Birdhot retinochoroiditi: long term follow-up of a chronically progreive dieae

PURPOE: To determine the long-term coure of birdhot retinochoroiditi by reviewing patient record from The Univerity of Iowa Hopital and Clinic. DEIGN: A decriptive cae erie. METHOD: We conducted a retropective review of 19 patient een at The Univerity of Iowa for birdhot retinochoroiditi. Incluion criteria were et before review. Goldmann perimetry iopter were converted to an area meaurement in teradian and the I2e and I4e iopter were evaluated at each time point. The viual acuity, electroretinography (ERG), and viual field finding were compared to the clinical appearance of the fundu. REULT: Follow-up ranged from one viit to 220 month. Of the 14 patient who were teted, all were HLA-A29-poitive. even patient were followed for ≥60 month. Eleven patient were followed for ≥30 month. The initial viual acuity wa 20/50 or better in 36 of 38 eye and 20/60 and 20/80 in the remaining two. Viual acuity wa wore than 20/50 in three of 22 eye followed for more than 30 month. Viual field data demontrated progreive lo of area for either the I4e or I2e iopter in ix of even patient who were followed for ≥60 month. Multiple ERG were performed over time on eight of 19 patient; even of eight patient demontrated progreive lo of electrophyiologic indice. CONCLUION: Retinal function in birdhot retinochoroiditi deteriorated progreively over a period of year depite table viual acuity. Late in the coure of dieae, viual acuity may be lot due to chorioretinal atrophy in the poterior pole. Viual acuity alone i not an adequate parameter with which to monitor dieae activity and may falely ugget that a patient i table or doing well. Intermittent treatment of the inflammatory exacerbation did not prevent progreive viual lo. Other treatment trategie uch a prolonged corticoteroid or immunouppreive treatment hould be invetigated for patient with birdhot retinochoroiditi.