Idiopathic Cysts of the Anterior Uvea

Idiopathic cysts of the anterior uveal tract most frequently involve the epithelial layers of the ciliary body and iris. Idiopathic cysts occur less frequently in the iris stroma. Characteristically asymptomatic, most of the cases reported in the literature have been discovered during routine eye examination by slitlamp biomicroscopy as an iris elevation. Cysts of the epithelial layers rarely enlarge to cause ocular complications. Stromal cysts, although extremely rare, appear to have a greater propensity to enlarge. The visual prognosis for patients with idiopathic anterior uveal cysts is quite good. A review of the literature and examples of these disorders are presented to emphasize the clinical characteristics and management of patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic anterior uveal cyst.