Iritis

Iritis is a form of anterior uveitis and refers to the inflammation of the iris of the eye.

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Types

  There are two main types of iritis: acute and chronic. Acute iritis is a type of iritis that can heal independently within a few weeks. If treatment is provided, acute iritis improves quickly. Chronic iritis can exist for months or years before recovery occurs. Chronic iritis does not respond to treatment as well as acute iritis does. Chronic iritis is also accompanied by a higher risk of serious visual impairment.

Signs and symptoms

• Ocular and periorbital pain
• Photophobia
• Consensual photophobia (pain in affected eye when light is shone in unaffected eye)
• Blurred or cloudy vision
• Reddened eye, especially adjacent to the iris
• White blood cells (leukocytes) (resulting in a grey or near-white haze) and protein (resulting in tiny white dots) in the anterior chamber, often called "cells and flare."
• Synechia (adhesion of iris to lens or cornea)

Causes

People with ankylosing spondylitis and other HLA-B27 related disorders are prone to iritis, iridocyclitis, and other forms of uveal tract inflammation. Iritis is also found in those with rheumatoid arthritis, Behcet's disease, Crohn's disease, lupus, Reiter's disease, chronic psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, and ulcerative colitis. Iritis is usually secondary to some other systemic condition, but can be the only apparent somatic symptom.

Complications

Complications of iritis may include the following: Cataract, glaucoma, corneal calcification, posterior uveitis, blindness, band keratopathy, and cystoid macular oedema.

Treatment

• Steroid anti-inflammatory eye drops (such as prednisolone acetate)
• Dilating eye drops (to help prevent synechia and reduce photophobia)
• Pressure-reducing eye drops (such as brimonidine tartrate)
• Oral steroids (such as prednisone)
• Subconjunctival steroid injections
• Steroid-sparing agents such as methotrexate (for prolonged, chronic iritis)