Uveitis

What is it?

An uncommon condition where one has inflammation (redness, swelling and soreness) of the middle part of the uvea (the middle part of the eye).

It can affect one or both eyes and can lead fluid build up in the eye (cystoid macular oedema) which may lead to
Glaucoma
Cataracts
Blindness

There are four types of uveitis (classified according to the part of the uvea that is affected)

Anterior uveitis – which affects the front part of the eye, is also sometimes called iritis since the iris is part of the front of the eye (most common).
Intermediate uveitis – also known as pars planitis or cyclitis, refers to inflammation of tissues in the area just behind the iris and lens of the eye.
Posterior uveitis – also known as choroiditis, refers to inflammation of the choroid, the back part of the uvea.
- It is the rare form of the disorder and is the type of uveitis most associated with loss of vision.
Posterior uveitis – may affect the retina and/or the optic nerve and may lead to permanent loss of vision.
- Panuveitis refers to inflammation throughout the eye and does not refer to a specific area.

National Organization of Rare Diseases

It can be short term, recurrent (have repeated episodes which come and go) or long term.

Cause

Unknown
Persons with certain genes may be more likely to develop posterior uveitis. Persons who have a weakened or impaired immune system (immunocompromised) such as those with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk for viral posterior uveitis.
Eye injury
Eye cancer
Infection
- Acanthamoeba Keratitis
Autoimmune disease- where body attacks its own immune system in this case the eyes
Hepatitis B
Arthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Reactive arthritis
Crohn’s disease
Ulcerative colitis
Psoriasis
Multiple sclerosis
Behcet’s disease
Coats disease
Pars planitis
Sarcoidosis
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease

Syndromes

Source: Western Eye

Source: Clinica London

Symptoms

Pain in back of eyes (common in arthritis sufferers)?
Pain in eyes which can get worst when one focuses on an object and/or reading?
Sensitive to light?
Severe redness in eye?
Floaters (Spiders’ legs or cobwebs appearance and/or dots or lines) – tiny specs that float across one vision [or more Floaters -(Spiders’ legs or cobwebs appearance , dots or lines)] appear in ones vision more than usual?

Floaters are caused by bits of debris floating in your vitreous gel which cast a shadow onto your retina. The brain then sees this as something floating around in your vision.
RNIB

Flashes of light in your vision?

Flashing lights happen when the retina is stimulated by something inside the eye rather than by the light entering the eye. They are often caused by the vitreous gel inside the eye moving across and pulling on the retina.

RNIB

Blurred vision?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Medical Emergency Condition

And/or do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have or develop:

Eye Test and Driving Authority

Persons over 40 years should have eye test at least every 2 years.
One should notify their driving authority if one has this condition/disease.
One should have routine eye tests at least every two years but if one has concerns one should book an eye test at any point.

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Serpiginous Choroiditis

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist/Optician) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Uveitis in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

NHS
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National Organisation of Rare Diseases
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