Uveitis occurs when the middle layer of the eyeball gets inflamed (red and swollen). This particular layer, called the uvea, has plenty of blood vessels that nourish the eye. Uveitis can also damage some vital eye tissue, which may lead to permanent loss of vision.
Types-
- Anterior Uveitis- inflammation of iris
- Intermediate uveitis- may be associated with sarcoidosis, multiple sclerosis.
- Posterior uveitis- least common form, often involve both retina and choroid. There are many infectious and noninfectious causes of posterior uveitis
- Panuveitis- Behcet’s disease is one of the most well-known forms of pan-uveitis and it greatly damages the retina.
Intermediate, posterior, and pan-uveitis are the most severe and highly recurrent forms of uveitis. They often cause blindness if left untreated.
Symptoms of uveitis
• Redness and irritation in the eye
• Blurred vision
• Eye pain
• Photophobia- Increased sensitivity to light
• Dark floating spots in your vision, called floaters
If it is left untreated, uveitis may permanently damage your vision.
Causes-
Uveitis can be caused by autoimmune diseases, post infections
Some Autoimmune conditions are-
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Psoriasis
- Arthritis
- Ulcerative colitis
- Kawasaki disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Sarcoidosis
Infections- - AIDS
- Herpes
- CMV retinitis
- Syphilis
- Tuberculosis
- Histoplasmosis
Other causes- - Post trauma, injury or surgery
- Lymphoma
Diagnosis-
Patient needs thorough eye check up, and then might also need some laboratory tests to rule out infections and autoimmune disorders.
Treatment
• Treatment for anterior uveitis, or iritis, includes dark glasses, cycloplegic eye drops to dilate the pupil and reduce pain, and steroid eye drops to reduce inflammation or irritation.
• Treatment for posterior uveitis may include oral steroids, injections around the eye, and visits to additional specialists to treat the infection or autoimmune disease.
• Treatment for intermediate uveitis includes steroid eye drops and oral steroids.