A Wide Spectrum of Ocular Manifestations Signify Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare, chronic connective tissue disease involving multiple organ systems, including the eye. We evaluated the detailed clinical ocular manifestations of outpatients with SSc.

Methods: Demographics, disease duration and subtype, nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) patterns and laboratory parameters encompassing the autoantibody profile of 51 SSc patients were evaluated, and a general ocular examination was performed for each participant.

Results: Twenty-nine patients (56.86%) had eyelid skin alterations, 26 (50.98%) had retinal abnormalities, 26 (50.98%) had cataracts, 8 (15.69%) had conjunctival changes, 7 (13.73%) had iris abnormalities, 33 (64.71%) suffered from dry eye disease (DED), and 11 (21.57%) suffered from glaucoma. Significant positive correlations were found between NFC data and both tear breakup time and Ocular Surface Disease Index test values.

Conclusions: Eyelid skin abnormalities, DED and retinal abnormalities are among the most common SSc-related ocular involvements. Diverse ophthalmic findings are attributed to the heterogeneity of SSc.

Keywords:

• Dry eye disease
• nailfold capillaroscopy
• ocular findings
• ocular manifestations
• pathogenesis
• scleroderma
• systemic sclerosis

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Katalin Hodosi for her technical contribution to this manuscript.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.