Outcomes for posterior segment-involving uveitis: from heterogeneity to a core outcome set

Uveitis describes a group of diseases characterised by intraocular inflammation. Uveitis is the fifth commonest cause of visual loss in the developed world and accounts for about 10–15% of total blindness. Intermediate, posterior and panuveitis are the most critical forms of uveitis named as Posterior Segment-Involving Uveitis (PSIU). They often share common clinical features and higher risk of complications (e.g. uveitic macular oedema (UMO)), requiring additional treatment either systemic or local injection-based therapy. UMO describes the accumulation of fluids at the central part of the retina, known as the macula. It is the leading cause of sight-loss in PSIU affecting around one-third of patients. To date, there has been a lack of consensus guidelines over the treatment of UMO. Furthermore, trials include a range of heterogeneous outcomes which may lack relevance to key stakeholders (patients and carers) and means that it is challenging to compare results from trials and undertake evidence synthesis. The doctoral research forming my thesis aimed to: (i) assess the effectiveness of the available pharmacological therapies used in the treatment of UMO; (ii) develop an international consensus on a standardised set of outcomes using a multi methods approach to create a core outcome set (COS) for non-infectious PSI