Sarcoidosis‐related uveitis: A case series study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to characterize the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of ocular involvement in patients with systemic sarcoidosis. Methods: Retrospective case series study carried out at the Ophthalmology department of Habib Thameur University Hospital of Tunis between the 1st January 2022 and the 1st January 2023. Fifteen patients (30 eyes) were included. Based on the International Workshop on Ocular Sarcoidosis criteria, three patients had biopsy‐proven sarcoidosis; eight had presumed sarcoidosis and four had probable sarcoidosis. All patients had a complete ocular examination and systemic work‐up. Results: The median age at presentation was 45 years (range: 29–66). The sex ratio was 1:13. Ocular involvement was the presenting symptom in 11 patients. Bilateral granulomatous uveitis was the presenting form in all patients. Panuveitis was the most common anatomic pattern (9), followed by anterior (3), anterior and intermediate (2) and intermediate (1) uveitis. Posterior segment involvement included multifocal choroiditis (3) retinal vasculitis (5) macular oedema (4) and optic nerve head granuloma (1). Systemic manifestations included bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy (8) eyelid granuloma (2) neurosarcoidosis (3) Peripheral facial nerve palsy (2). Conclusions: Uveitis was the initial presentation of sarcoidosis in the majority of our subjects. Panuveitis was the most commonly encountered anatomic form. Our findings support the prominent role of the ocular examination in the early detection of sarcoidosis.