Uveitis

Uveitis affects a layer of tissue inside your eye, causing inflammation that can lead to sight loss. At the Rheumatic Disease Center offices in Milwaukee and Glendale, Wisconsin, the highly skilled rheumatologists excel in treating inflammatory diseases like uveitis. Their specialized care helps preserve your sight and fix the cause of your condition. Call your nearest Rheumatic Disease Center office today or book an appointment online for expert uveitis diagnosis and treatment.

What is uveitis?

Uveitis is eye inflammation affecting your uvea, the middle layer of tissue in the eye’s wall.

The uvea has a rich blood supply. It contains the choroid, a spongy layer between the sclera (white of the eye) and retina and the iris (the colored part of your eye). The ciliary body that produces vitreous fluid inside your eye is also part of the uvea.

Forms of uveitis include:

Anterior uveitis

Also called iritis, this condition is the most common uveitis. It affects the ciliary body and the area between the cornea and iris inside the front of your eye.

Posterior uveitis

Posterior uveitis affects either the retina or the choroid.

Intermediate uveitis

This uveitis affects the retina, pars plana (the blood vessels just behind the lens), and the vitreous in the center of your eye.

Panuveitis

Panuveitis involves all the eye’s uvea layers.

What symptoms does uveitis cause?

Uveitis symptoms generally come on suddenly. They can include:

• Blurred vision
• Eye pain
• Light sensitivity
• Red eyes
• Dark, floating spots in front of your eyes
• Reduced vision

These symptoms can affect one or both eyes.

What causes uveitis?

Uveitis is sometimes caused by injuries or infections. But the most common cause is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune disorders develop when your immune system identifies healthy cells in your body as invaders it needs to destroy. In the case of uveitis, the immune system targets the uvea, causing inflammation.

This inflammation and your body’s response to it increases your risk of severe eye disorders like:

• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Macular edema (retinal swelling)
• Hypotony (loss of eye pressure)

Without treatment, the inflammation uveitis causes can cause sight loss and raise the risk of losing the affected eye.

How is uveitis treated?

Uveitis treatments relieve your symptoms and address the condition’s underlying causes.

The Rheumatic Disease Center team uses anti-inflammatory medication to reduce inflammation in the uvea. Immunosuppressant drugs can also be invaluable in reducing the immune system’s overreaction that triggers excessive inflammation.

You might need antibiotics to kill the bacteria if there’s an infection in the uvea. Sometimes, patients require a vitrectomy to extract vitreous fluid from the affected eye. There’s also a surgical procedure that involves implanting a device that slowly releases medication.

If you have uveitis symptoms, call the Rheumatic Disease Center today or book an appointment online and receive prompt expert care.