Multicenter Study

. 2025 May;33(4):585-588.

doi: 10.1080/09273948.2024.2427857. Epub 2024 Nov 25.

Vitamin D Supplementation and Remission from Chronic Anterior Uveitis

Hueyjong Shih^{1

2}, Yineng Chen³, Katie Huynh^{1

2}, Eric B Suhler^{4

5}, Jennifer E Thorne^{6

7}, Nirali P Bhatt⁸, C Stephen Foster⁹, Douglas A Jabs^{6

7}, Grace A Levy-Clarke¹⁰, Robert B Nussenblatt¹¹, James T Rosenbaum^{4

12

13}, H Nida Sen^{14

15}, Sapna S Gangaputra¹⁶, Abhishek R Payal¹⁷, Hosne Begum⁶, Naira Khachatryan⁸, Sherri-Ann M Burnett-Bowie¹⁸, Gui-Shuang Ying³, John H Kempen^{1

2

19

20

21}, Lucia Sobrin^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology and Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
³ Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
⁵ Department of Surgery, Portland Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA.
⁶ Wilmer Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
⁷ Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
⁸ Department of Ophthalmology, The Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁹ Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
¹¹ Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
¹² Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
¹³ Legacy Devers Eye Institute, Portland, Oregon, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Research and Development, Sanofi, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹⁶ Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
¹⁷ Mahatme Eye Bank Eye Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
¹⁸ Endocrine Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁹ Sight for Souls, Bellevue, Washington, USA.
²⁰ MCM Eye Unit, MyungSung Christian Medical Center General Hospital and MyungSung Medical School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
²¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Addis Ababa University School of Medicine, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

PMID: 39586010
PMCID: PMC12037315 (available on 2026-05-01)
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2024.2427857

Multicenter Study

Vitamin D Supplementation and Remission from Chronic Anterior Uveitis

Hueyjong Shih et al. Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2025 May.

. 2025 May;33(4):585-588.

doi: 10.1080/09273948.2024.2427857. Epub 2024 Nov 25.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology and Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
³ Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
⁵ Department of Surgery, Portland Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA.
⁶ Wilmer Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
⁷ Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
⁸ Department of Ophthalmology, The Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁹ Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
¹¹ Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
¹² Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
¹³ Legacy Devers Eye Institute, Portland, Oregon, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Research and Development, Sanofi, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹⁶ Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
¹⁷ Mahatme Eye Bank Eye Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
¹⁸ Endocrine Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁹ Sight for Souls, Bellevue, Washington, USA.
²⁰ MCM Eye Unit, MyungSung Christian Medical Center General Hospital and MyungSung Medical School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
²¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Addis Ababa University School of Medicine, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

PMID: 39586010
PMCID: PMC12037315 (available on 2026-05-01)
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2024.2427857

Abstract

Purpose: Chronic anterior uveitis (CAU) often requires suppressive therapy, which has potential side effects including cataract, ocular hypertension, and increased risk of infection. No remittive therapy is currently available; however, several studies have demonstrated an association between low 25-hydroxy Vitamin D (25OHD) levels and either uveitis incidence or uveitis disease activity. This study investigates the potential of Vitamin D supplementation as a remittive treatment for CAU.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using data from the Systemic Immunosuppressive Therapy for Eye Disease (SITE) cohort study, which included patients with ocular inflammatory disease seen at U.S. tertiary centers between 1979 and 2010. Vitamin D supplementation data was analyzed for patients with CAU. Eyes were considered in remission if they remained quiet for at least 90 days off all anti-inflammatory treatment for eye disease.

Results: Among 2688 patients who never used Vitamin D, the cumulative adjusted CAU remission incidence was 13.5% at the 16-month follow-up. In contrast, among 75 patients who used Vitamin D for a duration of ≤1 year, the cumulative adjusted CAU remission incidence was 28% at 16 months. The use of Vitamin D was associated with a crude hazard ratio for remission of 2.14 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23-3.71, p = 0.0071], and an adjusted hazard ratio for remission of 2.43 [95% CI: 1.36-4.33, p = 0.0027].

Conclusion: In the SITE Cohort, Vitamin D supplementation is associated with a significantly increased incidence of remission. Vitamin D supplementation should be explored in a prospective trial as the next step of evaluation.

Keywords: Chronic anterior uveitis; Vitamin D; remission.

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Conflict of interest statement

John H. Kempen: Equity owner, Betaliq and Tarsier.

E.B.S. Consultant - Eyevensys, Santen; Consultant, Financial Support - EyeGate, AbbVie, Clearside, EyePoint; Other non-financial interests Gilead.

J.E.T.: Consultant - AbbVie, Canfield, Clearside, Gilead, Guidepoint, Merck, Sanofi, UptoDate,; Scientific Advisory Board, Equity Owner - Tarsier Pharma.

N.P.B: Other non-financial interests - Allergan.

C.S.F.: Consultant, Grant Support - Aldeyra, Bausch & Lomb, Novartis, pSivida; Consultant -Allakos, Genentech;

D.A.J.: Research Funding - AbbVie.

G.A.L.-C.: Consultant, Lecture Fees - AbbVie; Grant Support - Allergan; Consultant, Grant Support - Mallinckrodt; Grant Support, Lecture Fees - Sanofi.

J.T.R.: Employment - Corvus Pharmaceuticals; Consultant - AbbVie, Gilead, Janssen, Eyevensys, UpToDate, Novartis, Roche, Celgene, UCB, Santen, UCB; Financial Support - Pfizer, Alcon Research Institute; Consultant and Financial support - Horizon; Education - Pfizer.H.N.S.: Employee - Janssen.

References

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Vitamin D Supplementation and Remission from Chronic Anterior Uveitis

Affiliations

Vitamin D Supplementation and Remission from Chronic Anterior Uveitis

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding