Diagnosis and staging of ophthalmic manifestations of the graft-versus-host reaction after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Graft-versus-host reaction is a common complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This condition develops in approximately 4070% of patients. Its most common clinical manifestations include xerotic keratoconjunctivitis and cicatricial conjunctivitis. It is important to correctly diagnose and classify the ocular condition after surgery. Ocular graft-versus-host reaction can present as either classic acute or chronic form, acute form with late onset or with overlap syndrome. It may lead to severe ocular surface disease, which can significantly decrease the quality of life and restrict daily activities of patients. It is thus important to monitor the ocular condition closely since with early diagnosis of the condition and timely treatment start, risks of irreversible damage could be diminished. This article is dedicated to modern criteria of diagnosis and staging of ocular graft-versus-host reaction.