Immunological investigations in retinal vasculitis

Immunological investigations have been performed in eighty patients with retinal vasculitis. 50 per cent of patients with retinal vasculitis associated with systemic inflammatory disease have raised circulating immune complexes, abnormal complement abnormalities, and antibodies to retinal S antigen. Patients with isolated retinal vasculitis demonstrate similar abnormalities when vascular leakage is the predominant manifestation, but a higher incidence (89 per cent) of retinal antibodies and a lower incidence of immune complexes (22 per cent) are found if reduced retinal perfusion is present. A rise in titre of antibodies to smooth muscle occurred in several patients before the recurrence of uveitis, indicating that this test may predict a clinical relapse.