Maite Sainz de la Maza

• MD,PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona

Background: To analyze the clinical course and outcomes of autoimmune vs. non-autoimmune surgi-cally induced scleral necrosis (SISN).Methods: Multicentric, retrospective, comparative cohort study. Eighty-two eyes of 70 patients with SISN were classified according to pathogenic mechanism into autoimmune vs. non-autoimmune. Main out-come measures inc...

Objective To describe the clinical features of a case series of patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH)-like disease secondary to anticancer treatment. Methods Retrospective, non-interventional multicentre case-series study. Seventeen patients (34 eyes) with VKH-like disease secondary to anticancer treatment, seen between 2014 and 2023. Main outc...

Objective: This study aimed to examine microvascular changes and identify predictors of short-term quiescence in active birdshot chorioretinitis (BSCR). Methods: An observational, prospective, 12-month follow-up cohort study was conducted. BSCR eyes were clinically assessed at baseline, categorized as active or inactive, and reevaluated at 12 month...

Background The aim of the Posner-Schlossman Syndrome European Study Group (PSS-ESG) is to acquire a comprehensive dataset of European patients with PSS. Here, we present the first report on the study protocol and the clinical findings of the patients at baseline. Methods The PSS-ESG is a retrospective, multicentre study designed to evaluate patien...

This was a multicenter, prospective, longitudinal, observational study involving eight Spanish tertiary hospitals to determine the interobserver reliability of an uveitis disease activity index, (UVEDAI) and assess its sensitivity to change in patients with receiving pharmacologic treatment. Patients aged ≥ 18 years diagnosed with active noninfecti...

Background Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) are the two major antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)‐associated vasculitis (AAV). Objectives To characterize a homogenous AAV cohort and to assess the impact of clinicopathological profiles and ANCA serotypes on clinical presentation and prognosis. Clinica...

Background: Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) are the two major antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Objectives: To characterize a homogenous AAV cohort and to assess the impact of clinicopathological profiles and ANCA serotypes on clinical presentation and prognosis. Clini...

Purpose: Analyze the influence of risk factors at presentation in the long-term immunosuppressive therapy (IMT) outcomes of ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid (OMMP). Design: Retrospective multicenter study. Participants: Patients with OMMP seen at the Duke Eye Center, Tecnologico de Monterrey, and Hospital Clinic of Barcelona from 1990 to 2022....

Objectives: Ophthalmologic involvement in monogenic autoinflammatory diseases has been explored mainly in paediatric patients. The aim of this study is to characterise ophthalmologic manifestations, therapeutic management and visual outcomes in a Spanish (UVESAI) cohort of adult/paediatric patients with monogenic autoinflammatory diseases. Method...

Purpose This study assessed the effectiveness of the 0.19-mg fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) implant by multimodal measurements in patients with non-infectious uveitis (NIU) in a real-world setting in Spain. Methods A prospective study of patients who had NIU including uveitic macular oedema (UME) with ≥ 12 months follow-up was done. Exclusion criter...

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify non-invasive imaging biomarkers potentially useful for close activity monitoring in birdshot chorioretinitis (BSCR). Methods: Cross-sectional study of BSCR eyes included as per Levinson's and/or SUN criteria. Eyes were blindly classified into active or inactive groups per clinical inflammatory pa...

Aims: To present current expert practice patterns and to formulate a consensus for the management of HSV and VZV AU by uveitis specialists worldwide. Methods: A two-round online modified Delphi survey with masking of the study team was conducted. Responses were collected from 76 international uveitis experts from 21 countries. Current practices...

Aims: To present current practice patterns in the diagnosis and management of Cytomegalovirus anterior uveitis (CMV AU) by uveitis experts worldwide. Methods: A two-round modified Delphi survey with masking of the study team was performed. Based on experience and expertise, 100 international uveitis specialists from 21 countries were invited to...

Background Standardized and validated outcome measures of disease activity are lacking in the treatment and assessment of uveitis, making it difficult to compare efficacy and response to treatment. In 2014, this working group developed a composite index of ocular inflammatory activity, UVEDAI, which includes 7 variables. The index was validated in...

