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Inflammatory Disease
What is Uveitis? Uveitis is a descriptive term that refers to inflammation within the eye. The uvea includes the iris at the front of the eye, the ciliary body, and the choroid toward the back of the eye. Doctors use different terms to describe which portion of the uveal tract is most affected. These terms include: iritis, iridocyclitis (when both the iris and the ciliary body are involved), and chorioretinitis (when the retina is inflamed adjacent to the choroids). A pars planitis describes a form of uveitis in which the inflammation is especially pronounced at the pars plana, an area just behind the ciliary body. Inflammation can occur anywhere in the body. In general, inflammation is the body's response to an injury. Inflammation always involves the recruitment of white blood cells from circulation to the site of injury. White blood cells normally circulate in the body and are vigilantly looking for an injury such as an infection or a wound. Although, uveitis can result from an infection, for most patients, uveitis may occur because white blood cells are responding to a signal that injury is happening even though no detectable infection is present. Since white blood cells are the major component of one's immune system, often times uveitis is appropriately described as an autoimmune disease, a disease in which the body's own immune system attacks or betrays itself. Doctors base treatment for uveitis on the location of the inflammation, the severity of the inflammation, and individual differences in the ability to tolerate or benefit from a medication. The prognosis for uveitis depends upon the severity of the inflammation, the presence of complications such as cataract or glaucoma, and the duration of inflammation. Uveitis has different patterns and may be associated with systemic diseases. These factors can certainly influence the course of the inflammation. Currently, we can’t precisely predict the future vision of a patient with uveitis. At this point, we don’t completely understand why the body's immune system produces an autoimmune response. Genetic factors may be influential, but other factors certainly contribute as well. Current research in our laboratory is focusing on identifying genes that contribute to a predisposition for developing uveitis, searching for hidden infections that may trigger uveitis, and trying to understand which white cells are actually responsible for producing the inflammation. Uveitis may be associated with inflammation elsewhere in the body. In most circumstances, patients who have uveitis as part of a disease elsewhere in the body are aware of that illness. The accompanying table lists some of the illnesses. The majority of patients with uveitis do not have an apparent associated systemic illness. Laboratory tests can help confirm that the eye is the only location of the inflammation.  Causes of Uveitis
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