Eye Inflammatory Diseases

Inflammatory eye diseases like uveitis develop when the middle part of your eye becomes inflamed, causing pain and blurry vision. You should see Hetal Vaishnav, MD, Gary Ganiban, MD, and their colleagues at Atlantic Retina Consultants as soon as possible if you have any uveitis symptoms. The practice has offices in Melbourne, Merritt Island, Palm Bay, Titusville, and Rockledge, Florida, where patients can benefit from eye care of unrivaled quality at convenient locations. Call Atlantic Retina Consultants or book an appointment online today.

What are inflammatory eye diseases?

Inflammatory eye diseases are conditions that cause inflammation in the eye. Symptoms include:

• Eye redness
• Pain
• Blurry vision
• Light sensitivity
• Floaters
• Reduced vision

Inflammatory eye diseases tend to start suddenly and quickly get worse.

What kind of inflammatory eye diseases might affect me?

The most common inflammatory eye disease is uveitis. It affects a layer of tissue in the middle of your eye called the uvea, consisting of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. The choroid sits between the retina at the back of your eye and the sclera at the front.

You can have uveitis in one or both eyes. It’s most common in people between 20 and 50, but it also affects children. There are several types of uveitis involving the three parts of the eye in the uvea:

Iritis (anterior uveitis)

Iritis is the most widespread form of uveitis, affecting the front of your eye.

Cyclitis (intermediate uveitis)

Affects the ciliary body, which lines the eyeball and produces vitreous.

Choroiditis and retinitis (posterior uveitis)

Affects the choroid at the back of your eye. The choroid is a layer of tissue and blood vessels under your retina.

Diffuse uveitis (panuveitis) is a form of the disease that involves all three of the uvea’s layers.

What causes inflammatory eye diseases?

Possible causes of inflammatory eye diseases include:

• Eye injury
• Eye surgery
• Autoimmune disorders
• Inflammatory disorders
• Cat-scratch disease
• Herpes zoster
• Syphilis
• Toxoplasmosis
• Tuberculosis
• Lyme disease
• West Nile virus
• Lymphoma

Risk factors for inflammatory eye diseases include smoking and family history. However, in half of all cases, no clear cause can be found for inflammatory eye problems.

How are inflammatory eye diseases treated?

Immediate treatment is essential to prevent permanent damage to your eye. The Atlantic Retina Consultants team prescribes eyedrops containing corticosteroids to reduce inflammation. Other types of eyedrops dilate your pupil, which can also help reduce swelling and pain.

You might need oral medication or an injection as well. Getting the right treatment for inflammatory eye diseases is crucial, as untreated, they can cause:

• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Optic nerve damage
• Retinal detachment

Inflammatory eye diseases can even lead to permanent vision loss.

Call Atlantic Retina Consultants or book an appointment online today if you have any symptoms of inflammatory eye disease.