Purpose This assessed the effectiveness of the 0.19 mg fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) implant by multimodal measurements in patients with non-infectious uveitis (NIU) in a real-world setting in Spain. Methods A prospective study of patients who had NIU including uveitic macular oedema (UME) with ≥ 12 months follow-up was done. Exclusion criteria incl...

Abstract Introduction Uveitis is the inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, the uvea, and is a major cause of blindness. None of the instruments used in clinical practice are, in themselves, sufficient to evaluate the course of uveitis. Therefore, it is necessary to develop instruments enabling standardized measurement of inflammatory activit...

Purpose: The aim of the UVHER project is to evaluate the risk of development of optic nerve damage in patients with herpetic anterior uveitis (AU) prospectively followed over 2 years. Herein, we described the baseline characteristics. Methods: This is a multicentre, prospective study. An aqueous humour tap was performed. Only patients with a pos...

Background A personalized disease-specific treatment for non-infectious uveitis (NIU) is challenging. Around 50% of adults with NIU who required classic DMARDs or adalimumab in clinical trials, failed at 6 months during open label phase [1,2]. Therefore, to investigate treatment alternatives for NIU are most needed. Objectives To study Certolizuma...

Aims To evaluate the clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcome of patients with recurrent scleritis of unknown demonstrable aetiology and positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT). Methods Retrospective chart review of the demographic, clinical, laboratory and therapeutic outcome data of 15 patients. Clinical characteristics as well a...

The aim of this study is to describe the involvement of Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) in the diseases of the ocular anterior segment. This is a narrative review designed using the PUBMED, SCOPE and Web of Science databases, searching for reported literature on findings in the anterior ocular segment related to EBV between 1990 and 2020. Epstein–Barr Vir...

Purpose To describe a case series of scleritis associated with IgA vasculitis (IgAV) at a tertiary referral center. Observations Three men with scleritis associated with IgAV were identified: one with anterior scleritis alone, one with anterior scleritis and peripheral ulcerative keratitis (sclerokeratitis), and one with anterior and posterior scl...

Purpose To develop an objective intraocular inflammation composite score. Methods Cross‐sectional study. Non‐invasive image acquisition and processing were conducted from April 2017 to April 2019. Inflammation‐grade stratified eyes from patients with active, inactive uveitis and healthy controls were recruited. After clinical assessment, four ante...

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (anti-TNF) have emerged as an effective treatment in noninfectious uveitis (NIU). Anti-TNF may increase the predisposition to infectious disease as tuberculosis (TB). TB-related uveitis in the context of an uveitogenic concurrent systemic immune-mediated disease under anti-TNF treatment remain a diagnostic challenge...

Purpose To investigate whether systemic immune mediators and circulating regulatory T cells (Tregs) could be prognostic factors for anatomic outcomes in macular edema secondary to non-infectious uveitis (UME). Methods Multicenter, prospective, observational, 12-month follow-up study of 60 patients with UME. Macular edema was defined as central sub...

Scleritis is a rare painful ocular disorder, associated with severe ocular pain and tissue destruction. Although a majority of these cases are immune mediated and at least half of these are associated with systemic immune-mediated diseases, a smaller minority are due to infections of the sclera. The two conditions closely mimic each other, and a th...

Purpose To assess the efficacy and safety of adalimumab in elderly patients with noninfectious uveitis (NIU). Methods An observational, retrospective, multicenter study was done. Changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), inflammatory activity parameters, central retinal thickness (CRT), and the occurrence of adverse events (AE) developed dur...

Background Sjögren Syndrome (SS) is a multifaceted disease with variable symptoms, but the SS associated keratoconjunctivitis is one of the most frequent disease manifestations of the syndrome and the manifestation that has the greatest impact on the quality of life for these patients. Objectives To report the clinical efficacy of MC2-03 eyedrops...

Background and purpose The purpose of this study is to compare two alternative methods of collecting and transporting media for the diagnosis of corneal ulcers, as not all clinical settings have conventional culture materials and transport media available. Methods In this open-label, prospective, comparative, and randomized study, patients with cl...

