Uveitis is the inflammation of the ciliary body (tiny ring-like muscle behind the iris), iris (coloured part of the eyes) and the choroid (tissue layer in between the sclera and the retina which contains blood vessels and pigments that absorb excess light) or the uveal tract. The condition is further classified into the specific parts of the tract is affected.
The symptoms are varied because of this. This condition can have a sudden onset or acute or may either be the long-lasting or the chronic. Acute uveitis does not last very long while the chronic uveitis can relapse and is very persistent once the patient acquires it. Treatment of the condition involves steroid eye drop solution which can reduce inflammation and relieve the patients of the symptoms. If uveitis is not treated, it can cause serious problems which may lead to blindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apart from the uveal tract and the parts to which it may commonly affect, the following parts can also be affected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The condition is organized into the part of the uveal tract which is infected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a lot of causes for uveitis. This condition is associated to a myriad of other disorders and illnesses. But it is very common and accepted that no specific cause is found for uveitis. This condition is called idiopathic uveitis. Causes for uveitis are the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The symptoms are largely dependent on the type of uveitis the patient has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anterior uveitis. <\/strong>This affects only one eye and the symptoms include eye pain inside or around the eyeballs, photophobia and redness of the eye. Blurring of the vision or eventually vision loss can also result but this is temporary. Headaches are also common and the iris of the infected eye may change its color from time to time. Watering of the eyes can also occur and the symptoms for the condition develop in a matter of hours or a few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Intermediate uveitis. <\/strong>This is painless and can cause blurring of the vision. It is rare that the patient will experience photophobia and redness of the eye. Floaters are also common and these are small dark shaped objects in the eye which are clearly visible when looking in bright lights or the blue sky. Both eyes can be affected with this type of uveitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Posterior uveitis. <\/strong>This is the painless blurring of the vision. To some people, it can cause severe vision loss. Having this type of uveitis can cause the patient to see floaters and they could develop scotomata which are tiny areas that are less sensitive vision in the eye. These parts are surrounded by areas of normal sight. One eye is usually infected and the symptoms for this condition take a longer period to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The condition is diagnosed based on the symptoms that the patient has. Once the doctor suspects that the patient has uveitis, the patient will be referred to an eye specialist for further confirmation and examinations. The treatment for this condition helps to ease the discomfort and pain in the infected eye, reduce inflammation and to treat any other underlying causes such as other eye complications. The treatments are successful enough to prevent vision loss. New treatments are also available but are still investigated. These drugs are the TNF-alpha blockers. Examples of these are the infliximab and the etanercept. Other underlying problems which cause uveitis should also be treated. Underlying causes would include autoimmune diseases, infection and inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uveitis should be treated quickly to avoid serious side effects which can lead to blurring of vision or to blindness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uveitis should be treated as soon as possible. Uveitis can recur especially if there are underlying causes which contribute in the inflammation of the eye, or if the patient has autoimmune diseases or inflammatory diseases. Those who have recurring uveitis are often given with steroid eye drops to use when the symptoms are back. Patients with recurring uveitis should be under an eye specialist and should have regular eye check-ups. When uveitis is caused by a general infection, the symptoms go away or subside once the cause of the infection is treated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Uveitis is the inflammation of the ciliary body (tiny ring-like muscle behind the iris), iris (coloured part of the eyes) and the choroid (tissue layer in between the sclera and the retina which contains blood vessels and pigments that absorb excess light) or the uveal tract. The condition is further … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecare-information-service.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Diagnosis for uveitis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Testing the patient’s vision is the first thing to be done. This is done to asses if there are differences in the vision of both eyes. This means that uveitis causes the patient’s vision to become worse.
An opthalmoscope is a hand-held machine that the doctor uses to examine the interior of the patient’s eyes. The machine directs light into the eye and allows the eye specialist to see the inside of the patient’s eye where the light falls. Eye drops are used before directing light unto the eyes. These special eye drops make the pupils dilate to make examining them easier. Another machine, called the slit lamp, can also be used to examine the eyes. If uveitis symptoms are present, the doctor will see specific changes in the eyes to make proper diagnosis.
Other examinations would include urine and blood test and having x-rays.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTreatment of uveitis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Treatments for uveitis are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\nTreatment for relieving discomfort and pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Treatment for underlying causes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Complications for uveitis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Prognosis for uveitis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n