, the central 10-2 program) were analyzed in RP patients.
Results:
Aqueous flare values were significantly higher in RP patients compared with controls (11.0 ± 8.0 vs. 5.5 ± 2.9 photon counts /ms, P < 0.0001). Older patients with RP showed higher levels of aqueous flare than younger patients (r = 0.377, P < 0.0001). In phakic eyes with RP, aqueous flare values negatively correlated with BCVA in the 40s (r = 0.245, P = 0.0370) and 50s (r = 0.344, P = 0.0011), and the MD values in the 40s (r = -0.451, P = 0.0012), 50s (r = -0.397, P = 0.0036), and 60s (r = -0.277, P = 0.0246). RP patients with MD value ≧ -15 dB was associated with significantly higher levels of aqueous flare than those with MD value < -15 dB (P < 0.0001). However, in pseudophakic and aphakic eyes with RP, there was no correlation between aqueous flare and visual function.
Conclusions:
Aqueous flare is increased in RP patients and negatively correlates with visual function in phakic eyes. Taken together with our previous findings, these results suggest that sustained inflammation may be implicated in the pathogenesis of RP.
Keywords: 688 retina •
427 aqueous •
557 inflammation