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors in refractory non-infectious scleritis. Methods: We carried out a retrospective study assessing the efficacy of TNF-α inhibitors in the treatment of scleritis, scleritis relapses, glucocorticoid (GC)-sparing effect, impact on best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and...

Objective: To assess the efficacy of biologic drugs, beyond tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α inhibitors, in the management of noninfectious refractory scleritis, either idiopathic or associated with systemic immune-mediated disorders. Patients and Methods. This is a retrospective study assessing the efficacy of several biologic agents (rituximab, a...

Purpose: To study the drug retention rate (DRR), causes, and predictors of discontinuation of adalimumab (ADA) in a real-world uveitis setting. Design: Multicentric, nationwide, registry-based, ambispective, observational study. Participants: Patients treated with ADA for noninfectious uveitis (NIU) in the Biotherapies for Uveitis (BioÚvea) Sp...

Purpose: Macular edema (ME) is a leading cause of visual loss in a range of retinal diseases and despite the use of antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents, its successful treatment remains a major clinical challenge. Based on the indirect clinical evidence that interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a key additional candidate mediator of ME, w...

Objectives: To describe and compare clinical findings in different subtypes of biopsy-proven intraocular lymphomas (IOLs). Design: Retrospective, observational case series. Methods: The clinical and pathologic features in IOLs at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona from 1995 to 2018 were retrospectively studied. Results: Twenty-one patients, 12...

Objetivo: Describir un caso clínico de escleromalacia intercalar espontánea a través de fotografías del polo anterior y tomografía de coherencia óptica (OCT) del segmento anterior. Métodos: Una paciente de 32 años consultó por epífora bilateral progresiva. Se le realizaron fotografías, OCT del segmento anterior y topografías de ambos ojos, así com...

Background Sjögren’s syndrome is one of the most common rheumatic autoimmune disorders (1). It is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease in which immunomediated inflammation, characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands and epithelia, causes secretory gland dysfunction leading to dryness of the main mucosal surfaces (2) including dry...

Purpose: To study the risk factors for visual loss in presumed tuberculosis-related uveitis (TRU). Methods: Retrospective observational cohort study of patients with TRU, either treated or not for tuberculosis, from January 2005 to January 2017. Clinical and demographic variables were recorded. Main outcome measure was a loss of visual acuity (VA)...

Purpose Controversy exists regarding the safety of agents that systemically inhibit epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRi) in oncologic patients in terms of toxicity to the ocular surface. We performed a prospective clinical study comparing the ocular surface toxicity of systemic EGFRi between a case and a control group. Methods Patients with lu...

Purpose: Results from a 6-month double-masked and a 6-month open-label study (SANSIKA) established the efficacy and safety of once-daily 0.1% cyclosporin A cationic emulsion (CsA CE) in severe keratitis due to dry eye disease (DED). This article presents results from the Post-SANSIKA study, a 24-month extension of SANSIKA assessing the sustained e...

Neurotrophic keratitis/keratopathy (NK), a rare degenerative corneal disease, lacks effective pharmacologic therapies.1 Because NK pathology involves trigeminal nerve damage and loss of corneal innervation, nerve growth factor (NGF) is surmised to promote healing of NK.2 Preliminary studies with murine NGF demonstrated efficacy for treating corneal...

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of topical recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) for treating moderate-to-severe neurotrophic keratitis (NK), a rare degenerative corneal disease resulting from impaired corneal innervation. Design: Phase 2 multicenter, randomized, double-masked, vehicle-controlled trial. Participants: Patie...

Background/aim To assess the treatment effect of 0.1%ciclosporin A cationic emulsion (CsA CE) versus vehicle on signs/symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) in various subgroups (moderate-to-severe DED/severe DED/Sjögren’s syndrome (SS)/SS with severe DED). Methods Pooled data were analysed from two similar phase III studies: SICCANOVE (moderate-to-sev...

