Inflammation of the Eye

The eye has a vascular layer whose location falls between the retina of the eye and the white of the eye. This layer consists of the iris, choroid and ciliary body of the eyes. The condition of eye inflammation which is, as mentioned, also known as uveitis has causes associated with injury and autoimmune disorders of the body. These are, however, mere speculations, and the true causes of the problem have not been identified yet. There are various types of uveitis which include anterior uveitis (the iris gets affected), posterior uveitis (the back of the eye is affected), and intermediary uveitis (the vitreous mirror is affected by the inflammation). Three basic aspects of the condition of inflammation of the eye, i.e, symptoms, causes and treatment, would be discussed below, as you continue reading this article further.

Accompanying Symptoms

Common signs and symptoms include blurred vision, hurting eyes due to bright light, pain in the eyes and eye redness. In some extreme cases, affected people can also see floating spots in their field of vision. Decreased vision may also be a repercussion, and the occurrence of white area inside the lower part of the iris, could also be one of the symptoms which may accompany an inflamed eye.

What Causes the Inflammation?

As has been cited earlier, no specific causes have been determined for this condition. However, in some people, uveitis was found to be related with injury to the eyes, or certain kinds of cancer. Rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis are a class of autoimmune disorders, and even they have been found to contribute in the development of this condition we are speaking about. Then, herpes, tuberculosis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, could also be the responsible factors. The cat-scratch disease is an infection and so is toxoplasmosis. These two conditions also come under the list of the possible causes of uveitis.

Treatment

The focus of the treatment is to detect the underlying condition of the inflammation and deal with it as soon as possible, to reduce the severity of the symptoms. Patients might be given corticosteroid eye drops, and prescribed medication in the form of pill or injection to the eye. For some people with posterior uveitis, the treatment may not come so easy. For them, a device is planted in the eye. It works by releasing corticosteroid medicine with a slow pace, and for about 2 ½ years.

If the cause is some eye infection caused by bacteria or a virus, then antibiotics or antiviral medication, would be involved in the treatment of eye inflammation. These medications may, or may not, be administered with a corticosteroid one. If corticosteroids are of no help in the treatment, then patients are given immunosuppressive or cytotoxic agents. These help in preventing the eye problem from worsening to vision loss.

Surgery is usually reserved as the last option in the treatment for inflammation of the eye. The procedure is taken up to remove some part of the vitreous in the eye. It also aids in getting rid of any kind of scar tissue in the vitreous. As a closing note, this condition has chances of recurring. This makes it important for the patient to seek medical care, if the symptoms reappear even after successful treatment.