Certification of Vision Impairment in Patients with Uveitis Attending a Specialist Clinic

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To identify the causes of severe visual loss in a UK uveitis clinic, to suggest means of reducing incidence, and to propose improvement in data collection of vision impairment.

Patients and methods: Retrospective case series.

Results: Over 128 months, 76 (3.5–4% of patients referred) were certified as vision-impaired or severely vision-impaired. The mean age at registration was 48.4 years, 76% were of working age, and 7% were children. The diagnosis leading most often to registration was sympathetic ophthalmia and the most frequent uveitis complications were secondary cataract (whether or not operated upon) in 62%, chronic cystoid macular edema in 43%, and secondary glaucoma in 28%. Visual loss was often multifactorial.

Conclusions: Severe and permanent visual loss in uveitis affects people predominantly of working age. It is probably underreported and a restructuring of the certificate of vision impairment may improve data collection. Early referral to a tertiary center may reduce the incidence of vision impairment.

Keywords:

• Blindness
• registration
• uveitis
• vision impairment

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was facilitated by the Greater Manchester Local Clinical Research Network.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

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