Uveitis is the term used to describe inflammation inside the eye. Iritis, vasculitis, choroiditis and several other medical terms which end in "-itis" can be used to describe the particular type or location of the uveitis.

What are the symptoms of Uveitis?

With severe eye inflammation, patients experience red eye, pain, light sensitivity and blurred vision. If inflammation is more mild, symptoms may be limited to floaters and blurred vision.

What causes Uveitis?

This question is best answered by taking a careful eye and medical history, and performing appropriate laboratory tests. This may include blood testing, urine testing, chest x-ray. Access to previous medical records, previous laboratory tests, and other health data from the past may be quite helpful.

Can a cause always be identified? With a thorough evaluation, clues to the correct diagnosis often are identified and in many cases the exact diagnosis can be pinpointed. However, sometimes the work up and laboratory testing do not give a clue to the cause. This indicates that there is no associated disease in any other part of the body, and that inflammation is isolated to the eye. The patients often have the best prognosis.

What are some common causes of uveitis?

Uveitis can be caused by an over-active immune system (autoimmune uveitis) or by a "germ" (infectious uveitis).

Autoimmune diseases which affect the joints may also affect the eye. Ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis in children are good examples. Inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are also associated with uveitis. Sarcoidosis is autoimmune disease which can cause inflammation in the lungs, skin, and brain as well as the eyes.

Infectious uveitis can be caused by a virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite. The uveitis symptoms usually result from the bodies efforts to fight off the invader. Herpes simplex ("cold sore" virus), herpes zoster (chicken pox and shingles virus), Lyme disease, syphilis, tuberculosis and toxoplasmosis (a common parasite) can all have eye inflammation as their first symptom.

How is Uveitis treated?

Infectious uveitis is treated by using the appropriate antibiotic to cure the infection. Because the body's response to an invading microbe may be as damaging as the infection itself, anti-inflammatory treatments used for autoimmune uveitis may be appropriate in some types infectious uveitis.

The first line treatment for autoimmune uveitis is corticosteroid eye drops. A dilating eye drop may be prescribe for comfort. In more severe cases, a corticosteroid medication may given as an injection, or by mouth (e.g. prednisone). Note that corticosteroids are not the same as androgenic steroids, the drugs sometimes used by athletes.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (also known as NSAIDs), cyclosporine and chemotherapeutic agents are also used. Anti-inflammatory drugs are quite successful in controlling autoimmune uveitis, but they do not necessarily provide a cure. Continuing use of medication(s) may be necessary for months or even years in the most severe cases.