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Why Uveitis, an Inflammatory Eye Disease, Is Serious

In this article, we’ll explain exactly what uveitis is, as well as its symptoms, causes, and treatment options.

Understanding uveitis is essential, as it can be quite serious — especially if untreated. Thankfully, with the information contained in this guide, you’ll know what to look out for and what steps to take if you think you have it.

What Is Uveitis?

Uveitis is a condition that occurs when you have inflammation in your uvea. Usually, inflammation results from your body fighting an infection, so uveitis can occur due to an infection or when your immune system attacks healthy eye tissue.

What Is the Uvea?

The uvea is the middle layer of tissue in the wall of your eye, encompassing the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. It sits between the sclera, the white part of your eye, and the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of your eye.

Let’s take a minute to break down each part of the eye to understand the effects of uveitis better.

Your iris is the colored part of your eye. For instance, when you say someone has green eyes, you’re saying they have green irises. The ciliary body is a layer that surrounds your eye and helps the lens focus, while the choroid is the part of your eye that connects the whites to your retina.

The uvea is essential because it contains blood vessels that nourish your entire eye. A severe, untreated case of uveitis can damage some of that essential eye tissue and lead to vision loss.

That said, you don’t need to remember the technical or scientific terms. Simply put, uveitis is eye inflammation that can make your entire eye look red and bloodshot.

What Are the Four Types of Uveitis?

There are four main types of uveitis, defined by the part of the eye they affect. The first type, anterior uveitis, is the most common. In this type of uveitis, the swelling happens mainly at the front of the eye. Symptoms usually appear suddenly, can last for weeks, and may return in the future.

The second type of uveitis is called intermediate uveitis because the swelling occurs in the middle layer of the eye. In this type, symptoms can last anywhere from weeks to several years. Some people experience intermediate uveitis as a cyclical condition that gets better then worse repeatedly.

When the swelling caused by uveitis happens toward the back of the eye, it’s called posterior uveitis. The symptoms of this type of uveitis tend to develop slowly over time and can last for years. If all parts of the uvea are affected by uveitis, from the front to the back, it's called panuveitis.

How Common Is Uveitis?

Although most people have never heard of it, uveitis is relatively common. Roughly four million new cases of uveitis emerge each year, and in the United States alone, 80,000 to 168,000 new cases are diagnosed yearly.

Although anyone can technically get uveitis, it is more common in adults, especially adults who smoke cigarettes. Children only make up 2% to 20% of cases.

How To Know if You Have Uveitis

Now that you know how serious this eye condition can be and the parts of your eye it can affect, let’s take a closer look at the symptoms of uveitis and how it’s diagnosed.

Symptoms

The symptoms of anterior uveitis can come on suddenly. They include blurred vision, eye pain, redness in the eyes, swollen conjunctiva, light sensitivity, and floaters.

Floaters are the name for tiny specks or dots that cloud your vision. You may also notice that your pupils change from a circular to a more irregular shape. If you notice white liquid pooling in the bottom form of your eye or a ring around your iris, those may also be signs.

Unlike anterior uveitis, intermediate and posterior uveitis symptoms are more difficult for you and others to notice by looking at your eye’s appearance. Instead, they’re more likely to affect your vision. Some of these symptoms include an increase in floaters, gaps in your field of vision, and decreased vision.

Diagnosis

If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, it’s advisable to call your doctor, as uveitis can be severe if it goes untreated. If your eye pain is significant or your vision is compromised, you may want to seek emergency medical attention.

When you go to an ophthalmologist, they will likely do a full eye exam and ask several questions about your health history and experience with the condition.

They’ll also likely conduct the following:

  • Ocular Assessment: To look and see how your pupils respond to light.
  • Tonometry: To measure the pressure inside your eye.
  • Slit-Lamp Examination: To identify if there are microscopic inflammatory cells in the front of your eye.
  • Ophthalmoscopy: To examine the back of your eye.

Even after all this testing and more, your ophthalmologist may not be able to identify the exact cause of uveitis. However, they can treat it regardless.

What Causes Uveitis?

There are several causes of uveitis, which can make it difficult for ophthalmologists to determine exactly which one is the culprit. In about half of cases, the cause is never officially determined.

Still, this section will cover all the possible causes of uveitis, which fall into the following four categories: infections, systemic causes, injuries, and medications.

Infections

If an infection causes your case of uveitis, then you’ll likely only have it in one eye. Some of the infections that can cause uveitis include:

  • Herpes simplex virus (HSV)
  • Varicella-zoster virus (which causes shingles and chickenpox)
  • Syphilis
  • Tuberculosis
  • Parasites from infected cat litter (toxoplasmosis)

Systemic Causes

Although the symptoms of uveitis are always felt in your eyes, it’s not necessarily the result of something that’s only affecting your eyes. If a case of uveitis results from a systemic cause, it will likely affect both eyes simultaneously.

Sometimes, an autoimmune disease or an inflammatory disease can trigger uveitis. Examples of these include inflammatory bowel disease, Lupus, Behcet’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Immunosuppressive medications may help you manage your symptoms in these cases.

Additionally, inflammatory arthritic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis can make it more likely for someone to develop uveitis.

Injuries

Since inflammation is your body’s natural response to injury, uveitis can also be caused by an eye injury where the muscles and blood vessels that make up the uvea are damaged. Eye surgery can also cause uveitis because your body may treat the disturbance caused by surgery as an injury.

Medications

Finally, certain medications, such as brimonidine eye drops, cidofovir, and rifabutin, may also increase one's risk of developing uveitis.

Why Is Uveitis Serious?

Uveitis is a serious condition that, if left untreated, can lead to vision loss and, ultimately, blindness. We can’t stress enough how important it is to see an ophthalmology specialist as soon you notice any potential uveitis symptoms.

Along with permanent vision loss and blindness, uveitis can also lead to complications like cataracts, glaucoma, retinal damage, optic nerve swelling, and high intraocular pressure.

How To Treat Uveitis

Although the symptoms and complications can be scary, remember that treatment of uveitis is possible. Steroids are the main type of medicine used to manage the inflammation in your eye, which can ease your symptoms and prevent permanent vision loss.

You can take steroids in the form of eye drops, pills, injections, and implants. Implants are the most aggressive form of treatment because they’re surgically inserted into your eye, slowly releasing corticosteroids over time to treat your symptoms.

If your ophthalmologist or doctor determines that your case of uveitis is the result of another condition, you’ll be treated with medication (like an antiviral pill) to treat the underlying issue.

Wrapping Up

Uveitis is a serious condition that causes eye inflammation and can have several side effects, such as red eyes, blurred vision, floaters, and decreased vision. Although the potential long-term impacts of uveitis are concerning, there are several ways to diagnose and treat this condition so that you and your eyes can stay healthy.

At Pair, we believe the first step to taking care of your eyes is education. Check out the Pair blog to learn more about eye health, eyewear, and how to start protecting your vision.

Sources:

Uvea | MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Uveitis - StatPearls | NCBI Bookshelf

Toxoplasmosis - Symptoms and causes | Mayo Clinic

Behçet's disease | NHS