[Specular microscopy findings in active uveitis].

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Science
• Inflammatory Diseases

Background:

• Uveitis, an intraocular inflammation, can affect various ocular structures.
• The corneal endothelium's health is crucial for maintaining corneal clarity and function.
• Understanding the impact of active uveitis on the corneal endothelium is important for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of active ocular inflammation in uveitis on the corneal endothelium.
• To assess changes in corneal endothelial parameters using specular microscopy.
• To correlate these changes with the severity of anterior chamber inflammation.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cross-sectional study of 63 eyes with active uveitis and 84 control eyes.
• Ophthalmic examination, laser flare photometry, and non-contact specular microscopy were performed.
• Follow-up assessments at one month included laser flare photometry and specular microscopy.

Main Results:

• Active uveitis eyes showed significantly lower hexagonality and higher central corneal thickness compared to controls.
• Cell density was initially similar between uveitis and control groups.
• After treatment, eyes with severe inflammation (≥50 ph/ms flare) showed improved cell density and hexagonality, and reduced central corneal thickness.

Conclusions:

• Active uveitis induces transient, inflammation-severity-dependent abnormalities in the corneal endothelium.
• Specular microscopy reveals these qualitative changes.
• Laser flare photometry effectively measures anterior chamber inflammation severity, correlating with endothelial changes.