Is granuloma annulare related to intermediate uveitis with retinal vasculitis?

Aim: To report on eight patients with severe idiopathic intermediate uveitis (IU) and granuloma annulare (GA), a self limiting cutaneous condition of unknown aetiology.
Methods: Retrospective case series. Clinical ophthalmic and dermatological data were studied and fluorescein angiography and skin biopsies were reviewed.
Results: All patients with idiopathic IU had similar ocular features (eight with vitritis, seven with retinal vasculitis) and developed complications such as cystoid macular oedema (n=5), cataract (n=4), and glaucoma (n=3). Systemic diseases were not found, but a localised type of GA was observed in all.
Conclusion: Seven out of eight patients with IU and GA developed severe retinal vasculitis. Further studies are needed for a better understanding of this association, a common pathogenesis, and its eventual clinical consequences.