Pediatric Retinal Vasculitis: Major Review

Inflammation of the retinal vasculature is rare in adults and rarer still in the pediatric age group. Also, retinal vasculitis in adults tends to be idiopathic; this is less likely in children. In addition, systemic features are likely to be less forthcoming in childhood than in adults. Hence, the overall approach to the management of pediatric retinal vasculitis needs to be more detailed in terms of evaluation and more prompt in terms of assessing response to treatment and early identification of complications. Failure to detect concurrent involvement of other organs would not only impact visual outcomes, but also affect the long-term quality of life of these affected children. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the etiology, clinical manifestations, differential diagnosis, and management of pediatric retinal vasculitis.