Ocular abnormalities in patients with gout

We examined 69 patients with severe gout in a search for associated ocular diseases-particularly evidence of uveitis. None of the 69 patients had evidence of uveitis, past or present. Three patients had asteroid hyalopathy. The most common abnormality was bilateral ocular redness caused by hyperemia of the conjunctival and episcleral vessels. This was present in at least 43 of the 69 patients. Our findings support the evolving belief that in the past gout was assigned far too important a role as a causative factor in uveitis, and they confirm the well-described (but not generally recognized) clinical picture of red eyes in patients with gout. When evaluating a patient who is troubled by bilateral chronic conjunctival redness, the clinician should consider gout in the differential diagnosis.