Global trend in incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia – A brief literature overview

Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is a bilateral type of panuveitis that occurs days to years after a traumatic insult to one eye. Most related studies are typically limited to single-center case reports, which makes comprehensive epidemiological analysis challenging. This study analyzes research data from different periods, age groups, and regions and finds that the overall incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia has shown a downward trend. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the incidence of SO following ocular trauma was as high as 0-16%. However, due to advancements in trauma management and surgical techniques, the incidence of SO following ocular trauma has decreased to 0.072%-0.8% in modern times. The primary risk factors for SO have also shifted, from early ocular trauma to recent ocular surgeries. Although there are more reports of SO following vitreoretinal surgery than cataract surgery (16.93% vs. 5.74%), the incidence of SO following vitreoretinal surgery is 0-0.13%, whereas for cataract surgery, the incidence is 0-0.2283%. After entering the 21st century, the incidence of SO in developed countries has decreased to 0.04%-0.8%, while in developing countries, the incidence remains relatively high, reaching 0-1.11%. Although modern microsurgical techniques have significantly reduced the incidence of SO, clinicians must remain highly vigilant about the potential risk of SO following intraocular surgeries in order to further eliminate its occurrence.