What is Uveitis?
Uveitis is a group of diseases affecting the iris, vitreous, and retina, leading to swelling and inflammation. This condition can impact either one or all three layers, causing various symptoms and complications.
Types of Uveitis
Uveitis is classified into:
- Anterior Uveitis
- Intermediate Uveitis
- Posterior Uveitis
It can also be categorized by cause:
- Infectious Uveitis
- Non-Infectious Uveitis
Subtypes include iritis, vitritis, vasculitis, choroiditis, and retinitis.
Causes of Uveitis
Non-Infectious Causes:
- Autoimmune diseases such as:
- Sarcoidosis
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Wegener’s Granulomatosis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) Syndrome
- Sympathetic Ophthalmia
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Serpiginous Choroiditis
- Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy (APMPPE)
- Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome (MEWDS)
- Posterior Scleritis
Infectious Causes:
- Leprosy
- Tuberculosis
- Syphilis
- Toxoplasmosis
- HIV
- Fungal infections like Candida and Aspergillus
- Herpes virus
- Cytomegalovirus
- Acute Retinal Necrosis
- Posterior Outer Retinal Necrosis
Symptoms and Signs of Uveitis
Patients can be asymptomatic or experience symptoms such as:
- Decreased vision
- Blurred vision
- Eye redness
- Eye pain
Diagnostic Tests for Uveitis
Eye Tests:
- Fundus Examination and Fundus Photos: Detects lesions like choroiditis or retinitis.
- Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): Identifies retinitis, macular edema, choroidal granuloma, and vitritis.
- Ultrasonography (USG B scan): Detects retinal detachments and choroidal swelling.
- Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA): Identifies vasculitis, decreased blood flow, and new vessel formation.
- Slit Lamp Examination: Reveals redness, congestion, and corneal KPs for differential diagnosis.
Other Tests:
- Blood tests for TB, sarcoidosis, HIV, herpes, CMV, toxoplasma, arthritis, etc.
- Chest X-ray and CT chest.
Uveitis Treatment Options
Medications:
- Eye Drops: Prednisolone, dexamethasone to reduce inflammation.
- Mydriatic Drops: Atropine, cyclopentolate, homatropine to relieve spasm and pain.
- Eye Injections: Posterior Sub-Tenon Injection (PST) of triamcinolone, intravitreal steroids like Ozurdex or Iluvien for non-infectious uveitis.
- Oral and Intravenous Steroids: For intermediate and posterior uveitis.
Antimicrobial Treatment:
- Anti-Tubercular Drugs
- Antivirals
- Antimicrobials for infectious posterior uveitis.
Duration of Uveitis Treatment
- Anterior Uveitis: Treatment lasts from days to weeks.
- Posterior Uveitis: Treatment can extend for months.
Specialist Care for Uveitis
Uveitis treatment should be conducted by a uveitis specialist, such as a VR surgeon, retina specialist, or uvea specialist. In complex cases, collaboration with a rheumatologist, chest physician, and infectious disease specialist might be necessary.
Uveitis Treatment in Mumbai and Thane
Soni Eye Care Center in Mulund is a super specialty retina clinic providing regular treatment for uveitis. Our team, including Dr. Anuj Soni and Dr. Asmita Soni, are experts in managing uveitis. To book an appointment, call us at 7715945144.
