Uveitis

Alternative Names

Iritis, Pars planitis, Choroiditis, Chorioretinitis, Anterior uveitis, Posterior uveitis

What is Uveitis

Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvea, the vascular layer of the eye sandwiched between the retina and the white of the eye (sclera). The uvea extends toward the front of the eye and consists of the iris, choroid layer and ciliary body. The most common type of uveitis is an inflammation of the iris called iritis (anterior uveitis).

Infections, injury and autoimmune disorders can cause the development of uveitis, though other exact causes are unknown.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of uveitis include the followings:

• Eye redness and irritation
• Blurred vision
• Eye pain
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Floating spots before the eyes

Uveitis may develop suddenly and it is very important that you see your ophthalmologist for a complete eye exam if you develop these symptoms, especially if a painful, red eye does not clear up quickly.

Possible complications

Left untreated, uveitis may permanently damage your vision and can cause the following complications:

• Abnormally high pressure inside the eye (glaucoma)
• Damage to the optic nerve
• Clouding of the lens (cataract) or cornea
• Retinal problems, such as fluid within the retina or retinal detachment
• Vision loss

What causes

Potential causes of uveitis may include an infection with a virus, fungus, bacteria, parasite, inflammatory disease affecting other parts of the body, or injury to the eye.

There are four types of uveitis:

• Iritis. It is the most common form of uveitis. It affects the iris and is often associated with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or sarcoidosis. Iritis may develop suddenly and may last weeks, even with treatment. Rare cases are chronic and require close, long- term monitoring.
• Cyclitis. It is an inflammation of the middle portion of the eye and may affect the muscle that focuses the lens. This also may develop suddenly and last several months.
• Retinitis. It affects the back of the eye. It may be rapidly progressive, making it difficult to treat. Retinitis may be caused by viruses such as shingles or herpes and bacterial infections such as syphilis or toxoplasmosis.
• Choroiditis. It is an inflammation of the layer beneath the retina. It may also be caused by an infection such as tuberculosis.

Retinitis and choroiditis can each be caused by an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. In a large number of cases, the cause of uveitis is not known. Stress is sometimes suspected since the inflammation is triggered by the body's immune system.

Prevention

Treatment of an underlying disorder may help to prevent uveitis in persons with a body-wide (systemic) infection or disease.

Treatment

The main aim of treatment of Uveitis is:

• Relief of pain and discomfort (where present)
• To prevent sight loss due to the disease or its complications
• To treat the cause of the disease which possible

Like the varied nature of uveitis, the treatment of it may vary from case to case quite considerably. Corticosteroids are often the mainstay of treatment but now are, importantly, being joined by some other newer drugs, usually used along with the steroids. Various eye-drops are used, particularly to treat anterior uveitis. There is a growing confidence, especially with the newer drug treatments, that the eyesight can be stabilized over the long term. Uveitis as a disease should be regarded as incurable in the sense that it will never completely go away, but that is not to say that it cannot be controlled.