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Ραγοειδικό οίδημα ωχράς (Master thesis)

Δημητρίου, Αικατερίνη

Uveitic macular edema (UME) is a major cause of visual morbidity among patients with infectious and non-infectious uveitis. It may be associated with one-third of cases of active uveitis, however, even patients with minimal features of intraocular inflammation may experience recurrent or chronic UME. Therefore, its evaluation and management in patients with uveitis can present great challenges. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive contactless technique that allows in vivo imaging of the individual structures of the eye. It was introduced to clinical practice two decades ago. Great advances have been made since then in OCT technology with the introduction of more modern imaging methods. Today, SD-OCT has become part of the common practice of uveitis, and is the standard diagnostic technique for the differential diagnosis, monitoring of treatment and prognosis of macular edema, as well as other inflammatory diseases of the macula. Numerous studies have used OCT technology in recent years with the aim of elucidating the morphological and pathophysiological factors arising from UME. The data from these studies have revealed important patterns in the effects of UME on the eye, which potentially help in the most effective differential diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. This paper is a literature review of all these publications in order to collect and group this data and outline the importance of coherence optical tomography in the evaluation of UME and its characteristics.