Uveitis Research Paper

Uveitis is a rare disease that affects one or both of the eyes. In about half of the cases, the cause of uveitis is unknown. However, in the cases were a cause has been discovered, it has been things such as and injury or surgery of the eye, and autoimmune disorder such as Ankylosing Spondylitis (a type of arthritis), an inflammatory disorder such as Crohn’s disease (inflammation of bowels and digestive tract), an infection such as Lyme disease or West Nile virus, or a cancer that affects the eyes. The first symptoms are pain and redness in the eyes, blurry or decreased vision, dark floating spots, and light sensitivity. These symptoms should be reported to a doctor immediately, as uveitis develops rapidly.

Uveitis occurs in a part of the eye called the uvea. The uvea is behind the cornea and includes the iris, lens, ciliary body, some of the vitreous, and choroid. Different kinds of uveitis affect different parts of the uvea. Anterior uveitis is an inflammation in the iris, sometimes called iritis. Intermediate uveitis is an inflammation usually centered around the vitreous, which is a jelly-like substance that fills a majority of the eye. Posterior uveitis affects the choroid, and often causes damage to the optic nerve, located at the very back of the eye. Pan-uveitis is an …show more content…
Once a patient goes to the doctor, they will have their blood taken and tested for other diseases such as an autoimmune disorder or infections. They will also take a vision test of reading far away letters to see if their vision has decreased. Another test that will likely be done is using a tonometer to test the pressure inside the eye. Yet another couple things that are usually done are taking photographs to measure the thickness of retinal tissue and examine retinal flow, and using a slit lamp (instrument that focuses a thin line of high intensity light) to see if there’s an increased number of white blood cells in the affected