REVIEW   

Minerva Oftalmologica 2017 September;59(3):69-76

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4903.17.01779-2

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

An update on isolated retinal vasculitis

Laura PELEGRÍN ¹, Alfredo ADÁN ¹, Gerard ESPINOSA ², José HERNÁNDEZ-RODRÍGUEZ ³ ✉

¹ Unit of Uveitis, Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; ² Unit of Uveitis, Department of Autoimmune Diseases, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; ³ Unit of Vasculitis Research, Department of Autoimmune Diseases, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Isolated retinal vasculitis (IRV) is a primary sight-threatening condition involving the retinal vessels, mostly veins. It affects more frequently women in the third to fourth decades, with predominance of bilateral ocular involvement. Visual prognosis relies on the presence of ischemic lesions, macular edema and the involvement of central retinal vessels. Treatment with systemic and intravitreal glucocorticoids and additional immunosuppressive agents is useful to improve or preserve visual defects. However, despite treatment, visual acuity worsening may occur and relapses are common. IRV should be diagnosed after excluding an ocular syndrome or a systemic infectious or non-infectious disease with retinal involvement. With the aim of distinguishing single-organ vasculitis from systemic forms of RV, a multidisciplinary approach and a guided laboratory work-up have proven to be useful.

KEY WORDS: Retinal vasculitis - Retinal vessels - Review