Ocular Manifestations in Children with Juvenile-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

PURPOSE: To study the ocular manifestations of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE), including the ocular side-effects of the systemic medications used.

METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study on 40 children diagnosed with JSLE was conducted. Ophthalmological and laboratory investigations as well as a calculation of the Systemic Lupus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) were performed.

RESULTS: Forty consecutive children, 32 females and 8 males, with JSLE were examined. Their mean age was 13±2.8 years and the mean SLEDAI-2K was 4.3±3.1. An abnormal Schirmer test was found in 16 patients (40%), retinal vascular changes were found in seven patients (17.5%), and one patient (2.5%) had faint posterior subcapsular cataract.

CONCLUSION: Serious sight-threatening complications were not detected in our study; dry eye was the most common ocular finding, and the detected retinopathy was related to systemic hypertension and could not be correlated to either disease activity or duration.