Macular edema in uveitis

In the present study we have made a review of the relevant literature on pathogenesis and modern diagnostic methods for macular edema (ME) in uveitis. Macular edema is a typical non-specific complication of uveitis, one of the common causes of visual impairment. ME can be found in all types of uveitis. In 85% of cases of intermediate uveitis, the visual impairment is due to the development of cystoid macular edema. The macula is more rarely affected in panuveitis (35%), anterior (20-26%) and posterior (20%) uveitis. The etiological agent is of great importance for the course and treatment of inflammatory diseases. Among the imaging diagnostic methods that are capable of detecting macular edema with fluid accumulation in the retina (either diffuse or distributed in cysts) are the fluorescein angiography (FA) and the optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCT allows a quantitative assessment of retinal thickening and how it changes throughout therapy. FA can be used to determine very precisely the site of a vascular leakage and assess how badly the vascular wall has been affected by the inflammatory process.

Macular edema occurring during an inflammatory process is one of the causes for visual acuity loss in uveitis. OCT and FA are useful complementary imaging methods for investigation of structural changes in retinal architecture in uveitis patients.