Purpose: To determine host and pathogen factors predictive of outcomes in a large clinical cohort with keratoconjunctivitis. Design: Retrospective analyses of the clinical and molecular data from a randomized, controlled, masked trial for auricloscene for keratoconjunctivitis (NVC-422 phase IIB, NovaBay; clinicaltrials.gov identifier, NCT0187769...

Purpose The SANSIKA study evaluated the efficacy/safety of 0.1% (1 mg/mL) cyclosporine A cationic emulsion (CsA CE) for treating dry eye disease (DED) with severe keratitis. The double-masked phase demonstrated that CsA CE was effective in reducing corneal damage and ocular surface inflammation, and was well-tolerated over 6 months. Here we report...

Purpose To describe the clinical features of a 57-year-old female with palindromic rheumatism and a 15-year history of chloroquine use and bilateral vision loss. Methods Ophthalmological examination, including ultrawide field (UWF) fundus images (Optomap-200TX) and cross-sectional retinal scans obtained with Zeiss spectral domain optical coherence...

Purpose: To determine if cytokine tear levels before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can help anticipate the occurrence of ocular chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Methods: In this pilot study, 25 patients undergoing HSCT were followed prospectively for ≤43 months. After ocular examinations, tears were collected before HS...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a key cytokine that is strongly up-regulated during infection and inflammation. Featuring pleiotropic activity, IL-6 is responsible for the induction of hepatic acute-phase proteins, trafficking of acute and chronic inflammatory cells, differentiation of adaptive T cell responses, homeostatic regulation, and tissue regenerat...

Background Uveitis is one of the most common extra-articular manifestations of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). In severe cases, uveitis may require the use of biological therapy, primarily tumor necrosis factors inhibitors (TNFi), being the most currently used infliximab and adalimumab. However, another TNFi such as certolizumab pegol (CZP),...

Background: To report the 24-month efficacy and safety of the interleukin-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab (TCZ) for refractory uveitis-related macular edema (ME). Methods: Data were obtained by standardized chart review. Patients with quiescent uveitis seen at a single tertiary referral center, for whom ME was the principal cause of reduced vi...

Infection is an important but rare cause of scleritis, accounting for approximately 4–10% of cases. Due to the similarity of its presentation, infectious scleritis is sometimes initially managed as autoinmune, potentially worsening its outcome. All classes of microorganisms can infect the sclera, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. I...

Scleral inflammation may involve adjacent structures leading to keratitis, uveitis, glaucoma, cataract, and orbital inflammation. As a result of that, some patients may decrease their vision. Keratitis in scleritis involves the adjacent peripheral cornea and may be present in about 13% of patients. Peripheral keratitis in scleritis includes periphe...

Introduction: Isolated retinal vasculitis (IRV) is an inflammatory condition of unknown etiology confined to the retinal vessels. In contrast to secondary retinal vasculitis (RV), IRV has not been well characterized. Objective: To describe and characterize isolated forms of RV. Methods: We performed a retrospective review (2006-2016) of IRV pa...

Purpose: To investigate bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) infective capability and cytotoxicity in ARPE-19 cells. Methods: BCG inoculum was dispensed at a MOI 100:1 for 3 h in 90% confluent ARPE-19 cells. Infection rates at different time points were determined by colony forming units (CFU) count and, in parallel, by the number of microscopically infe...

Necrotizing scleritis is the most severe form of scleritis and is associated with the greatest potential of ocular complications leading to visual loss. Patients often present with intense pain that radiates to the forehead, the jaw, and the sinuses. Examination reveals white, avascular areas of sclera and conjunctiva, with surrounding scleral edem...

Purpose Dry eye disease (DED) increases the risk of ocular surface damage, severe keratitis, vision loss and impaired quality of life. In two randomized phase III studies (SANSIKA and SICCANOVE), the cationic emulsion formulation containing 0.1% (1 mg/ml) cyclosporine A (CsA CE) improved ocular damage and inflammation in patients with moderate to [...

Nodular scleritis presents with a nodule (or nodules) that is firm, immobile, and tender to palpation. The nodule varies from yellow to deep red, depending on the local vascular congestion and is usually in the interpalpebral zone, close to the limbus (but can occur anywhere). The underlying sclera may become transparent, but not necrotic. As over...

