Book an appointmentWhat is uveitis?
Uveitis is inflammation of one of the components of the uvea. It can cause severe vision loss, being one of the main causes of blindness in the world.
The uvea is the vascular layer of the eye, which is located under the sclera (white layer of the eye) and is formed by the iris and the ciliary body (-anterior uvea- in contact with the lens) and the choroid (-posterior uvea-, in contact with the retina).
Why does uveitis occur?
There are several factors that can cause uveitis, such as infectious diseases (toxoplasmosis, herpes virus, tuberculosis, syphilis…), trauma, and rheumatic or autoimmune processes such as sarcoidosis or Behçet’s disease.
How does uveitis manifest?
Uveitis can present itself in different ways depending on the area that is affected.
If it affects the anterior part, the symptoms will be eye pain, blurred vision, eye redness and photophobia (high sensitivity to light).
If the posterior uvea is compromised, the symptoms will be floaters and vision loss, usually without pain.
Uveitis treatments
Depending on the type and location of uveitis, various medical or surgical treatments can be given:
Anti-inflammatory eye drops for anterior uveitis, oral cortisone or injected into the eye for posterior or immunomodulators for those associated with chronic diseases.
On the other hand, surgery is usually reserved to treat complications associated with uveitis, such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts…
Uveitis prevention
The disease that causes uveitis must be properly treated and studied to help prevent it.
Summary
Debut
Most of those affected are between 20 and 50 years old.
Symptoms
Eye pain, red eye, blurred vision (anterior), vision loss (posterior).
Prevention
Treatment and good control of the triggering pathology.
