SCLERAL DISEASE IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Abstract
Inflammation of the sclera and of the episclera, the latter first called subconjunctivitis by von Graefe, have long been known to be associated with diseases of the articular structures of the body. Hutchinson1in 1885, Fuchs2in 1895 and Wagenmann3in 1897 reported cases of gout in which episcleritis was a notable complication. Wood4in 1936 found crystalline deposits in the sclera of a gouty patient who manifested active scleritis. As recently as 1924, Rateau5reported an interesting case in which sclerotenonitis was the prodromal symptom of an attack of rheumatic fever. In 1938 Verhoeff and King6presented a case of rheumatoid arthritis in which an eye was removed because of an inflammatory perforating scleral lesion. This eye was histologically examined in great detail. These authors analyzed 14 previously recorded cases of a similar nature in which the lesion was designated by the name