Eye sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease of unknown cause. It most often affects young and middle-aged people. It is often manifested by bilateral hilar adenopathy, pulmonary infiltrates, and ocular and skin lesions. The liver, spleen, lymph nodes, salivary glands, heart, nervous system, muscles, bones and other organs can also be affected. Disability eye is common.

Epidemiology
Eyes are affected in 11-83% of patients (8.9% in our country). Any part of the eye can be affected. The representation of individual pathologies is as follows: conjunctival nodules 29%, hypolacrimation 17%, conjunctival sarcoidosis 17%, uveitis anterior, vitreous opacity, perivasculitis, vasculitis and chorioretinitis 13%.

Symptoms
Uveitis anterior is manifested by sudden pain, photophobia, blurred vision, redness of the eyes and excessive lacrimation with circulatory redness, keratic precipitates, leukocytes and proteins in the intraocular fluid and mildly miotic pupils during an eye examination.

Impairment of the posterior segment of the eye may be the only manifestation of the disease. It most often manifests itself as vitritis with opacities in the character of a snowball or a chain of pearls. Retinal and chorioid perivascular infiltrations show signs of wax drops.

Rarely, sarcoidosis can affect the optic nerve. Symptoms also include conjunctivitis and papillary edema.

Due to frequent ocular manifestations, everyone, even an asymptomatic patient with sarcoidosis, should be examined by an ophthalmologist, including a slit-lamp examination.

Therapy
When anterior uveitis is sufficient for most patients, topical corticosteroids and cycloplegics.

For other disorders, systematic corticosteroids or periocular injections of methylprednisone or triamcinolone are indicated.

Related articles
Sarcoidosis (internal)

Source

 * ANTON, Jan. Materiály k přednášce "Sarkoidóza".

Reference
HUNNINGHAKE, GW, U COSTABEL and M ANDO, et al. ATS / ERS / WASOG statement on sarcoidosis. American Thoracic Society / European Respiratory Society / World Association of Sarcoidosis and other Granulomatous Disorders. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis [online] ''. ''1999, vol 16, no. 2, pp. 149-73, also available from < https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10560120 >. ISSN 1124-0490.