Purpose: Once-daily CsA CE improved ocular surface damage and inflammation in the SANSIKA trial. Here we describe the safety and efficacy of CsA CE during the open-label extension (OLE). Methods: A multi-center, double-masked, randomized, vehicle-controlled, Phase III trial of once-daily CsA CE in DED patients with severe keratitis (corneal fluores...

Purpose: To evaluate serum cytokine profile from patients with active scleritis in a two-centre prospective case-control study. Methods: The serum of 20 active scleritis patients not treated with any local, periocular, or systemic immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) was analysed with multiplex assay to determine the levels of 11 cytokines interleukin...

Purpose: To determine the circulating levels of seven immune mediators in serum samples from patients with birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR). Methods: A single-center prospective case-control study was performed. Serum concentrations of IFN-γ, IL-12p70, IL-1β, IL-17A, IL-23, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 of 22 BSCR patients recruited at Hosp6ital Clinic of...

Aims: To describe and compare clinical features, complications and outcomes in patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA)-associated scleritis with those seen in idiopathic and other autoimmune-associated scleritis, and to further describe the features that may serve as an indicator of life-threatening systemic disease. Methods: We ret...

Purpose: Scleritis may be a chronic, painful, progressive, potentially blinding condition often associated with systemic connective tissue or vasculitic diseases, some of them potentially lethal. Serum cytokine profiling may contribute to the understanding of the physiopathology processes underlying scleral inflammation. Our purpose is to evaluate...

Purpose: To evaluate the profile of circulating levels of regulatory T cells (Treg) in patients with macular edema (ME) related to non-infectious uveitis and its relationship with central retinal thickness (CRT), anatomical classification, and therapeutical management. Methods: Twenty-one patients with ME associated with non-infectious uveitis and...

Purpose To establish and characterize a novel infection model of human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) by M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Methods BCG strain Pasteur 1173 P2 was cultured in Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Isolated colonies were suspended in culture media and disaggregated. Suspensions were adjusted to Mc Farland 1.0. ARPE-19 cel...

Purpose: To identify the retinal and choroidal changes in non-infectious uveitic macular edema (UME) after treatment with intravitreal dexamethasone implant (IDI, Ozurdex®) assessed by advanced analysis of Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) images. Methods: Single centre consecutive case series. Five eyes of five patients with UM...

Purpose: To address the effect in intraocular pressure (IOP) of repeat intravitreal dexamethasone implant (IDI, Ozurdexâ) injections in retinal vein occlusions (RVO), uveitis (UV) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: Retrospective, single-center cohort study. 73 eyes of 65 patients treated with ≥2 IDI injections for RVO, UV or DME were includ...

Purpose To validate a proposed method for objective measurement of vitreous inflammation using a different Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) device (Cirrus HD-OCT, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) in a larger cohort of patients. Methods Observational, single-center cohort study. 56 uveitis eyes (56 patients) seen in a single tert...

PurposeTo compare dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implant effect in non-vitrectomized (non-PPV) vs vitrectomized (PPV) eyes with macular edema (ME) secondary to non-infectious uveitis.Methods Medical records of patients with uveitic ME treated with DEX-intravitreal implant were reviewed. Main outcome measures were changes in central retinal thickn...

PurposeTo report the anatomical pattern and etiological spectrum of uveitis in an urban multi-ethnic population from Barcelona, Spain. General and specific epidemiological data for the most prevalent aetiologies are also calculated.MethodsA cross-sectional study of consecutive uveitis cases was performed between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2012....

Purpose: To study the efficacy and tolerance of certolizumab pegol (CZP) in active uveitis. Methods: Retrospective case series at 4 referral centers. Patients treated with CZP for active uveitis during at least 6 months were eligible. Inflammation by SUN scores, visual acuity (VA) (logMAR), and central macular thickness (CMT) were compared from...

