Outcome of cataract surgery in juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis under two different biological regimens

Aim In this study, we compared the outcome of cataract extraction in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis treated with adalimumab (ADA) compared to patients treated with infliximab (IFX). Patients and methods The study included 22 eyes of 22 children with JIA-associated chronic anterior uveitis. The ADA group included 16 patients while the IFX group included six patients. All patients underwent irrigation/aspiration without intraocular lens implantation. The data were collected retrospectively before and 6 months after surgery including best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure, slit lamp biomicroscopy, and fundus examination. All eyes included in the study had completely inactive intraocular inflammation for 3 months before surgery. The change in BCVA was the main outcome measure. Results The two groups were age and sex matched. In the ADA group, there was a statistically significant improvement in the mean LogMAR BCVA from 1.063±0.33 preoperatively to 0.538±0.54 postoperatively ( P =0.0085), while in the IFX group the mean BCVA improved from 1.183±0.475 preoperatively to 0.683±0.594 postoperatively, with no statistically significant difference ( P =0.068). The difference in the postoperative BCVA between the two groups was not statistically significant ( P =0.68). A larger percentage of patients in the IFX group developed postoperative inflammation (33.3 vs. 25%). Conclusion The visual acuity improved after cataract extraction in patients with JIA-associated uveitis treated with ADA or IFX, but the improvement was more significant in the patients treated with ADA.