Self-Reported Vision-Related Quality of Life and Functional Impact in Portuguese Patients with Uveitis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Uveitis is an ocular inflammatory disease that affects the uvea, the middle layer of the eye composed of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. It is estimated to affect between 38 and 714 individuals per 100,000 inhabitants worldwide and is associated with 3% to 10% of visual disability cases in the United States and Europe.1 In low- and middle-income countries, it may account for up to a quarter of blindness cases, according to previous studies (many of them conducted nearly 30 years ago).1 More recent population-based studies suggest that the prevalence of uveitis may be higher when modern diagnostic techniques are used.2,3

The clinical manifestations of uveitis include ocular redness, pain, photophobia, blurred vision, and floaters. Timely ophthalmic evaluation is essential to determine the etiology, assess severity, and establish early treatment.4 Uveitis can be infectious (eg, associated with tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or syphilis) or non-infectious, generally related to autoimmune diseases and systemic inflammatory processes, such as sarcoidosis or multiple sclerosis.5–10 However, in a significant percentage of cases (27% to 51%), the underlying cause remains unknown and is classified as idiopathic uveitis.6,11–13

In pediatric patients, uveitis represents approximately...