Table of Contents:
- What is uveitis?
- What are the symptoms of uveitis?
- What are the causes of uveitis?
- What is the prognosis of uveitis?
- Can it be prevented?
- What types of tests can be performed to detect uveitis?
- What medications are helpful in reducing pain?
- What is the treatment?
What is uveitis?
Uveitis is the inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye formed by the choroid, the ciliary leather and the iris, which surrounds the inside of the eyeball. It is the tissue with the most blood vessels in the whole organism, making it a very prone and sensitive area to infectious and inflammatory processes. Likewise, its inflammation causes severe vision loss, so it is very important to treat it as soon as possible.
Uveitis mainly affects people between 20 and 50 years of age, although it can also occur in children.
We differentiate between several types, depending on the part of the eye in which it appears:
- Panuveitis (diffuse uveitis): this is the most severe inflammatory process, and involves inflammation of all layers of the uvea.
- Posterior uveitis (choroiditis and retinitis): affects the back of the eye and may be related to a systemic infection or autoimmune disease.
- Intermediate uveitis (cyclitis): occurs in the ciliary body. It usually appears in young men and is not associated with any other disease.
- Anterior uveitis (iritis) is the most common type and affects the front of the eye.
Uveitis affects mostly
people between 20 and 50 years of age
What are the symptoms of uveitis?
The symptoms of uveitis vary depending on which part of the uvea is affected: if the posterior part is affected, loss of vision occurs, while if the anterior part is affected, it usually causes blurred vision, eye pain, eye redness and photophobia.
It can appear in one or both eyes, and can appear gradually or suddenly.
What are the causes of uveitis?
Among its causes, infectious, autoimmune, bone or rheumatic diseases and trauma stand out. Some examples are: arthritis, AIDS, syphilis, tuberculosis or psoriasis. It can also be caused by exposure to toxins and other injuries.
What is the prognosis of uveitis?
The prognosis of this disease usually works and patients usually recover without sequelae. However, early and appropriate treatment and diagnosis is necessary in each particular case.
If the patient has chronic uveitis and it is associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis it is more complex. The patient will need prolonged treatment over time to keep the inflammation under control or, in some cases, surgery.
Can it be prevented?
There are some behaviors that can prevent the onset of uveitis flare-ups:
- Following treatment correctly
- Not wearing contact lenses
- Do not smoke
- Maintain good hand and eyelid hygiene.
What kind of tests can be performed to detect uveitis?
Typically, the ophthalmologist collects the patient’s medical history and performs a complete eye examination, which usually includes several tests:
- An ophthalmoscopy: the pupil is dilated with eye drops and a light is placed in front of the eyes to examine them.
- A vision evaluation: the reaction of your pupils to light is evaluated.
- Tonometry: drops are placed in the eyes to measure the fluid pressure inside the eye.
- Slit lamp test: This test is performed with a microscope that magnifies and illuminates the front of the eye.
- Optical coherence tomography: evaluates the thickness of the retina and choroid to identify if there is inflammation.
- Fluorescein or indocyanine green angiography: this is a contrast test in which an intravenous catheter is placed in a vein in the arm that reaches the blood vessels of the eyes and allows a photograph to be taken of the inflammation of these vessels.
There are also other more common tests such as blood tests, x-rays, CT scans or MRI scans. It will depend on the specialist to perform one test or another, depending on the patient’s case.
What medications are useful in reducing pain?
In these cases, it is necessary to see an ophthalmology specialist to write a prescription in accordance with the disease. Normally it is about:
- Drops with anti-inflammatory.
- Drops to control spasms in the iris and ciliary body to relieve pain.
- Immunosuppressive drugs in case it becomes very severe.
Some of these drugs may have serious side effects, so it is necessary to be prescribed by a specialist to be the right one and to follow up the treatment.
What does the treatment consist of?
The treatment will depend on its location. In the case of anterior uveitis, anti-inflammatory eye drops are used. In posterior uveitis, cortisone is recommended orally and through infiltrations around the eye.
Immunomodulatory drugs are administered when the disease is associated with a chronic process. Likewise, surgery will only be resorted to if associated complications, such as glaucoma or cataracts, occur.