Use of the double-pass technique to quantify ocular scatter in patients with uveitis: a pilot study.

Purpose: to assess whether the double-pass technique can be employed to quantify the amount of light scattering in patients with uveitis.

Methods: 56 eyes of 44 patients with intraocular inflammation were consecutively recruited from the uveitis clinic over 9 months. The degree of intraocular inflammation was recorded according to the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature criteria and the eyes were grouped as having anterior, intermediate, posterior or panuveitis. Objective scatter index (OSI) was assessed using a double-pass technique with the Optical Quality Analysis System II.

Results: twenty-four eyes had anterior uveitis, 9 eyes had intermediate uveitis, 10 eyes had posterior uveitis and 13 eyes had panuveitis. The OSI was significantly different between all 4 groups (p = 0.0005). The mean OSI was highest in eyes with anterior uveitis (2.6 ± 3.1) and lowest in posterior uveitis (1.9 ± 1.3). Anterior chamber cells significantly correlated with OSI (R(2) = 0.8726, p = 0.007), unlike posterior chamber cells (R(2) = 0.0189, p = 0.588) and flare (R(2) = 0.0048, p = 0.471).

Conclusion: patients with anterior uveitis have more ocular scatter, and anterior chamber cells scatter more light. This pilot study opens new avenues for research in use of the double-pass technique to assess light scattering in uveitis.