Iritis

Iritis occurs due to different and various reasons, and it can actually lead to serious complications if left untreated.

Iritis

Iritis is also called anterior uveitis because the iris is located in front of the uvea, and iritis is the most common type of uveitis.

Iritis can be acute, and the symptoms here start immediately, or chronic, and the symptoms here may take a few weeks to manifest.

Causes and risk factors of iritis

The reason behind iritis is unknown in many cases, and possible causes include:

• Genetic changes.
• An injury in the eye.
• An infection.
• Having another condition, such as Behcet disease, sarcoidosis, multiple sclerosis (MS), juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or lupus.
• As a side effect of certain medications.
• The risk of iritis increases due to the following factors: having a weakened immune system, having a sexually transmitted infection, and smoking.

Symptoms of iritis

• Eye pain and irritation.
• Headaches.
• Eye redness.
• Blurry vision.
• Light sensitivity.
• Watery eyes.
• Uneven pupils.
• Iritis can lead to cataracts, cornea scars, glaucoma, retinal detachment, hyphema, iris atrophy, optic nerve damage, strabismus, and low vision.

Diagnosis of iritis

• Eye exam.
• Visual acuity test.

Treatment of iritis

• Treating iritis with a known reason depends on managing this reason.
• In most of the cases, treating iritis includes steroid eyedrops and dilating eyedrops.