Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate central thickness (CT) of all retinal layers in patients with unilateral anterior uveitis devoid of macular edema and epiretinal membranes.
Methods :
206 eyes of 103 consecutive patients with unilateral anterior uveitis without macular edema and epiretinal membranes, underwent standardized macular examination using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT; Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) and measurement of the total retinal layer, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), inner retinal layers (IRL), and the photoreceptor layer in comparison to the unaffected fellow eyes.
Results :
In uveitis affected eyes central thickness of the total retinal layer (p<0.001), RNFL (p<0.001), GCL (p<0.001), IPL (p<0.001), INL (p<0.001), OPL (p<0.001), ONL (p=0.002), and IRL (p<0.001) was significantly higher than in the unaffected fellow eyes. In contrast, RPE (p=0.009) and the photoreceptor layer (p<0.001) were significantly lower in uveitis affected eyes compared to unaffected fellow eyes.
Conclusions :
In anterior uveitis devoid of macular edema and epiretinal membrane formation all retinal layers, except the RPE and the photoreceptor layer, were thickened in comparison to the unaffected fellow eye. These changes could reflect a precursor state of potential macular complications in the later course of anterior uveitis, such as edema. Therefore, prospective studies are recommended to evaluate the predictive value of retinal thickness in anterior uveitis for secondary macular complications.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.