Inferior Corneal Haze and Inflammatory Endotheliopathy Related to Pars Planitis

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To describe the finding of inferior corneal haze secondary to presumed inflammatory endothelio-10 pathy in a series of patients with pars planitis.

Methods

Single-center retrospective observational consecutive case-series.

Results

Seven patients with an established diagnosis of pars planitis are described in this case series including four females and three males. The ages ranged from 5 to 31 years at presentation. Pars planitis was bilateral in six patients and unilateral in one patient. Fundus examinations revealed vitreous opacities and pars plana exudates in all seven patients, cystoid macular edema in four patients, and peripheral retinal vasculitis in two patients. Corneal examination revealed opacification of the posterior cornea in an inferior location in 10 of the 13 eyes with pars planitis. Only one of these eyes had keratic precipitates. For a given patient, corneal involvement was more commonly seen in the more inflamed eye. In one patient with active inflammation, microcystic corneal edema was noted to predate the formation of inferior corneal endothelial opacification, suggesting that physical proximity to the site of inflammation at the inferior pars plana is the cause of this notable physical finding.

Conclusions

Inferior posterior corneal haze related to inflammatory endotheliopathy may occur in eyes with pars planitis. As patients with pars planitis may be otherwise asymptomatic, this corneal finding shouldprompt a detailed funduscopic examination to rule out this form of uveitis.

Keywords:

• Corneal haze
• inflammatory endotheliopathy
• pars planitis

Declaration of interest

AST is supported by the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Foundation. AA, SA have no financial disclosures. EBS is a consultant for Abbvie, Clearside, EyeGate, EyePoint, Evevensys, Gilead, and Santen and receives research support from Abbvie, Aldeyra, Clearside, EyeGate, EyePoint and Gilead.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by P30 EY010572 from the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD) and a departmental unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness (New York, NY).  Dr. Suhler is additionally supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs.