Landmark Studies in Uveitis

Abstract

This paper provides the summaries on nine (9) important and clinically relevant publications in the field of uveitis. The first is on the standardization of uveitis nomenclature, more popularly known by its acronym - SUN, which was a result of an international workshop participated by uveitis experts in 2004. Five (5) papers were large, multicenter, clinical trials that demonstrated safety and efficacy of two (2) corticosteroids delivery devices (dexamethasone implant [Ozurdex] and fluocinolone acetonide implant [Retisert^TM]) and one (1) immunomodulatory drug (adalimumab). The POINT trial compared various delivery approaches when using corticosteroids for the treatment of uveitic macular edema. The FAST trial compared two (2) durable and commonly-prescribed steroidsparing immunosuppressants, methotrexate and mycophenolate mofetil, for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis. Lastly, the SITE study, which was a large retrospective cohort study, determined the risks of overall and malignancy-related deaths among patients with inflammatory eye diseases receiving systemic immunosuppressants. Findings of these studies provide basis and rationale for the care and management of patients with uveitis and lay the groundwork for future research.