Imaging of the Sclera in Patients with Scleritis and Episcleritis using Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the sclera and episclera in patients with scleritis and episcleritis using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).

METHODS: Cross-sectional prospective case series of 11 consecutive patients with episcleral or scleral inflammatory disease located anterior to the equator. The thickness of the ocular wall (sclera and the episclera) was measured using AS-OCT and compared to the contralateral healthy eye.

RESULTS: Eleven patients with a mean age of 49.5 years presented with symptomatic scleritis or episcleritis. The mean thickness of the ocular wall in the affected eye was 982 ± 56 μm compared to 790 ± 23 μm (p < 0.05) in the fellow eye. Enhanced-depth AS-OCT showed that the thickening occurred mainly in the episcleral layer in both scleritis and episcleritis.

CONCLUSION: Enhanced-depth AS-OCT may be a useful tool for imaging scleritis or episcleritis and may serve to monitor therapeutic success in these patients.