Results 5 to 10 years after cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis-related uveitis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the results of cataract extraction with primary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and uveitis related cataract. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: All consecutive patients younger than 20 years with JIA-uveitis-related cataract undergoing cataract extraction with primary IOL implantation in 1 or both eyes at the Department of Ophthalmology, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, from February 2000 to April 2012 were included. Twenty eligible patients with 26 operated eyes were identified; 14 were girls and 6 were boys. All patients had a follow-up of 5 years and 13 patients (65%; 16 eyes) reached 10 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Twenty-six eyes of 20 patients were studied. Preoperative median corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 0.05 in decimal notation. Median CDVA was 1.0 at 5 years and 0.9 at 10 years of follow-up. Two eyes did not reach CDVA 0.5 with the operation, and in 2 eyes CDVA decreased below 0.5 over the period of 3 to 5 years after the operation. Active uveitis during 3 and 12 months prior to surgery was a risk indicator for postoperative CDVA <0.5 at 5 years (P=0.005 and P=0.007, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Cataract extraction with primary IOL implantation provides long-standing good visual acuity for young patients with well-controlled JIA-related uveitis.