ABSTRACT
Objective: To study long-term clinical complications of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease and to compare retinal thickness using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in VKH patients with age- and gender-matched controls.Methods: Patients diagnosed with VKH for more than 6 months were identified from hospital files. Clinical presentation and clinical course were studied. OCT of the retina was performed in these patients during the most recent follow-up examination to compare with age- and gender-matched controls recruited from outpatient clinics.Results: Eighteen VKH patients (4 male, 14 female) were studied. Mean age at diagnosis was 35.1 years (SD 13.0). Mean age at last follow up was 40.8 years (SD=15.1). Median time to last follow-up was 5.2 years (interquartile range=1.7-8.1). Thirty eyes (83%) developed at least one complication, including recurrent anterior uveitis in 16 eyes (44%), glaucoma in 16 eyes (44%), cataract in 11 eyes (31%), pseudophakia in 10 eyes (28%), and aphakia in one eye (3%). Two patients were blind in one eye. Tinnitus persisted longer than 6 months in two patients. Cutaneous complications such as alopecia, vitiligo, and poliosis were present in seven patients (39%). Mean central retinal thickness was 190.1 microns (SD 61.5), comparing with 181.5 microns (SD=47.9) in controls, p=0.43. Mean retinal thickness at superior inner macula was 250.6 microns (SD=65.5), comparing with 259.0 microns (SD=66.0) in controls, p=0.15.Conclusion: Most of the VKH patients develop long-term clinical complications. The retinal thickness, measured by OCT, in VKH patients is not significantly different from that of age- and gender-matched controls.