Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the prevalence of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in uveitis patients and to determine associated clinical characteristics.
Methods: :
Medical records of uveitis patients seen at the Proctor Foundation between July and December 2007 were reviewed. Clinical characteristics of patients with and without elevated IOP (> 21 mm Hg) were compared using Fisher’s exact test.
Results: :
69 of 205 (34%) uveitic patients developed elevated IOP. Of these 69, the average age was 41.7 years (range 4-86), and 45 (65%) were female. The uveitis course was most commonly chronic (64, 93%), and rarely acute (2, 3%) or recurrent (3, 4%). Laterality was 22 (32%) unilateral and 23 (33%) were classified as granulomatous. Location of the inflammation was most commonly anterior (34, 49%), followed by posterior/panuveitis (30, 43%), then intermediate (4, 6%). All patients required medical treatment for elevated IOP, but 27 (39%) also required laser peripheral iridotomy or surgery. Associated diagnoses included: idiopathic (35, 51%), HLA-B27 (5, 7%), sarcoidosis (5, 7%), herpes (4, 6%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA; 4, 6%), tuberculosis (3, 4%) and other (13, 19%).136 of 205 (66%) of uveitic patients did not develop elevated IOP. The average age was 41.4 years (range 8-83), and 89 (65%) were female. The course seen was more commonly chronic (90, 66%), followed by recurrent (31, 23%), then acute (15, 11%). 46 (34%) had unilateral disease and 27 (20%) were classified as granulomatous. Location of the inflammation was most commonly anterior (68, 50%), then posterior/panuveitis (42, 31%), intermediate (15, 11%), and other (scleritis, keratitis) (11, 8%). Diagnoses included: idiopathic (62, 46%), HLA-B27 (17, 13%), sarcoidosis (8, 6%), herpes (6, 4%), JIA (6, 4%), multifocal choroiditis (4, 3%), sympathetic ophthalmia (3, 2%), and other (30, 22%).Uveitis course and type of inflammation were significantly associated with elevated IOP. IOP was significantly different depending on uveitis course (P < 0.001), with high IOP most common in patients with chronic inflammation. Granulomatous uveitis was also significantly associated with high IOP (P = 0.04). Laterality, location of inflammation and diagnosis were not significantly associated with development of high IOP.