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Purpose: To report on the clinical data of seven patients with T-cell intraocular lymphoma (IOL).Methods: Retrospective case series.Results: Seven immunocompetent patients, 12 eyes, 6 women, with T-cell-IOL were included from five countries. Mean age was 53.5 years (range: 25-82). Four patients had systemic-ocular lymphoma, two had CNS-ocular lymphoma, and one had systemic-CNS- ocular lymphoma. Vitritis was the most frequent clinical sign, followed by anterior uveitis and serous retinal detachment. Cytopathologic examination was performed on all ocular specimens (vitreous in six and iris mass biopsy in one patient). Adjunctive diagnostic procedures included immunohistochemistry, molecular tests, and cytokine profiling of vitreous samples. Treatment modalities included systemic chemotherapy (five patients), intravitreal methotrexate (three patients), globe radiotherapy, and intrathecal chemotherapy. Mean survival from diagnosis was 21.7 months (range: 2-69). Two patients are still alive.Conclusions: T-cell IOL has variable clinical manifestations and prognosis. Systemic involvement, SRD, and vitreoretinal involvement were frequently observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To retrospectively assess the frequency of ocular relapse and the possibility of long-term remission in patients treated with interferon (IFN) for severe uveitis associated with Behçet disease.Methods: All patients were treated with an initial dosage of 3 million IU IFN three times a week. The main outcome measure was the number of relapses per person per year before, during, and after IFN treatment.Results: Of 36 patients (67 eyes), 31 (86.1%) responded to IFN. The mean follow-up was 8.19 years. Twenty-one out of 36 patients discontinued IFN and 76% of these have not relapsed within 5.05 years after discontinuation. The mean relapse per person per year decreased significantly from 1.39 to 0.0496 (p = 1.82×10-10) during the treatment period and remained at 0.057 relapses per person per year after IFN discontinuation.Conclusion: IFN efficiently decreases the relapse rate and seems to permit long-term remission even after discontinuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis complicated by foveal serous retinal detachment (FSRD), we documented the relationship between best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), level of anterior chamber flare and OCT features.Methods: Nine children (15 eyes) with FSRD were identified among 38 children with JIA-associated maculopathy. Outcome measures included BCVA, ocular inflammatory activity quantified by laser flare photometry and the macular profile analyzed by OCT.Results: The diagnosis of FSRD led to intensification of the treatment using subtenon's injection of triamcinolone or systemic immunomodulatory therapy. The improvement of BCVA at presentation (0.46 logMAR) was significant at 36 months follow-up (0.15 logMAR). The resolution of FSRD along with visual improvement (p = 0.0032) correlated with improvement in anterior chamber flare (p = 0.01).Conclusion: FSRD is a complication of chronic JIA-associated uveitis that responds well to intensification of immunomodulation. Visual improvement is correlated with FSRD resolution and with flare photometry values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of interferon alfa-2a (IFN alfa) in severe uveitis associated with Behçet's disease, that is refractory to steroids and conventional immunosuppressive agents.Patients and Methods: Patients with Behçet's disease (according to the International Study Group criteria), who relapsed despite steroids and immunosuppressive agents, were included in this retrospective study. Ophthalmological examination, laser flare photometry, and fluorescein angiography associated with laboratory tests were performed at regular intervals. IFN alfa (3 millions units thrice a week) was injected subcutaneously.Results: Eight patients (sex ratio: 1) were included between May 1995 and January 1999. The mean age was 29.1 years (14-54 years) and the disease was present between 11 and 167 months before the administration of IFN alfa. IFN alfa was efficient in all cases with a mean follow-up of 22 months (10-55 months). Steroids were tapered from a mean dosage of 47 mg/d to a mean dosage of 8.5 mg/d. Ocular inflammation was controlled and visual acuity improved in all cases. Treatment was generally well tolerated despite a constant but transient flu-like syndrome. IFN alfa was tapered in three patients and stopped in one case without any relapse after five months.Conclusions: Within the limitations of this retrospective study, low-dose IFN alfa seems to be well tolerated, promising in the management of refractory forms of uveitis due to Behçet's disease, and effective in allowing a reduction of steroid dosage. A prospective controlled study is necessary to confirm these preliminary results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]