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Christine A. Gonzales, MD; John G. Ladas, MD, PhD; Janet L. Davis, MD; William J. Feuer, MS; Gary N. Holland, MD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119:1763-1769.

Objective  To determine whether relationships exist between elevated laser flare photometry values and common abnormalities and complications associated with uveitis.

Methods  We retrospectively studied all patients with uveitis on whom laser flare photometry measurements ("flare") were obtained (N = 111) at 2 academic medical centers. The first laser flare photometry values obtained for each patient were compared with the presence or absence of the following abnormalities or complications associated with uveitis: keratic precipitates, posterior synechiae, cataract, macular edema, optic disc edema, and glaucoma. In bilateral cases, the eye with the higher flare was used in primary analyses.

Results  Flare was significantly higher in patients with posterior synechiae (P<.001) and in those with macular edema (P = .02) than in patients with uveitis who did not have these complications. Flare was significantly higher in patients with prior cataract surgery or cataract at the study visit than in those without cataracts (P = .001). There was no significant difference in flare between patients with and without keratic precipitates, optic disc edema, or glaucoma. No relationships were found between abnormalities or complications and the level of inflammatory cells or flare as determined by clinical assessment. We also identified an inverse relationship between flare and visual acuity that was not completely explained by the presence of complications in a stepwise regression model.

Conclusions  Although causal relationships were not established, associations between flare and some complications of uveitis suggest that aqueous humor protein may be an important factor in the development of these problems. Consequently, laser flare photometry could play a role in predicting outcomes or monitoring therapy for patients with uveitis.

From the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Fla (Drs Gonzales and Davis and Mr Feuer); and the Ocular Inflammatory Disease Center, Jules Stein Eye Institute, and Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine (Drs Ladas and Holland). Kowa Co Ltd, Electronics and Optics Division, Tokyo, Japan, provided an FM-500 Flare Meter for use by Dr Holland during the course of this study. Dr Holland was an unpaid member of the Kowa Laser Cell-Flare Photometry Medical Advisory Board from 1991 to 1995. The authors have no other interest in the products or techniques described in this study or in competing techniques.

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