All layers of the eye except for the outer covering are called the uvea, because their shape resembles a bunch of grapes, and uveitis is inflammation of the contents of the eye.
Uveitis is a chronic disease, and therefore everyone who suffers from it must undergo medical monitoring and follow-up for many years, and sometimes for life. advance signs.
It is possible for the disease to appear and disappear without causing any damage and without recurring seizures, and these cases require medical follow-up for several years in order to verify that the inflammation has occurred only once, and another attack may occur several years after the occurrence of the first attack despite the passage of a long period of time without any seizures.
With close medical monitoring and appropriate treatment, it is possible to achieve balance and control of uveitis in the majority of patients with it. However, it is worth noting that in the Western world, uveitis is still one of the common causes of visual impairment, and sometimes despite treatments, the disease may worsen and severely damage the ability on vision.
Symptoms of uveitis
Symptoms of uveitis
the pain.
Blurred vision.
red eyes
Causes and risk factors for uveitis
There are several causes of uveitis, the most important of which are
1. Autoimmune diseases
Uveitis often results from an error in the identification process carried out by the immune system. The immune system performs identification processes 24 hours a day, through which this system examines the components of the body and determines which of them belongs to it and deserves protection from attack, and which does not belong to him.
Body contents that are identified as foreign are identified by the immune system and later attacked and destroyed by a complex inflammatory process. Errors in this process lead to inflammatory reactions to healthy body components. These are called autoimmune reactions ( Autoimmune), due to the activation of the immune system against the components of the body itself.
2. Bacterial infection
A small number of cases of uveitis are caused directly by a parasitic, bacterial, viral or fungal infection. These are cases in which the contaminant agent enters the eye directly, sometimes after eye surgery, and in rare cases due to septicemia (sepsis). septicemia).
Complications of uveitis
The resulting complications of uveitis stem from this disease itself, from damage to the different layers of the eye, and from the anti-inflammatory treatment itself, such as:
Glaucoma.
Cataract.
The two most common complications are caused by the uveitis itself, but may also result from treatment with steroids.
Diagnosis of uveitis
It is easy to diagnose uveitis, and this can be done in the ophthalmologist’s office by using the regular examination device, which is the slit lamp used by the ophthalmologist. In the initial examination, the doctor determines the severity of the inflammation and the degree of damage to the eye’s work. By normal examination, confirm or deny the presence of a polluting agent.
Procedures after confirming a diagnosis of uveitis
When the doctor diagnoses uveitis by examining the eyes, it is necessary to clarify whether it is related to an eye disease only, or whether the eye infection is part of a more general and comprehensive autoimmune phenomenon, such as:
Arthritis.
Behcet''s disease.
Sarcoidosis and others.
The doctor should question the patient in order to obtain additional information that may help in the diagnosis. Moreover, laboratory tests should be performed in an attempt to find characteristics of autoimmune diseases, as well as to rule out the presence of contaminants whose presence cannot be ruled out by clinical examination.
These investigative procedures include
Urine examination.
Chest radiograph.
These clarifying procedures are suitable for each patient individually according to his state of health.
Uveitis treatment
The treatment of uveitis in general is represented in drug treatment by means of drugs that suppress different types of infections, and when suspected of having a causative agent for pollution, treatment with various antibiotics is added to that, and in some complications of uveitis, surgery may sometimes be required.
1. Steroid therapy
Anti-inflammatory treatment is based on steroids that are given topically, such as: s, oral tablets, or intravenous (Infusion).
2. Chemotherapy
And other anti-inflammatory drugs, or chemotherapy, such as: methotrexate and azathioprine, which are given in order to spare patients the complications of severe steroid treatment.
These substances are used in the treatment of cancer patients in doses much greater than that, up to 10,000 times the dose used in patients suffering from uveitis, so the side effects that characterize anti-cancer treatments, such as: hair loss or severe nausea, do not appear in Treatment in patients with uveitis.
In most cases, patients prefer treatment with these substances over continuous treatment with steroids, and recently publications have begun to appear about treatment with drugs directed against specific compounds in the inflammatory reaction, such as: anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF), but the practical experience In the use of these drugs is still very limited.
3. Treatment of complications of uveitis
Treatment of complications of uveitis, such as glaucoma, is mainly done with s of different types.
As for cataracts and glaucoma that do not respond to treatment with drugs, they are treated by surgery, and as a prerequisite before any surgery in patients with uveitis, the inflammation must first be stopped and suppressed for a few months in most cases, before the operation itself.
Prevention of uveitis
Uveitis can be prevented by taking the necessary treatments towards autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and adherence to them.
