Incidence and Risk Factors for Developing Glaucoma Among Patients with Uveitis in a University-based Tertiary Referral Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PURPOSE

To investigate the incidence and risk factors of secondary glaucoma among uveitis patients.

METHODS

Retrospective review of medical records of 642 patients (1220 eyes).

RESULTS

Glaucoma was diagnosed in 169 (13.9%) eyes and was most common in eyes with anterior uveitis (19.1%) (p < 0.001). HLA-B27-positive anterior uveitis (27.6%), Fuchs' uveitis (23.3%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (23.1%), herpetic uveitis (20.3%), and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (16.3%) were the leading clinical entities associated with glaucoma (p < 0.001). Significant risk factors at presentation included worse visual acuity, elevated intraocular pressure, keratic precipitates, granulomatous inflammation, anterior chamber reaction≥ 2+, posterior synechiae, and cataract. Female gender and iris nodules significantly predicted the need for glaucoma surgery. Visual outcome was worse in eyes with glaucoma than in eyes without glaucoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Incidence of glaucoma differed depending on anatomic and etiologic diagnoses of uveitis. There is a significant association between severity of inflammation at presentation and development of glaucoma.