UVEITIS

What is Uveitis?

The eye is shaped much like a tennis ball, hollow inside with three different layers of tissue surrounding a central cavity. The outermost is the sclera (white coat of the eye) and the innermost is the retina (light sensitive tissue in the back of the eye much like the film in a camera). The middle layer between the sclera and the retina is called the uvea. When the uvea becomes inflamed, the condition is called uveitis (pronounced U-VEE-I-TIS).

What Is The Importance Of The Uvea?

The uvea contains many of the blood vessels which nourish the eye. Inflammation of the uvea can affect the cornea, the retina, the sclera, and other vital parts of the eye. Since the uvea borders many important parts of the eye, inflammation of this layer may be sight-threatening and more serious than the more common inflammations of the outside layers of the eye.

What Are The Symptoms Of Uveitis?

Symptoms of uveitis include light sensitivity, blurring of vision, pain, and redness of the eye. Uveitis may come on suddenly with redness and pain, or it may be slow in onset with little pain or redness, but a gradual blurring of vision.

Are There Different Kinds Of Uveitis?

Yes, when the uvea is inflamed near the front of the eye in the iris, it is described as iritis. If the uvea is inflamed in the middle of the eye involving the ciliary body, it is called cyclitis. If the inflammation is in the back of the eye affecting the choroid, it is called choroiditis.

How Is Uveitis Diagnosed?

A careful eye examination by an eye doctor is extremely important when symptoms occur. Inflammation inside the eye can permanently affect sight, and at times, lead to blindness.

An eye doctor will use instruments to examine the inside of the eye and often can make a diagnosis on that basis. In some circumstances, blood tests, skin tests, x-rays, and sometimes even specimens taken surgically from the eye, may assist the diagnosis. Since uveitis can be associated with disease in the rest of the body, an evaluation and understanding of the patient's overall medical health is important. This may involve consultation with other medical specialists.

How Is Uveitis Treated?

Prompt treatment is necessary to minimize any loss of vision. Eye drops, especially steroids and pupil dilators, are medications used to reduce inflammation and pain. For deeper inflammation, oral medication or injections may be necessary. complications such as glaucoma (high pressure in the eye), cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye), or new blood vessel formation (neovascularization), also may need treatment in the course of the disease. If complications are advanced, conventional surgery or laser surgery may be necessary.

Uveitis is an inflammation inside the eye which is potentially sight-threatening. For this reason prompt treatment and proper diagnosis are essential. A case of simple "red eye" may in fact be a serious problem of uveitis. A "red eye" which does not clear up promptly should be evaluated by your eye doctor.

Back to Retina Topics