Ocular and Systemic Determination of and Tumour Necrosis Factor in a Patient with Ocular Inflammation

Cytokines such as interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) may play an important role in ocular inflammation. We studied a patient with clinical features of sympathetic ophthalmia secondary to previous penetrating ocular injuries, and compared the ocular and systemic levels of IL‐1β and TNF to control serum, and correlated these findings to histopathological sections of the patient's eye. Histology showed the present‐c of a diffuse chronic inflammatory infiltrate within the choroid and in a perivascular distribution in the retina. The significantly elevated ocular and systemic levels of IL‐1β and TNF suggest that there is not only a localized ocular response hut a systemic response as well. The presence of IL‐1β TNF may play a role in the pathogenesis of ocular inflammation once the blood ocular barrier has been breached and ocular antigens have been exposed to the systemic immune system.