What is uveitis?
Uveitis is inflammation inside the eye. It can be triggered by an infection, an autoimmune condition, or have no identified cause. Most patients do well with appropriate treatment.
Symptoms
Symptoms depend on where in the eye the inflammation is located, and may include:
- Eye pain or aching
- Light sensitivity
- Redness
- Blurred vision
- New floaters
- A decrease in vision
Causes
Uveitis can have many causes. The most common categories are:
- Autoimmune disease — such as sarcoidosis, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and others
- Infection — including herpes viruses, syphilis, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, and Lyme disease
- Eye injury or surgery
- Idiopathic — meaning no underlying cause is identified, even after thorough workup. This is common.
How we diagnose it
Diagnosis begins with a careful eye examination and imaging — including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and, when indicated, fluorescein angiography. Because uveitis can be a sign of systemic disease, the workup often includes blood tests and imaging. In select cases, additional studies or a biopsy may be needed.
Treatment options
Treatment is aimed at controlling the inflammation, treating any underlying cause, and preventing damage to the eye. Options include topical, injected, or oral steroids, intravitreal injections of long-acting steroids, immunosuppressive medications, and treatment of an identified infection. For uveitis associated with systemic disease, we coordinate with rheumatology, infectious disease, or your primary care doctor as needed.