Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is prevalent among children below the age of 16 years and is characterized by persistent stiffness, swelling, and joint pain. Certain types of JIA can lead to severe complications such as growth retardation, ocular inflammation, and joint impairment. Eye problems can be observed in children with JIA, either as an outcome of the ailment or infrequently, as an adverse impact of certain medications. The capacity of the eye to differentiate shapes and the particulars of objects at a specific distance is denoted by visual acuity (VA).
Objective: The aim of the current work was to find out visual acuity abnormalities in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
Patients and Methods: This study included a total of 30 JIA patients and 20 age and gender matched controls, attending at Department of Rheumatology, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine and Ophthalmology, Faculty of medicine, Benha University Hospitals, Egypt. CBC, ANA, ESR, CRP, KFTs, and LFTs were done. Ophthalmological examination of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) by A logMAR chart and refractive errors assessment were done.
Results: JIA group was classified according to diagnosis to 25 oligo-articular JIA (83%), 3 poly-articular JIA (10%) and 2 systemic onset JIA (6.7%). Visual acuity was affected in 7 patients of Oligo articular JIA (28.0%) and none of Poly articular and systemic onset subtypes were affected. Myopia was detected in 5 of oligo-articular JIA (20%).
Conclusion: It could be concluded that visual acuity abnormalities and refractive errors in JIA represent an important issue which requires frequent ophthalmological examination of JIA patients.
1