Abstract

Twelve patients with Fuchs's heterochromic cyclitis (FHC) were studied with simultaneous bilateral flucrescein angiography of the iris. The flow began a little earlier in the contralateral iris in 4 cases, and simultaneously in both irides in 8 cases. The radial iris vessels were narrow in 7 eyes with FHC and in the contralateral eyes of 2 elderly patients and 1 patient with pigmentary retinal dystrophy and FHC. An ischaemic sector of the iris was seen in 6 eyes with FHC, neovascularisation of the iris in 8 eyes, and fluorescein leakage of the iris vessels was seen in all eyes with FHC. No neovascularisation of the iris occurred in the contralateral eyes, and only minimal fluorescein leakage was seen at the pupillary border of 5 contralateral eyes. The results support the hypothesis of vascular pathomechanism in FHC.