Purpose: To describe the clinical outcome of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (IA)-associated chronic iridocyclitis unresponsive to conventional therapy, in whom inflammation was eventually controlled using immunomodulatory therapy (IMT), and to determine if patients treated early with IMT have better visual acuity outcomes than those treated with corticosteroid alone.
Methods: Patients with JIA-associated chronic iridocyclitis receiving immunomodulatory therapy at the Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Service of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary between 1981 and 2001 were studied.
Inclusion criteria: JIA with chronic corticosteroid-dependent uveitis; IMT for a minimum of one year; minimum follow-up of three years; inflammation eventually controlled for a minimum of six consecutive months by IMT.
Results: At last visit, 51% of eyes (23 eyes) had acuity of 20/20 to 20/40, 16% (7 eyes) had 20/50 to 20/100, and 33% (15 eyes) had 20/200 or less. In patients whose chronic inflammation was eventually controlled within three years from onset of the uveitis, final bilateral vision was maintained within 20/20 to 20/30, except for a patient whose one eye had poor vision at initial consultation. When acuities at the end of the follow-up period of patients treated early with IMT were compared with acuities at the initial consultation of patients treated late with IMT, with duration of uveitis matched for each patient, visual acuities of those treated early were statistically significantly better than those treated late with IMT (p < 0.005 right and left eyes pooled; p = 0.0075 best eyes; p = 0.0375 worst eyes).
Conclusions: We noted improvement or maintenance of visual acuity (86%) during the course of follow-up of patients with treatment-resistant JIA-associated uveitis treated with effective IMT. However, only IMT given early in the disease course was noted to be associated with bilateral visual acuity of 20/30 or better.