Introduction: Fuchs Heterochromic Iridocylitis (FHI) is a rare form of uveitis which is frequently complicated by cataract and glaucoma, but it does not show typical features of uveitis like pain, redness and posterior synechia.
Aim: To study the clinical characteristics and outcome of cataract extraction with Intra Ocular Lens (IOL) implantation in patients with FHI.
Materials and methods: The present prospective study was carried out in the Postgraduate Department of Ophthalmology, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Bemina from March 2012 to January 2015. The study included 33 eyes of 32 patients of FHI who underwent thorough clinical examination and cataract surgery with IOL implantation and were evaluated based on their visual outcome and intra and post-operative complications. Post-operative follow-up was done on 1st day, one week, one month, two month, six month and at twelve months.
Results: Mean age of our study group was 33.9 years (Range 18 to 65 years). No male or female preponderance was seen. There was bilateral involvement of eyes in only one case. Cataract and stellate keratic precipitates were present in all cases whereas, heterochromia was present in only six eyes (18.75%). Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) showed a significant improvement following cataract surgery (p<0.001). Post-operatively, 26 eyes (78.78%) showed an improvement of four lines or more (BCVA of > 6/12). Most common causes of decreased vision post-operatively were vitreous opacities in nine eyes (27.27%) followed by glaucoma in eight eyes (24.24%) and posterior capsular opacification in six eyes (18.18%).
Conclusion: Cataract extraction with IOL lens implantation in FHI is a safe procedure associated with good visual prognosis and few complications. However, glaucoma is one of the main concerns and should be closely monitored both pre and post-operatively.
Keywords: Best corrected visual acuity; Glaucoma; Synechia.