Long-term follow-up of anterior uveitis after cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation

Fuchs' Heterochromic Iridocyclitis in an Italian Tertiary Referral Centre: Epidemiology, Clinical Features, and Prognosis

Purpose. To study epidemiology, clinical findings and visual prognosis of patients with Fuchs' Heterochromic Iridocyclitis (FHI). Methods. A retrospective analysis was performed on 158 patients with FHI. Thirty-five patients were observed only once; the remaining 123 had a mean follow-up of 30.7 months (50 of them had a mean follow-up of 63.5 months) and in those we assessed complications, medical and surgical treatment, and long-term visual prognosis. Results. Average age at uveitis diagnosis was 27.2 years and 18.3% of patients were children. Blurred vision (54.5%) and floaters (40.5%) were the most frequent presenting symptoms. Small to medium-sized keratic precipitates (95.6%), iris atrophy (86.8%), and vitreous opacities (91.2%) were the most common signs; the prevalence of cataract and IOP increase was 63.5% and 20.1%, respectively, and their incidence was 0.1 and 0.06 eye/year. Significant risk factor for visual loss was IOP increase at presentation (p = 0.02). At final examination 98% of the eye had a visual acuity ≥ 0.6, and topical (p < 0.001) and systemic (p < 0.001) corticosteroids therapy were used less frequently than before referral. Conclusions. FHI has a good visual prognosis, despite the significant incidence of cataract and glaucoma. A correct and prompt diagnosis might avoid unnecessary therapies and provide excellent visual outcomes.

Outcomes of cataract surgery in patients with uveitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To critically assess the evidence base regarding outcomes following cataract surgery in uveitic cases.

DESIGN

Systematic evidence-based review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

A comprehensive search query was performed on MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINHAL, and CENTRAL databases. Relevant publications were identified by reviewing query results and reference list searches.

RESULTS

A total of 89 articles met eligibility criteria. Among uveitic eyes with quiet or mostly quiet uveitis before cataract surgery, 20/40 visual acuity or better (≥20/40) was achieved in 68% following phacoemulsification, 72% following extracapsular cataract extraction, and 40% following pars plana lensectomy. More eyes undergoing cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation than eyes left aphakic achieved ≥20/40 postoperatively (71% vs 52%). Eyes receiving acrylic IOLs or heparin-surface-modified (HSM) polymethylmethacrylate had better visual outcomes than those receiving non-HSM polymethylmethacrylate or silicone IOLs. Active uveitis at the time of cataract surgery was associated with worse visual outcomes. Compared with other uveitis cases, the proportion achieving 20/40 or better post cataract surgery was better for Fuchs heterochromic cyclitis cases and worse for uveitis related to Behçet disease, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, or sympathetic ophthalmia, and also posterior uveitis in general.

CONCLUSION

Cataract surgery in eyes with uveitis resulted in normal range levels of visual acuity in most cases. The review suggests that preoperative control of uveitis, use of an acrylic or HSM IOL, and a diagnosis of Fuchs heterochromic cyclitis were associated with better outcomes. Posterior-involving uveitides tended to do worse, likely because of vision-limiting complications of uveitis. Average results may not be applicable to specific clinical scenarios.

Fluffy white iris precipitates in Fuchs uveitis: a new sign for an old disease

To describe particular iris precipitates in a series of five eyes from six patients with Fuchs uveitis (FU). Iris precipitates were noted by four independent examiners during routine physical examination of the angle by gonioscopy with Goldmann's three-mirror lens in patients with FU. The result was confirmed by examination, using the same method, of five other consecutive patients with FU and compared to 10 normal control eyes from five healthy individuals. Other causes of anterior uveitis were excluded. There were no iris precipitates in the healthy eyes. In eyes with FU, there were fluffy white iris precipitates, not visible by full-face examination or by classic slit-lamp examination. They were similar to keratic precipitates described in FU: starry, blurry and transparent with a tendency towards the white. Situated on the surface of the iris, they were visible only with the particular diffusion of the light from the gonioscopy's glass on the darkly pigmented iris of patients from North Africa. Fluffy white iris precipitates, seen in FU patients, appear to represent an additional clinical sign and may improve our diagnostic accuracy in this disease. Its visibility requires a specific technique during clinical examination. The validity of this new clinical sign based on this fact is yet to be determined.