The clinical characteristics of retinal vasculitis in HLA-B27-positive patients

Purpose: To investigate the ocular and systemic manifestations of retinal vasculitis in HLA-B27-positive patients. Methods: Retrospective noncomparative case series of 9 HLA-B27-positive patients with uveitis and retinal vasculitis. Main outcome measures consisted of ocular and angiographic findings and assessment of any additional systemic disorders. Results: Three male and 6 female HLA-B27-positive patients with a median age of 32 years were diagnosed with retinal vasculitis. Concurrent intraocular inflammation was noted in all patients. All patients suffered from extensive vasculitis of the large retinal veins. Five patients developed retinal vasculitis at the onset of uveitis and the remaining 4 exhibited retinal vasculitis 1-15 years after the onset of uveitis. Vascular occlusions occurred in 4 patients and subsequent neovascularizations developed in 3. Three patients were diagnosed with an HLA-B27-associated systemic disease. Conclusion: Retinal vasculitis may develop in the wake of HLA-B27-associated uveitis and might represent a rare manifestation of HLA-B27-associated disease

Hypotony in Patients with Uveitis: The Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment (MUST) Trial

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of hypotony in patients with severe forms of uveitis. METHODS: The Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment (MUST) Trial, a randomized study, enrolled 255 patients. Patients with hypotony at the baseline visit were identified. RESULTS: Twenty (8.3%) of 240 patients with sufficient data had hypotony. Hypotony was more common in patients with uveitis ≥5 years duration (odds ratio [OR] = 5.0; p < .01), and in eyes with a history of ocular surgery (vitrectomy vs. none, OR = 3.1; p = .03). Hypotony was less in patients with older age of uveitis onset (>51 years vs. <51 years, OR = 0.1; p = .02), in Caucasian patients (OR = 0.1; p < .01) compared to African American patients. Hypotonous eyes were more likely to have visual impairment (OR = 22.9; p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Hypotony is an important complication of uveitis and more commonly affects African-American patients, those with uveitis onset at a younger age, and those with longer disease duration. It is associated with visual impairment