What is Uveitis ? Uveitis is inflammation(swelling) of the uvea. The uvea is the middle vascular layer of the eye and comprises of three parts - iris, ciliary body and choroid.
What are the types of uveitis? Depending on which part of the uvea is involved,it is classified into 4 types:
- Anterior uveitis
- Intermediate uveitis
- Posterior uveitis
- Panuveitis
Anterior uveitis - In Anterior uveitis, the front portion of the uvea is primarily inflamed - iris and/or ciliary body.
- Iritis – When iris (colored part of the eye) is affected, it is called as iritis
- Iridocyclitis – When both iris and adjacent ciliary body(that synthesizes aqueous humor, the fluid that fills the front of the eye) are affected, it is called as iridocyclitis.
It is the most common
type of uveitis. It may be either acute or chronic.
Intermediate uveitis – In intermediate uveitis, there is inflammation mainly involving the vitreous and peripheral retina.
Posterior uveitis – In Posterior uveitis, there is inflammation mainly involving the back layers of the eye –retina and choroid.
Panvueitis - When the entire uvea is affected with adjacent intraocular structures, it is termed as Panuveitis. It is the most severe of all types.
Anterior uveitis - In Anterior uveitis, the front portion of the uvea is primarily inflamed - iris and/or ciliary body.
What are the causes of Uveitis? Uveitis may be caused by:
- Autoimmune diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis
- Infective diseases such as tuberculosis, syphilis
- Trauma
- Panuveitis
In most of the cases, the specific cause of uveitis may be unknown (idiopathic).
What are the symptoms of Uveitis?
Acute anterior uveitis is usually unilateral and causes sudden redness, eye pain, sensitivity to light and blurred vision which may usually be accompanied by headache.Chronic anterior uveitis(less common than
acute) is long standing inflammation with less acute symptoms.
Intermediate uveitisusually causes blurred vision and floaters. Vision loss occurs when there is swelling in the macula occurring secondary to inflammation.
Posterior uveitiscauses gradual vision loss.
How is Uveitis treated?
- Uveitis if not promptly treated may lead to severe visual loss.
- Anterior uveitis is usually treated with topical steroids (eye drops) to reduce inflammation and dilating drops to reduce pain and help prevent the complication of the pupil sticking to the adjacent lens.
- In Intermediate and Posterior uveitis, treatment would include any of the following depending on the severity and type of uveitis:
- Topical steroids
- Periocular steroid injections
- Oral steroids
- Intraocular steroid injections
- Immunosuppressive therapy
