Case report: effectiveness of Janus kinase inhibitors in the management of isolated noninfectious uveitis

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAK-i) in the treatment of refractory isolated non-infectious uveitis. Case presentation: We examined a case series involving three patients with isolated non-infectious uveitis, who were managed between December 2019 and December 2023 at The Eye Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana. The JAK-i therapy was initiated due to the patients’ unresponsiveness to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Outcomes: In our case series, two patients presented with anterior and intermediate uveitis, one with posterior uveitis. None of the patients had any associated systemic disease. After the initiation of JAK-I therapy, all the patients achieved remission lasting for more than 1 year. No significant side effects were observed in any of the patients throughout a mean follow-up period of 31.6 months (range, 16–55 months). Conclusion: In this report, we present three cases of refractory isolated non-infectious uveitis successfully treated with JAK-i. This is the first report on the use of baricitinib and upadacitinib in this context. Our findings suggest that alternative use of JAK-i, apart from tofacitinib alone, may be an effective treatment option for such patients.