title: Clinical features and presentation of posterior scleritis: a report of 31 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe clinical features, ocular complications, and visual outcomes of patients with posterior scleritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical characteristics of a subset of 31 patients with posterior scleritis were studied and compared with 469 patients with anterior scleritis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 500 patients, 31 (6.2%) had posterior scleritis. Most patients presented with subacute (80.6%), unilateral (61.3%) scleral inflammation. Pain was moderate to severe in 54.8% of patients. Concomitant anterior scleritis was observed during follow-up in 77.4% of patients and in all patients with moderate to severe pain. Patients with posterior scleritis were significantly younger (43.6 vs. 54.4 years, p < 0.001) and had significantly higher decrease of vision (29.0 vs. 14.9%, p = 0.027) than those with isolated anterior scleritis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Posterior scleritis must be considered in patients with decrease of vision, mild to severe pain, optic disc edema, and/or posterior uveitis. Moderate to severe pain may be associated with poorer visual outcome.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; and Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Foundation, Cambridge , Massachusetts , USA .
authors.forename: Luis Alonso
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Gonzalez
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Molina-Prat
authors.forename: Priyanka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Doctor
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tauber
authors.forename: Maite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sainz de la Maza
authors.forename: C Stephen
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012590:Sclera / Q000473:pathology*; D015423:Scleritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents
keywords: Inflammation; Ocular inflammatory disease; Sclera; Scleritis