Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access

Complications of uveitis in children according to age: The risk of amblyopia

5^th International Conference on Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology

August 04-06, 2015 Valencia, Spain

Rola N Hamam

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Clin Exp Ophthalmol

Abstract :

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to outline the most common presentations, etiologies, complications and visual outcomes of
uveitis among children according to age.
Methods: The medical records of patients 16 years of age or less diagnosed with uveitis presenting to AUBMC between 2009
and 2012 were reviewed.
Results: Children were found to represent 15% of our uveitis cohort at AUBMC. 79 eyes of 50 children were identified. The
most common presentations were chronic (61%), bilateral (61%), anterior uveitis (40%). Younger children had significantly
more anterior uveitis while older children had more panuveitis. The most common etiologies associated with the uveitis were
idiopathic (48%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (12%) and Toxoplasmosis (10%). On presentation, 45% of the eyes had visual
acuity of 20/50 or worse and 20% had visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. While on last follow up, 35% of the eyes had visual
impairment with visual acuity of 20/50 or worse and 15% had severe visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse.
The most common causes of reduced vision were cataract (39%), cystoid macular edema (10%) and glaucoma (5.5%). While
amblyopia was the most common complication among children younger than 8 years of age and it occurred in 23% of children
in that age group.
Conclusion: One third of our pediatric patients with uveitis had visual impairment while amblyopia was the most common
complication in the visually immature. Increased awareness about these outcomes might help improve the care especially in the
visually immature by assessing and treating amblyopia when present.
Results & Conclusion: Children were found to represent 15% of our uveitis cohort at AUBMC. 79 eyes of 50 children were
identified for the purposes of this study. The most common presentation was chronic uveitis in 61% of the cases. The inflammation
was most commonly bilateral (61%). Anterior uveitis was the most common presenting location of the uveitis in 40% of the eyes.
The most common etiologies associated with the uveitis were idiopathic which represented 48% of the cases, juvenile idiopathic
arthritis in 12% and Toxoplasmosis in 10%. On presentation, 45% of the eyes had visual acuity of 20/50 or worse and 20% had
visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. While on last follow up, 35% of the eyes had visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/50 or
worse and 15% had severe visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. The most common causes of reduced vision
on last follow up were cataract (which was present in 39% of the eyes, cystoid macular edema present in 10% and glaucoma
in 5.5%. On the other hand, amblyopia occurred in 23% of children younger than 8 years of age and was the most common
complication in the visually immature. In conclusion, one third of our pediatric patients with uveitis had visual impairment on
last follow up. Increased awareness about these outcomes might help improve the care especially in the visually immature when
amblyopia might still be reversible if promptly diagnosed and treated.

Biography :

Rola N Hamam is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the American University of Beirut. She is the Director of the residency training program and the medical retina
fellowship training program. She received her BS degree in biology from the American University of Beirut in 1998 and her MD in 2002. She completed her residency in
Ophthalmology at the same institution then had fellowship training at Harvard University in Boston at the Beetham Eye Institute, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary,
and the Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution with Doctor C Stephen Foster until 2008. She returned to her home country and joined her Alma matter in
2009 to start the first uveitis specialty referral clinic in the country at the American University of Beirut. She is a member of several national and international societies. She
has organized and lectured on ocular immunology and uveitis in many national and international conferences and scientific meetings. She is involved in multiple research
projects on ocular inflammatory and infectious disease and she continues to contribute scientific publications in the field.