Increased intraocular pressure during treatment for chronic uveitis

(1) To prospectively evaluate the incidence of increased intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients suffering from chronic uveitis. (2) To identify the main factors responsible for an increase in the IOP among these patients.

Two hundred and one patients suffering from chronic uveitis were included. Enrolled patients had an initial IOP of 8-18 mmHg. The patients were treated and clinically monitored during a period of 4 years. The IOP was measured at each visit and its changes followed prospectively. All patients were followed up for at least 12 months after enrollment.

Twenty-four (12%) of the 201 patients had IOP higher than 24 mmHg at two or more consecutive visits. Of these 24 patients, 19 suffered from bilateral uveitis and 5 had unilateral disease. Four of the 19 patients with bilateral uveitis developed a constant IOP higher than 24 mmHg in both eyes, while in 15 patients an IOP higher than 24 mmHg persisted only in one eye. A close association between the increased IOP and the use of corticosteroids was found in 18 of the 24 cases (75%). This association was ascertained in 16 of these patients by the decrease in IOP levels on discontinuation of the corticosteroid regimen and the renewed increase IOP was due to pupillary block in three cases (12.5%), to iris and angle neovascularization in two (8.3%), and to the inflammatory process per se in one case only (4.2%).

This study demonstrates that a persistent elevation of the IOP in patients suffering from chronic uveitis is, in the majority of cases, associated with the use of corticosteroids.