Uveitis eyes - a complex and dangerous disease

Eyes - an important part of the whole body.Sometimes the diagnosis reveals the source of the problem is not there, where it was searched earlier. For example, uveitis may be a manifestation of rheumatic disease. The treatment of any health problem should be approached in a comprehensive manner. Especially it concerns such eye disease as uveitis.It is important to treat not only the symptoms, but to identify the cause of the disease.

What is uveitis?

Uveitis is a general concept, which means inflammation of various parts of the choroid (iris, ciliary body, choroid). This disease is quite common and dangerous. Often (in 25% of cases) uveitis leads to poor eyesight and even blindness.

The appearance of this disease contributes to the large prevalence of the vascular network of the eye.In this case, the blood flow in the uveal ways is slowed down, which can lead to a delay in the microorganisms in the choroid.

Under certain conditions, these microorganisms become activated and lead to inflammation.

Lachrymation as one of the signs of uveitis

The development of inflammation is also affected by other features of the choroid, including various blood supply and innervation of its various structures:

• front section(iris and ciliary body) is supplied with blood at the expense of anterior ciliary and posterior long arteries, and is innervated by ciliary fibers of the first branch of the trigeminal nerve;
• back department(choroid) is supplied with blood through the back of the short ciliary arteries and is characterized by a lack of sensory innervation.

These features determine the location of the defeat of the uveal tract. The front or back department may suffer.

Classification

Anatomy of the eye predisposes to the fact that the disease can be localized in different places of the uveal tract.Depending on this factor, distinguish:

• Anterior uveitis: iritis, iridocyclitis, anterior cyclite. Inflammation develops in the iris and vitreous body. This variety is found most often.
• Median (intermediate)uveitis: posterior cyclite, pars-planit. Ciliary or vitreous body, retina, and choroid are affected.
• Posterior uveitis: choroiditis, chorioretinitis, retinitis, neuroveitis. Choroid, retina and optic nerve are affected.
• Generalized uveitis- Panoveit. This type of disease develops if all parts of the choroid are affected.

Forms

The nature of inflammation in uveitis can be different, and therefore the following forms of the disease are distinguished:

• serous;
• purulent;
• hemorrhagic;
• fibrinous-plastic;
• mixed.

Depending on the duration of inflammation, the acute and chronic (more than 6 weeks) form of uveitis is distinguished.

Causes of inflammation

Uveitis can develop due to a variety of causes, the main of which are:

• infection;
• allergic reactions;
• injuries;
• systemic and syndromic diseases;
• metabolic disorders and hormonal regulation.

The most common infectious uveitis: they occur in 4% of cases.Infectious agents in this case are mycobacterium tuberculosis, streptococci, toxoplasma, pale treponema, cytomegalovirus, herpesvirus, fungi.As a rule, such uveites are associated with infection in the vascular bed from any focus of infection and develop with sinusitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, viral diseases, tonsillitis, sepsis, dental caries and others.

In the development of allergic uveitis, the role is played by increased specific sensitivity to environmental factors - drug and food allergy, hayfever, etc. Often, when various serums and vaccines are introduced, serum uveitis develops.

Uveitis can occur against a background of systemic and syndromic diseases, such as:

• rheumatism;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• psoriasis;
• spondylitis;
• sarcoidosis;
• glomerulonephritis;
• autoimmune thyroiditis;
• multiple sclerosis;
• ulcerative colitis;
• syndromes of Reuters, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada, and others.

Post-traumatic uveitis occurs due to eye burns, penetrating or contusion damage to the eyeball, foreign bodies entering the eyes.

Also, the following diseases contribute to the development of uveitis:

• metabolic disorders and hormonal dysfunction (diabetes mellitus, menopause, etc.);
• diseases of the circulatory system;
• diseases of the organs of vision (detachment of the retina, conjunctivitis, keratitis, blepharitis, scleritis, perforation of the corneal ulcer).

And this is not the whole list of diseases, due to which uveitis can develop and develop.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

At the initial stage of the disease, the color of the iris changes and spikes appear.The lens of the eye becomes cloudy. Further, uveitis can manifest itself in different ways, depending on the type and form of inflammation. Common symptoms are:

• redness of the eye;
• photophobia;
• chronic lacrimation;
• aching or sharp pain;
• painful and unpleasant sensations;
• deformation, narrowing of the pupil;
• the appearance of a light "fog" before the eyes;
• deterioration of visual acuity, right up to blindness;
• fuzzy perception;
• increased intraocular pressure (with a feeling of heaviness in the eye);
• the transition of inflammation to the second eye.

