We investigate the clinical characteristics and complications of retinal vasculitis (RV), categorizing cases into Secondary RV (associated with systemic disease), Syndromic RV (linked to ocular syndromes without systemic disease), Idiopathic RV (without systemic disease or ocular syndrome diagnoses), and Multiple Etiology RV (cohorts of retinal vasculitis with more than one subcategories of the above). A systematic search was conducted on June 14, 2023, across PubMed, Embase, Cochrane (Ovid), VHL, and ProQuest databases, following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO registration: CRD42023489232). Out of 5533 screened articles, 97 studies involving 7619 patients with RV met the eligibility criteria. Bilateral involvement (64 %) and reduced vision (52 %) were common across all RV categories, with Idiopathic RV showing the highest rates of bilateral involvement (80 %) and vision loss (79 %). Syndromic RV was characterized by retinal ischemia (76 %) and vitreous hemorrhage (46 %), while Secondary RV exhibited higher incidences of cystoid macular edema (32 %) and neovascular glaucoma (24 %). Geographic variations were evident in Multiple Etiology RV, with inflammation in more than 1 intraocular structure more prevalent in Asia (64 %) than in Europe (29 %). These findings highlight the heterogeneity in RV presentation and complications, illustrating the need for standardized diagnostic criteria and improved clinical reporting to enable better classification, treatment strategies, and patient outcomes.
Keywords: Complications; Diagnosis; Features; Retinal vasculitis; Uveitis.
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