Proteomic analysis of human autoimmune retinopathy (AIR) vitreous

Autoimmune retinopathy (AIR) is a rare inflammation-mediated retinopathy that leads to retinal degeneration and results in vision loss. The ocular examination is usually unremarkable initially and can show signs of retinal degeneration in later stages, such as retinal pigment epithelium changes, diffuse retinal atrophy, retinal vascular attenuation, and optic disk pallor. Therefore, diagnosing AIR is challenging and is frequently delayed, which may lead severe vision loss. Vitreous biopsies were collected from two AIR patients undergoing fluocinolone acetonide (FA) implantation. Idiopathic macular hole (IMH) vitreous samples from three patients without AIR were used as comparative controls. Vitreous samples were analyzed using shotgun liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine proteomic content.