VISUAL OUTCOME OF PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC ISCHEMIC AND NONISCHEMIC RETINAL VASCULITIS

This study investigated whether patients with ischaemic retinal vascul itis have a worse visual outcome than those with non-ischaemic disease . A retrospective study was made of 53 patients with idiopathic retina l vasculitis (RV), with minimum 5 year follow-up. Patients were catego rised into ischaemic and non-ischaemic groups by fluorescein angiograp hy. Visual outcome was determined by visual acuity at their last atten dance. Twenty patients (38 eyes) had ischaemic RV; 33 patients (63 eye s) had non-ischaemic RV. At presentation there was no significant diff erence between the groups in the proportion of eyes with poor vision ( 6/60 or less). Ischaemic RV patients had a worse visual outcome than t hose with non-ischaemic RV: 13 of 38 (34%) eyes in the ischaemic group had a final poor vision compared with 4 of 63 (6%) eyes in the non-is chaemic group (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.0005).