The diagnosis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome is hampered by its variable manifestations and the lack of unique ancillary and laboratory findings. In this study, the diagnostic criteria established in 1978 by the American Uveitis Society (AUS) are retrospectively analyzed via their application to a population of 71 consecutive patients, using only those features present at the initial evaluation. All patients were previously diagnosed with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome based on the clinical features and course of the disease combined with fluorescein angiography with or without ultrasonography in selected cases. Mean age of all patients was 36.7 years +/- 15.1 years. Fifty (70%) were female and 45 (65%) were Hispanic. Patients presenting acutely, subacutely, and in the chronic stages met the AUS criteria for Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome in 56%, 48%, and 58% of cases, respectively. Allowance for variation in features, incomplete cases, and modification of the disease by treatment might increase the sensitivity of the criteria. While diagnostic criteria in general are useful for establishing the likelihood that a patient has a disease, the current AUS criteria for the diagnosis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome do not seem adequate.