Uveitis Management

Uveitis (u-vee-I-tis) is an inflammation of the eye. It affects the middle layer in the eye wall (uvea). It consists of the iris, the ciliary body and the choroid.

The iris is located inside the front of the eye. The colored part of the eye in the center of the white part (sclera) when you look at your eye in the mirror, is the iris. The ciliary body is a structure behind the iris. The choroid is a layer of blood vessels between the retina and the sclera. The retina lines the inside of the back of the eye. The inside of the back of the eye is filled with a gel-like liquid called vitreous.

The type of uveitis you have depends on which part or parts of the eye are inflamed:

• Anterior uveitis affects the inside of the front of your eye (between the cornea and the iris) and the ciliary body. It is also called iritis and is the most common type of uveitis.
• Intermediate uveitis affects the retina and blood vessels just behind the lens (pars plana) as well as the gel in the center of the eye (vitreous).
• Posterior uveitis affects a layer on the inside of the back of your eye, either the retina or the choroid.
• Panuveitis occurs when all layers of the uvea are inflamed, from the front to the back of your eye.

Possible causes of uveitis are infection, injury, or an autoimmune or inflammatory disease. Many times a cause can’t be identified.

The signs, symptoms and characteristics of uveitis may include:

• Eye redness
• Eye pain
• Light sensitivity
• Blurred or decreased vision
• Floaters

Sometimes symptoms may occur suddenly and get worse quickly. Occasionally, there are no symptoms, and signs of uveitis are observed on a routine eye exam.

Uveitis can be serious, leading to permanent vision loss hence early diagnosis and treatment are important to preserve your vision. The condition can affect one or both eyes, and it can affect people of all ages, even children.

Uveitis is most commonly treated with steroids in the form of eye drops, injections within or around the eye or tablets depending on the type of uveitis. You may be required to use atropine/homatropine eye drops which may cause temporary blurring of vision. In some cases immunomodulatory therapy may be started and very rarely a surgery may be advised. Targeted therapy for infective causes or laser therapy to the retina in some cases may be advised.