Psoriasis and the eye: prevalence of eye disease in Singaporean Asian patients with psoriasis

Abstract

There is little published data on the incidence of eye disease in Asian patients with psoriasis. We determined the frequency of ocular complications in Singaporean Asian patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and related these to extent and severity of psoriasis, family history, treatment and presence of arthritis. A cross-sectional prevalence investigation was carried out in 100 patients who received a comprehensive eye examination. Psoriasis extent and severity was graded by the Lattice System Physician's Global Assessment (LS-PGA). Two patients (four eyes) had uveitis, one of whom had psoriatic arthritis (2% incidence). Presence or absence of uveitis correlated with mean LS-PGA scores. Sixty-three patients had cataract unrelated to previous steroid or phototherapy treatment; in younger (<50 years) patients they were commoner than in those with higher (>5) LS-PGA scores. Three eyes in two patients (2% prevalence) had glaucomatous optic neuropathy unrelated to previous treatment, and comparable with expected population frequency. These findings, although limited by lack of data from a comparable control population, suggest that eye complications are common in Asian patients with psoriasis and eye symptoms should be elicited during history taking. Besides signs and symptoms of eye disease, an LS-PGA score of more than 5 should prompt referral for ophthalmological examination.