Eye defect turns out to be vascular

Vascular medicines like antihypertensiva and anticholesterol agents may be useful against a severe complication from uveitis. In almost half the patients suffering from uveitis the complication cystoid macular edema (CME) leads to nearsightedness or blindness to at least one eye. Bram van Kooij shows cystoid macular edema to be strongly related to vascular problems. His finding implicates vascular therapies may be used in combatting CME, against which no effective therapy is available yet.

In CME edema accumulates in the macula, where photoreceptor density is highest. This strongly impairs vision, possibly leading to complete blindness. This applies to nearly a thousand to two thousand patients a year. Annually about 16.000 people develop uveitis, one third of these patients subsequently develop CME.

Thesis: “Cystoid macular edema in uveitis: More than meets the eye”
PhD-advisor 1: Professor dr. A. Rothova
PhD-advisor 2: Professor dr. W.F. Treffers
Co-advisor: Dr. R. Fijnheer