Uveitis


What is uveitis?


Uveitis is inflammation of the internal structures within the eye. It is relatively common and can occur at any age, even in young healthy people.


Uveitis is classified according to the part of the eye involved:

  • Anterior uveitis - Also known as "iritis". This is the most common type of uveitis and involves the front of the eye including the iris and anterior chamber.
  • Intermediate uveitis - Inflammation involves the vitreous gel in the middle of the eyeball. Also known as Pars Planitis.
  • Posterior uveitis - Inflammation of the retina and blood vessels at the back of the eye. Also known as chorioretinitis.



What causes uveitis?


Uveitis can be related to a wide variety of causes including:

  • Auto-immune diseases such as lupus and sarcoidosis
  • Arthritic diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis
  • Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease or Ulcerative Colitis
  • Infections such as shingles, herpes simplex, tuberculosis, syphilis and toxoplasmosis
  • Eye injury or surgery
  • Genetic predisposition - HLAB27


Over a third of cases have no known cause.



What are the symptoms of uveitis?


Symptoms usually start suddenly within a few days or even hours in extreme cases, though occasionally the inflammation may be more chronic and low-grade.

In most cases the inflammation will be in only one eye, though sometimes both eyes may be involved.


Common symptoms include:

  • Redness of the eye
  • Pain in the eye
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Blurred vision
  • Floaters in the vision
  • Watery eye
  • Small or distorted pupil


If left untreated, uveitis can cause other complications in the eye including:

  • Cataract
  • Glaucoma due to high intraocular pressure
  • Macula swelling and poor vision



Treatment of uveitis


The management of uveitis involves:

  • Corticosteroid therapy to treat the inflammation. This is usually in the form of eyedrops, though in more severe cases may need to be given orally or by injection.
  • Eyedrops to dilate the pupil are sometimes used to prevent the formation of adhesions and scarring within the eye until the inflammation settles.
  • Investigations (eg blood test) may be arranged by your doctor to look for an underlying cause
  • If any underlying cause is found then this will also need treatment


Treatment is most effective when started early.



Recurrent uveitis


In some people uveitis can be a recurrent illness with multiple attacks over many years.

If you have uveitis it is important to present for treatment as soon as possible for the best outcome.


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