Uveitis is inflammation inside your eye. Inflammation usually happens when your immune system is fighting an infection. Sometimes uveitis means your immune system is fighting an eye infection — but it can also happen when your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your eyes. Uveitis can cause problems like pain, redness, and vision loss.
Uveitis damages the part of the eye called the uvea — but it often affects other parts of the eye, too. Sometimes uveitis goes away quickly, but it can come back. And sometimes it’s a chronic (long-term) condition. It can affect 1 eye or both eyes. Uveitis can cause vision loss if it isn’t treated — so it’s important to see your eye doctor right away if you have symptoms.
What are the symptoms of uveitis?
Early uveitis symptoms usually start suddenly. Symptoms include:
Blurry vision
Floaters (small dark spots or squiggly lines that float across your vision)
Eye pain
Red eyes
Sensitivity to light
If you notice these symptoms, see your eye doctor right away. Uveitis can cause vision loss if you don’t treat it.
Am I at risk for uveitis?
Anyone can get uveitis, but it’s most common in people ages 20 to 60. You’re at higher risk for uveitis if you smoke cigarettes.
What causes uveitis?
Doctors don’t always know what causes uveitis, but there are several known causes. Sometimes uveitis is caused by autoimmune diseases, like:
AIDS
Ankylosing spondylitis
Behcet’s disease
Lupus
Multiple sclerosis
Psoriasis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sarcoidosis
Ulcerative colitis
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease
Sometimes it’s caused by an infection or a condition related to an infection, like:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis
Histoplasmosis
Reactive arthritis
Shingles
Syphilis
Toxoplasmosis
Uveitis can also be caused by cancers that can affect the eye, like lymphoma.
How will my eye doctor check for uveitis?
Eye doctors can check for uveitis as part of a dilated eye exam. The exam is simple and painless — your doctor will give you some eye drops to dilate (widen) your pupil and then check your eyes for uveitis and other eye problems.