Objective To report the long-term efficacy and safety of the interleukin-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab for refractory uveitis-related macular edema (ME). Design Retrospective cohort study. Participants Eyes with uveitis seen at a single tertiary referral center for which ME was the principal cause of reduced visual acuity. Methods Data were...

The aim of the present study was to determine the serum cytokine profile and levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in patients with uveitis associated with Behçet’s disease (BD) and to compare them with those obtained from healthy control subjects. We determined the serum concentration of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-1β (IL-1...

Purpose To report the long-term efficacy and safety of the IL-6R antagonist tocilizumab (TCZ) for uveitic macular edema (UME) refractory to immunomodulatory therapy. Methods Five refractory patients with UME who received TCZ infusions between January 2012 and October 2013 were identified by retrospective chart review. All patients received 8 mg/kg...

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term visual prognosis and complications of patients who received intravitreal Ozurdex injections for the treatment of non-infectious uveitic macular edema (UME). Methods: A retrospective study of 32 patients with UME refractory to systemic and intraocular therapies were treated with intravitreal dexamethasone. Vitrecto...

Purpose: To describe the diverse patterns observed with the use of Ultra-wide-field images in patients with Birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR) Methods: A chart review of patients with BSCR seen at Clinic Hospital of Barcelona, who had ultra-wide-field images including retinography, autofluorescence fundus photography and angiography. The data obtain...

Purpose: To evaluate clinical features of patients with scleritis of unknown origin and positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (quantiferon) Methods: Retrospective review of clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic outcome data of 12 patients with scleritis and positive quantiferon. Quantiferon was ordered in patients with clinically suspected tuberculosis...

Purpose: To describe clinical features, ocular complications, and visual outcomes of patients with posterior scleritis. Methods: Clinical characteristics of a subset of 31 patients with posterior scleritis were studied and compared with 469 patients with anterior scleritis. Results: Of 500 patients, 31 (6.2%) had posterior scleritis. Most pati...

Purpose: To describe the inflammatory ocular manifestations of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at a multidisciplinary uveitis unit Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients with SLE in a tertiary referral center between 2007 and 2012 was performed. All patients have undergone complete rheumatologic and ophthalmic examination...

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can affect all structures of the eye and ocular adnexa. The most common ocular findings include dry eye and retinal vascular changes. Objectives To describe the inflammatory ocular manifestations of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at a multidisciplinary uveitis unit. Methods Retrospecti...

Aims: To evaluate ocular disease characteristics and successful therapeutic regimens in patients with scleritis associated with relapsing polychondritis (RP). To compare these features with those seen in patients with scleritis associated with other systemic immune-mediated diseases (SIMD). Methods: Electronic health records of 13 scleritis pati...

Almost all of the sclera is of neural crest origin, except a small temporal portion formed from mesoderm. The developmental process of the sclera is directed from anterior to posterior and from inside to outside. Human fetal and adult sclera is formed by the collagen types I, III, IV, V, VI, and VIII, by the glycosaminoglycans dermatan sulfate, cho...

To describe the ocular effects associated with the administration of the systemic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors panitumumab and erlotinib. Retrospective, noncomparative interventional case series. Ten eyes of 5 patients in treatment with systemic EGFR inhibitors, 4 patients with erlotinib for end-stage lung carcinoma, and 1 pat...

The treatment of episcleritis can usually be strictly supportive, although in some instances systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are indicated. Diffuse and nodular scleritis can usually be effectively treated in the same way, that is, with NSAIDs. If NSAID therapy fails, systemic corticosteroid therapy is indicated, provided ther...

The sclera has the ability to participate in immunological diseases. The normal sclera contains immunoglobulins, albumin, and many of the classic and alternative pathway components of complement, and has few or no macrophages, Langherhans’ cells, neutrophils, or lymphocytes. The development of scleritis probably entails the interaction of genetical...

Like scleritis and episcleritis, noninflammatory diseases of the sclera cannot be properly understood as isolated entities but must be seen in relation to the larger picture of a patient´s general health. Noninflammatory affections of the sclera may be manifestations of ocular diseases, such as the connective tissue abnormalities, degenerations, or...