Epidemic retinitis - Factors associated with poor visual outcomes.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Epidemic retinitis (ER) can lead to significant vision impairment.
• Understanding factors contributing to poor visual outcomes is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors contributing to poor visual outcomes in epidemic retinitis (ER) beyond macular edema and retinitis location.
• To compare demographic, clinical, and imaging factors between eyes with poor and good visual outcomes at resolution.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, observational, comparative study of 50 eyes with ER.
• Group A: Eyes with corrected distant visual acuity (CDVA) ≤ 20/200 at resolution.
• Group B: Eyes with central macular thickness (CMT) ≥ 600 μm and retinitis near the fovea, but CDVA > 20/200 at resolution.

Main Results:

• Older age, male gender, diabetes, delayed presentation, poor presenting CDVA, bilaterality, keratic precipitates, disk pallor, retinal thinning, and subfoveal deposits were associated with poor visual outcomes.
• Absence of skin rash, ellipsoid zone loss, negative serological tests, and delayed or inappropriate antibiotic/steroid therapy showed insignificant association with visual outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Multiple demographic, clinical, and imaging factors, in addition to presenting CMT and retinitis location, influence visual outcomes in ER.
• These factors are critical for predicting and potentially mitigating vision loss in ER patients.