Assessment of Choroidal and Central Foveal Thickness in Cases of Acute Anterior Uveitis Using Optical Coherence Tomography

Background: The most typical ocular inflammatory condition is anterior uveitis, which frequently results in a painful red eye. Acute, subacute, or chronic manifestations are possible [1]. Acute anterior uveitis (AAU) can develop as a localized infection or as a standalone medical condition unrelated to any other illness or inflammation in the body. Most instances of acute unilateral, anterior non-granulomatous uveitis do not require an extensive work up because up to 50% of these patients are idiopathic [2]. When the uveitis is recurrent, chronic, bilateral, granulomatous, resistant to treatment, intermediate, posterior, or in children under the age of 15, laboratory testing should be taken into consideration. The majority of patients with acute unilateral, anterior non-granulomatous uveitis do not require a full workup because up to 50% of these patients are idiopathic [3].

Aim of the Study: Using optical coherence tomography and improved depth imaging, this controlled, selected, cross-sectional investigation evaluated the thickness of the choroidal and central foveal choroidal tissues in instances of acute anterior uveitis.

Patients and Methods: The study included 50 eyes from 25 patients with acute anterior uveitis, including 5 patients who had bilateral illness, and 20 eyes from 10 healthy, age-, gender-, and refraction-matched controls.

Results: The mean age of the patients 24 years (range 10 to 38 years) and of the controls was 22 years (range 13 to 40 years).This study was conducted on 25 patients: 17 male (68%) and 8 females (32%) and on 20 control participants: 5 males (50%) and 5 females (50. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured in all participants using decimal notation and the mean (0.425± 0.213) was mildly decreased. All patients had a full ophthalmological examination, fundus examination, and macula OCT imaging with assessment of central foveal thickness and sub-foveal choroidal thickness, which we documented. The active acute anterior uveitis in the scanned eyes displayed cell densities ranging from +1 to +3 in the anterior chamber. All participants underwent spectral domain-OCT with enhanced depth imaging, and we discovered that in acute anterior uveitis, the central foveal thickness and the sub-foveal choroidal thickness increase in the affected eye and, to a lesser extent, in the other eye that appears to be healthy, compared to the eyes of completely normal people.

Conclusion: Comparing the eyes of patients with acute anterior uveitis to the fellow eyes of the patients, both the central foveal thickness and the sub-foveal choroidal thickness rise markedly.