Vision-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

PURPOSE: To assess vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) under treatment with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and to find the influencing factors. METHODS: Cross-sectional study enrolling SLE patients for less than ten years (Group 1), SLE patients for more than ten years (Group 2), and healthy controls (Group 3). SLE patients should be under treatment with HCQ but without ophthalmological affection. Schirmer test, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), axial length (AL) with optical biometry, and swept-source optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCTA) Triton (Topcon) were performed. All participants fulfilled the Impact of Visual Impairment questionnaire, and SLE patients answered the Lupus Impact Tracker (LIT) questionnaire. Additional data were obtained from clinical records. RESULTS: A totals of 41 eyes (41 patients), 31 eyes (31 patients) and 45 eyes (45 volunteers) were enrolled in the study groups. The mean ages were 41.09 ± 9.56, 45.06 ± 8.47 and 40.25 ± 10.83 years, respectively (p = 0.10). The LIT outcomes were 33.49 ± 20.74 and 35.98 ± 22.66 (p = 0.63), respectively. Group 3 referred to a better VRQoL than Group 2 in all categories and than Group 1 in some of them. A linear regression analysis showed that serum ferritin, SLE activity scales, body-mass index (BMI), age, and BCVA influenced VRQoL. The LIT questionnaire was correlated to two categories of the Impact of Visual Impairment questionnaire (IVI). CONCLUSIONS: Despite no ophthalmological affection, SLE patients refer to poorer VRQoL because of disease activity and a low health-related quality of life, which has a negative influence on VRQoL. This masks the effect of other ophthalmological conditions such as dry eyes. Other variables influencing VRQoL are age and BMI, and BCVA, to a lesser extent.

Automated analysis of choroidal thickness in patients with systemic lupus erithematosus treated with hydroxychloroquine.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), considering the possible impact of disease activity on the choroid. METHODS: Cross-sectional study comparing three groups: two groups of SLE patients treated with HCQ without HCQ-retinopathy (32 eyes/32 patients with < 5 years of HCQ (group 1) and 44 eyes/44 patients with > 5 years of HCQ (group 2)), and an age-matched healthy control group of 46 eyes/46 patients (group 3). A complete ophthalmic examination was performed, including swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) Triton (Topcon). Data were correlated to systemic disease activity parameters. RESULTS: CT was thicker in group 1 compared to group 3 in central, nasal, and superior sectors, and to group 2 in inner superior and outer inferior sectors (p < 0.05). In the correlation analysis, disease activity and CT were inversely correlated in most sectors (p < 0.05). In the regression analysis, HCQ was related to thinner CT in temporal and inferior sectors and disease activity with variations in nasal sectors (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In SLE patients, HCQ is correlated to decreased CT, especially in the inferior and temporal areas. The choroid shows different responses to SLE activity and HCQ, and some sectors may be more sensitive than others.

Tocilizumab resolves refractory macular edema associated to retinitis pigmentosa.

PURPOSE: The aim of this report is to describe the resolution of refractory cystoid macular edema (CME) associated to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) with intravenous tocilizumab in three patients. METHODS: Retrospective study of a series of consecutive cases of patients treated with off-label intravenous tocilizumab (anti IL6) for CME refractory to acetazolamide 250 mg for 3 months. Patients were diagnosed with RP by fundus appearance, electrophysiology, visual fields, and genetic testing. A complete ophthalmic examination, including spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was performed. PATIENTS: Three patients with RP and CME refractory to acetazolamide 250 mg for 3 months were treated with monthly intravenous tocilizumab for at least six months. RESULTS: All patients resolved CME and improved visual acuity after the third month of intravenous tocilizumab, resolving systemic and ocular adverse events related to previous treatments for CME. Tocilizumab was well tolerated with no other adverse events. DISCUSSION: CME causes visual impairment in RP, but current treatments are usually deficient. Tocilizumab has been successfully used as treatment for refractory CME in uveitis, retinal dystrophies, and autoimmune retinopathies. This article reports, for the first time, the long-term resolution of refractory CME in RP with intravenous tocilizumab.

Anatomical Retinal Changes after Photodynamic Therapy in Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate anatomical retinal changes measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), after applying photodynamic therapy (PDT) for treatment of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 43 patients (48 eyes) with chronic CSC treated with PDT. Visual acuity (VA), central retinal thickness (CRT), outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness, subretinal fluid (SRF), and photoreceptor ellipsoid zone (EZ) measured by SD-OCT were collected at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months after PDT. Differences between normally distributed variables were calculated by a paired-sample t-test; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Mean age was 50 ± 9.8 years. Mean time from diagnosis to PDT was 12.5 months. Baseline VA was 0.51 ± 0.24 and significantly improved (p < 0.001) to 0.74 ± 0.26 one year after PDT. CRT and SRF significantly decreased (p < 0.001) at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. ONL thickness and EZ did not significantly change at any point during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Not significant changes were found in the ONL or EZ 12 months after PDT.