Incidence and Risk Factors for Developing Glaucoma Among Patients with Uveitis in a University-based Tertiary Referral Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the incidence and risk factors of secondary glaucoma among uveitis patients.

Methods: Retrospective review of medical records of 642 patients (1220 eyes).

Results: Glaucoma was diagnosed in 169 (13.9%) eyes and was most common in eyes with anterior uveitis (19.1%) (p < 0.001). HLA-B27-positive anterior uveitis (27.6%), Fuchs’ uveitis (23.3%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (23.1%), herpetic uveitis (20.3%), and Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (16.3%) were the leading clinical entities associated with glaucoma (p < 0.001). Significant risk factors at presentation included worse visual acuity, elevated intraocular pressure, keratic precipitates, granulomatous inflammation, anterior chamber reaction≥ 2+, posterior synechiae, and cataract. Female gender and iris nodules significantly predicted the need for glaucoma surgery. Visual outcome was worse in eyes with glaucoma than in eyes without glaucoma.

Conclusions: Incidence of glaucoma differed depending on anatomic and etiologic diagnoses of uveitis. There is a significant association between severity of inflammation at presentation and development of glaucoma.

Keywords:

• Glaucoma
• incidence
• risk factors
• uveitis

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Ms. Connie B. Unisa-Marfil for secretarial work.

Declaration of Interest

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

Funding

This work was supported by Dr. Nasser Al-Rashid Research Chair in Ophthalmology (Abu El-Asrar AM) and Glaucoma Research Chair (Al Obeidan SA).