Uveal effusion syndrome: Clinical evidence from a series of cases for a rare and underdiagnosed entity

Objectives: To compare the anatomical and functional outcomes during follow-up in eyes with uveal effusion syndrome (UES) treated with scleral window surgery versus medical/observational management, defining response as optical coherence tomography (OCT) resolution of serous retinal detachment (SRD) and/or serous choroidal detachment (SCD) and change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR). Materials and Methods: Retrospective analytical case series at a tertiary referral center in Santiago, Chile. Retina specialists established UES by multimodal imaging and exclusion of secondary causes. Complete anatomical response was full SRD/SCD resolution on OCT. Functional response was BCVA change; clinically relevant improvement was ≥0.2 logMAR. Paired comparisons used Wilcoxon; between-group analyses were exploratory. Results: Eight eyes from six patients were included (62.5 ± 10.8 years; 66.7% women). UES subtypes were type 1 (25.0%), type 2 (50.0%), and type 3 (25.0%). Complete anatomical resolution occurred in all eyes (8/8, 100%). Mean BCVA improved from 0.60 ± 0.29 to 0.33 ± 0.20 logMAR at last follow-up (ΔlogMAR −0.27 ± 0.19; P = 0.0078). Clinically relevant improvement was achieved in 5/8 eyes (62.5%) and no eye worsened. The mean follow-up was 58.3 ± 40.0 months. Scleral window surgery was performed in 6/8 eyes (75.0%) and observation in 2/8 (25.0%); one eye crossed over from systemic corticosteroids to surgery. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were recorded. Conclusions: In this Latin American series, UES treated predominantly with scleral windows achieved complete anatomical resolution and significant visual improvement without recorded complications. Multimodal evaluation and a subtype-oriented approach may favor timely diagnosis and individualized treatment over a long-term, real-world follow-up in Chile.