Abstract

Dr. Megha Dhananjay Ghatage* and Dr. Milind Arjun Bhoi

ABSTRACT

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common autoimmune disease. Ocular manifestations of this autoimmune disease vary and are mainly keratoconjunctivitis sicca, episcleritis, scleritis and keratitis. Their appearance, as well as their severity are related to RA chronicity and resistance to therapy. The treatment consists of corticosteroids, NSAIDs and cytotoxic drugs, depending on the type of ocular manifestations and the patient’s response to treatment. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common systemic autoimmune disease, and affects middle age women three time more often than the men in a percentage of 0.5% - 2% of the general population. It is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a symmetric sterile and progressive synovitis within joints. The disease is also characterized in 80% of the patients by positive rheumatoid factor but there is also a group of auto- antibodies which are called anti-CCPs and are of great significance for the diagnosis of the disease. Most of the systemic autoimmune diseases have signs and symptoms from the eye and so does Rheumatoid Arthritis. Approximately 25% of patients will have ocular manifestations like scleritis, episcleritis, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, keratitis, corneal disease. retinal vasculitis, episcleral nodules, retinal detachments, and macular oedema.