An international modified Delphi consensus study (2 rounds, 22 independent voting experts from ophthalmology, rheumatology, pathology, imaging, and research methodology) aimed to develop standardized definitions for retinal vasculitis and 7 related terms, using a predefined consensus threshold of ≥75% agreement.
All 8 candidate definitions reached consensus in round 1 (agreement range 83.3%–95.5%); after refinement, round 2 agreement strengthened to 95.2%–100%. Consensus definitions were established for: retinal vasculitis, vascular leakage, infectious retinal vasculitis, noninfectious retinal vasculitis, retinal perivasculitis, retinal vasculopathy, primary retinal vasculitis, and far-peripheral vascular leakage.
Full article text is under embargo; only the abstract is available, so granular definition content and subgroup analyses cannot be reviewed. The panel was small (n=22 voters), and expert self-selection may introduce specialty or geographic bias. The 5 executive committee members who drafted definitions were excluded from voting, but their influence on framing remains.
Clinicians should begin aligning documentation and reports with these 8 consensus definitions to improve diagnostic consistency and cross-specialty communication. The distinctions drawn—especially between vascular leakage and true vasculitis, and between inflammatory vs. noninflammatory vascular disorders—have direct implications for workup and treatment decisions.
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