Abstract
Purpose :
Prevalence of Fuchs’ heterochromic iridocyclitis (FHI) among total uveitis patients in Japan is approximately 0.5%, which is significantly lower than those of most western countries. In this study, we investigated whether lower frequencies of ocular findings characteristic of FHI in Japanese patients may be responsible for the less prevalence.
Methods :
Clinical records of 10 uveitis patients diagnosed as FHI (5 male, 5 female) at our institute between April 2012 and March 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Investigations contained patients’ age at diagnosis, gender, clinical findings, follow-up duration, BCVA at initial and final visits, complications, and medical and surgical treatments. The reasons for referral to our hospital were also interrogated.
Results :
Unilateral involvement was noted in 90%, and cell infiltration in the anterior chamber was observed in 70%. At the initial presentation, stellate-shaped keratic precipitates (KP) and iris atrophy with or without heterochiromia were observed in all cases, followed by cataract in 80%, anterior segment inflammation in 70%, vitreous opacity in 40%, and iris nodule in 20%. Ciliary injection or high intraocular pressure was not noted in any cases. All were patients referred to our institute, and had been followed up for several months or years at the primary clinics. The most in the referral reasons was cataract (60%), followed by uveitis (30%), and there was no case referred as FHI.
Conclusions :
Ocular findings characteristic of FHI except for high intraocular pressure were observed in Japanese FHI patients as well. It was suggested that the low prevalence of FHI in Japan was due to the fact that FHI was under diagnosed at the primary clinics, and had been followed up as idiopathic mild anterior uveitis and/or cataract.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.