title: Etiology and Features of Eyes with Rubeosis Iridis among Korean Patients: A Population-Based Single Center Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the etiology and features of the eyes with rubeosis iridis among Korean patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a retrospective review of 533 Korean patients with rubeosis iridis who visited an eye hospital in Seoul, Korea. We defined rubeosis iridis as visible blood vessels on the iris surface detected during a slit-lamp examination. All cases were reviewed for age at the time of diagnosis, medical history, the most likely cause of rubeosis iridis, visual acuity, and intraocular pressure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most commonly observed cause of rubeosis iridis was diabetic retinopathy (DR; n = 337, 63.2%), followed by retinal vein occlusion (RVO; n = 101, 18.9%), ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS; n = 24, 4.5%), retinal detachment (n = 17, 3.2%), and uveitis (n = 15, 2.8%). The cause was classified as miscellaneous in 18 cases (3.4%); in 21 eyes (3.9%), the cause was not clear. Age at the time of rubeosis iridis diagnosis was lower in patients with DR (56.5 years) than in those with RVO (61.0 years) and OIS (64.8 years; P < 0.01). Intraocular pressure of the eyes with DR (37.3 mmHg) and RVO (39.5 mmHg) was higher than that of the eyes with OIS (25.8 mmHg; P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our population-based single center study, DR was the leading cause of rubeosis iridis followed by RVO and OIS among Korean patients. The clinical characteristics of the eyes with rubeosis iridis differed according to etiology. This finding may be useful when assessing eyes with rubeosis iridis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Konyang University, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Cheol
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Konyang University, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Hoon
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D007499:Iris Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult