Randomized Trial of Acetazolamide for Uveitis-Associated Cystoid Macular Edema

Launched by NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE (NEI) · Sep 23, 1999

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Uveitis, an intraocular inflammatory disease, is the cause of about 10 percent of visual impairment in the United States. Uveitis may lead to many sight-threatening conditions, including cataract, vitreal opacities, glaucoma, and, most commonly, cystoid macular edema. Reduction of swelling or edema within the retina depends on the movement of fluid from the retina through the choroid. A number of studies indicate that this process requires active transport of fluid ions by the retinal pigment epithelium and may involve the carbonic anhydrase system. Current treatment of uveitis-associated c...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • Males and females 8 years of age or older and weighing at least 35 kg (77 lb) were eligible for the study. Patients had to have a best corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse in at least one eye with cystoid macular edema demonstrable on fluorescein angiography.
• • Patients were allowed to receive systemic therapy for their uveitis. Exclusion criteria included current use of acetazolamide as part of a therapeutic regimen; a history of hypersensitivity reactions to acetazolamide, sulfonamides, or angiography dye; unclear ocular media that would obscure fluorescein angiography; macular subretinal neovascularization or a macular hole; or inability to take acetazolamide for medical reasons.