Reducing the risk of visual disability for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis uveitis through disease surveillance: past and future challenges

Reducing the risk of visual disability for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis uveitis through disease surveillance: past and future challenges

Blog Article

Abstract Childhood blindness significantly impacts development, education, employment, and mental health, creating burden for families and society.Between 8% and 30% of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) develop a potentially blinding chronic inflammatory eye disease, uveitis (JIAU).Alongside the use of disease-modifying agents and anti-TNF immunomodulators, Shacket JIAU surveillance has helped to reduce the risk of JIAU related blindness.

Inconsistent guidance on JIAU surveillance has previously been a hindrance to care delivery and access for professional and families.The Multinational Interdisciplinary Working Group for Uveitis in Childhood (MIWGUC) has brought some much-needed standardisation to JIA surveillance, developing a consensus-based screening proposal which simplifies the protocol, supporting implementation amongst non-specialists, and ensuring that children at risk receive the timely eye examination necessary to avoid life-changing visual disability.In this commentary on the MIWGUC surveillance proposal, we also address the implementation of such surveillance.

A global shortage of MEMORY BOOST ophthalmologists threatens the sustainability of these surveillance programs.Innovative approaches could be imaging-based detection.The accessibility of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging may make OCT a feasible future option for community-based surveillance, reducing the burden on ophthalmologists, and on patients and their families.