Primary, Secondary and Coincidental Ocular Complications of Crohn's Disease

Patients with granulomatous enterocolitis, a disorder which can affect the whole alimentary tract, have a 10% chance of having an ocular complication. Experience with 47 patients seen over 20 years found different types of ocular complications. Definition of the type of complication aids in diagnosis and management of both the eye and intestine. Primary ocular complications are those which occur with activity of Crohn's disease and respond to treatment for the Crohn's disease. Secondary ocular complications occur because of some other primary, systemic, or ocular complication. Coincidental ocular complications are unrelated to Crohn's disease.