title: Changing trends in idiopathic retinal vasculitis in a tertiary eye care centre of Nepal over a ten-year period.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the demographic profile, clinical presentations, management and visual outcome of retinal vasculitis in a tertiary eye care center of Nepal
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, record based study of retinal vasculitis cases in the retina clinic of a tertiary care centre in Nepal from January 2009 to January 2011 was carried out. Results of the study were compared to those from the study conducted in a similar set- up between 1998 and 2000.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-nine eyes of 51 affected patients were evaluated in the study. The male/female ratio was 2.64:1 vs 19:1 a decade ago (p=0.0027). The mean age of the patients was 33.53 ± 12.29 years in the present study. Bilateral ocular involvement was present in 18 cases (35.3%) vs 56.14% in the past decade (p=0044).The common symptoms were dimness of vision (29.4%), floaters (25.5 %) and flashes of light (3.92%). Seventy-one eyes (69.6%) had the best corrected visual acuity of 6/18 or better. Four eyes (3.92 %) had no light perception. Vascular sheathing was the most common finding (32.35%), followed by vitritis (30.39%). Corticosteroids were primarily used to manage retinal vasculitis (39.21%). No association of retinal vasculitis with tuberculosis was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The demographic pattern and clinical presentation of idiopathic retinal vasculitis has changed over a decade period in Nepal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal. helloranju@yahoo.com
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kharel Sitaula
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aryal
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Shrestha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019468:Disease Management; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D031300:Retinal Vasculitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids