Scleritis in Iran.

Purpose: To present the demographic and clinical presentations of anterior scleritis among Iranian patients.

Methods: This retrospective case-series at a tertiary center in Iran, identified and analyzed anterior scleritis cases admitted from 2008 to 2018. Extracted data included demographics, clinical features, background systemic diseases, utilized therapies, and follow-up data on visual outcomes, ocular complications, and recurrence rate. Patients with incomplete records were excluded from the analysis.

Results: Sixty-five patients (83 eyes) with anterior scleritis were included, with a female predilection (77%) and a mean age (± SD; range) of 44.8 (± 14.6; 11-81). Diffuse and necrotizing scleritis were the most and least common subtypes, respectively. Bilateral involvement (28% at baseline, 44.6% eventually) and concurrent keratitis (10.7%) or uveitis (16.9%) were documented in some cases. Most cases were idiopathic (61.5%). Scleritis was the initial manifestation of autoimmune diseases in six patients. In addition to oral and/or intravenous corticosteroid therapy, most of our patients (70.7%) were treated with immunosuppressive regimens. No inter-subtype difference was noted in recurrence rate and time to treatment cessation. Necrotizing subtype was associated with worse visual outcomes and more frequent ocular complications.

Conclusion: Despite limitations in data collection and follow-up, our findings contribute valuable insights into the clinical characteristics and management of scleritis in a group of Iranian patients for the first time.