-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
eyes/ears/nose/throat
iritis
diagnoses

definition and etiology

definition: Infection of the iris. It is also called anterior uveitis when it involves both the iris and the ciliary body (cyclitis), which is how it typically presents.

etiology: The causes are many and are rarely identified. Iritis/uveitis is associated with many other diseases: keratitis (infection of the cornea); Reiter's disease; Behcet's syndrome; herpes simplex infections; sarcoidosis; tuberculosis; syphilis; collagen vascular diseases; as well as corneal ulcers and ocular trauma. It may be granulomatous or nongranulomatous.

signs and symptoms

symptoms and signs:
• Moderate pain in and around the eye.
• Lacrimation.
• Photophobia.
• Redness of conjunctiva.
• Blurred vision.
• Injection around the cornea spreading outwards.
• Small, irregular pupil.
• Iris: details are obscured on visualization; may be swollen.
• Eyeball tension: usually normal or soft.
• Anterior chamber: is normal depth.

course and prognosis

Iritis may last from a few days to several weeks, and recurrences are not uncommon. If the disease becomes chronic, it may last from months to years. If the inflammation is severe, it may lead to the formation of adhesions between the posterior surface of the iris and the lens capsule that may eventually block of the flow of aqueous humor, causing the iris to bulge forward, initiating an acute angle closure glaucoma that may cause rapid blindness. Or, less intense chronic inflammations may cause the development of open-angle glaucoma, cataracts, or corneal disease.

differential diagnosis

• Acute, angle-closure glaucoma.
• Conjunctivitis.
• Foreign body in eye.


footnotes