Clinical Features of Ocular Sarcoidosis in Patients with Biopsy-proven Pulmonary Sarcoidosis in Serbia

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze clinical characteristics of ocular sarcoidosis in a group of biopsy-proven sarcoid patients treated at the single referral center for sarcoidosis in Serbia.

Methods: A prospective study carried out on 88 biopsy-proven sarcoid patients between January 2012 and December 2014. All patients underwent complete ophthalmological examination.

Results: Ocular sarcoidosis was present in 32 patients (36.4% of all) and included: eyelid skin lesions (2.3%); orbital inflammation (2.3%); conjunctival lesions (7.9%); anterior uveitis (2.3%); intermediate uveitis (1.1%); posterior uveitis (15.9%); panuveitis (5.7%), and neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations (9.1%). Complications included cataract (20.4%); glaucoma (5.7%); cystoid macular edema (3.4%); epiretinal membrane formation (4.5%); macular atrophy (2.3%); and choroidal neovascularization (1.1%). Binocular visual impairment was present in one patient (1.1%), due to complications of posterior uveitis (macular scars).

Conclusions: Patients in Serbia demonstrated ocular sarcoidosis as the first most common site of extrapulmonary sarcoid manifestations, with more often neuro-ophthalmologic lesions than in other European populations.

Keywords: Anterior uveitis; ocular complications; ocular sarcoidosis; posterior uveitis; sarcoid uveitis.