Ophthalmic examination includes external examination of the eyes and conduction:

• visometry;
• perimetry;
• tonometry;
• studies of pupillary reaction;
• biomicroscopy;
• gonioscopy;
• neovascularization of the iris and angle of the anterior chamber of the eye;
• ophthalmoscopy or ultrasound of the eye.

For the diagnosis of posterior uveitis, angiography of the retinal vessels, optical coherence tomography of the macula and DZN, laser scanning tomography of the retina is shown.

Sometimes, to clarify the etiology of the disease, the doctor prescribes rheophthalmography and electroretinography.Additionally, it may be necessary to consult a phthisiatrician with lung radiography and Mantoux reaction; consultation of a neurologist (CT or MRI of the brain); consultation of a rheumatologist (radiography of the spine and joints); consultation of the allergologist-immunologist with carrying out of samples and other

From laboratory studies with uveitis may be required:

• RPR test;
• definition of antibodies to mycoplasma, ureaplasma, chlamydia, toxoplasma, cytomegalovirus, herpes, etc .;
• determination of C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, etc.

Treatment

The effectiveness of uveitis treatment depends on how accurately diagnosed and the causes of the disease are established.Treatment should be conducted by an ophthalmologist taking into account the causes of the disease and the individual characteristics of the organism.Self-medication can only aggravate the situation.

As a rule, the doctor conducts local antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulating therapy. At the same time, physiotherapeutic treatment, fermentotherapy and physiotherapy.

Prescribed medications in the form of ointments, drops, injections and tablets.Sometimes hormones and vasodilators are prescribed.And at the initial stage of the inflammatory process, it is necessary to take drugs that dilate the pupil.This is especially true for anterior uveitis.Sometimes the doctor recommends the use of homeopathic medicines. But they should be selected only by an experienced specialist.

If the disease causes an increase in intraocular pressure, antiglaucoma drugs are used.In difficult cases, surgical intervention, including laser surgery, may be required.

Treatment, as a rule, is spent in a hospital. Patients who have suffered inflammation of the choroid of the eye, for another two years are under medical supervision.

There are also popular methods of treating uveitis.But it is necessary to treat them with care, so as not to complicate the situation. Traditional medicine advises washing eyes with broth chamomile, calendula, dogrose, sage, althea. Helps also diluted with water, aloe juice, which wipe the eyes.Before applying these prescriptions, always consult with your doctor.

Complications

Comprehensive and timely treatment of acute anterior uveitis usually leads to recovery in 3-6 weeks.Chronic uveitis is prone to relapse due to an exacerbation of the primary disease.Complicated uveitis can lead to such consequences as:

• formation of the rear synechia;
• development of closed-angle glaucoma, cataracts, dystrophy and retinal infarction, edema of the DZN, retinal detachment;
• significant reduction in visual acuity.

Structure of the eye

Prevention

To prevent the recurrence of autoimmune uveitis, it is important to observe eye hygiene, avoid overcooling and overwork.If there are various allergic diseases, during an acute period it is very important to monitor the general state of the organism in order to avoid the transition of uveitis to a chronic form that does not respond treatment.

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Angiopathy of the retina or dystrophy is a dangerous disease that can lead to blindness.

Epicleritis of the eye: treatment with folk remedies: http://eyesdocs.ru/zabolevaniya/episklerit/episklerit-glaza-opisanie-simptomy-lechenie-zabolevaniya.html

How to choose contact lenses without a doctor read in this article.

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conclusions

So, uveitis is a complex disease that can occur due to many reasons. Bacterial conjunctivitis, as a common disease, can also lead to uveitis. The most important thing is for the doctor to identify the true cause of the disease and prescribe the treatment as early as possible.Chronic uveitis is very dangerous and can lead to incurable eye diseases, up to blindness. Do not expect that the disease will pass by itself. The first symptoms should be a signal that you need to urgently run to the oculist.Because the symptoms of eye diseases are mostly similar, then do not hope that at home you can cure the manifestations of this disease. Moreover, similar symptoms can manifest cataract, which you can read about here.