What is iritis?
The iris — the colored ring around your pupil — can sometimes become inflamed, swollen, and irritated. This condition is known medically as iritis.
The iris is actually just one part of the uvea, which makes up the middle of your eye. Specifically, your iris sits below the cornea and the white part of your eye in the anterior chamber (front) of the uvea.
Don’t worry, it’s less complicated than it sounds!
Fortunately, for patients in the Los Angeles area, the ophthalmologists at the Assil Gaur Eye Institute are experts in all types of eye problems.
What are the symptoms of iritis?
Iritis typically has a swift onset and usually occurs in one eye at a time. It can be acute or chronic. Acute iritis, if caught quickly, can resolve pretty quickly as well. Chronic iritis, however, can take months or years to heal. You can also have recurrent iritis — iritis that keeps coming back.
If you notice any of the following symptoms, it’s time to see our doctors:
- Eye pain
- Light sensitivity
- Blurred vision or cloudy vision
- Vision loss
Does iritis have other complications?
Your eyes are very delicate structures responsible for arguably your most important sense. That’s why we recommend consulting a doctor as early as possible if you experience vision changes, pain, injury, or other problems with your eyes.
If left untreated, what started as a simple case of iritis can evolve into more complicated problems, such as:
- Macular edema (swelling in the back of the eye)
- Synechiae (adhesions between your iris and lens)
- Retinitis (inflammation of the retina)
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
What are the causes of iritis?
Unfortunately, many cases of iritis are idiopathic, meaning we can’t figure out what caused it.
A few possible causes include:
- Infections. Viral infections, such as cold sores and shingles caused by herpes viruses, may initiate iritis. Infectious diseases from other viruses and bacteria can also be linked to uveitis, such as Lyme disease, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, and syphilis.
- Genetics. Patients who develop autoimmune diseases because of a specific gene alteration (HLA-b27) that enables systemic diseases, causing their immune systems to build acute iritis. These diseases include ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriatic arthritis.
- Behcet’s disease. An uncommon cause of acute iritis in Western countries, this condition is also characterized by joint problems, mouth sores, and genital sores.
- Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Chronic iritis can develop in children with this condition.
- Sarcoidosis. This autoimmune disease involves the growth of collections of inflammatory cells in areas of your body, including your eyes.
How is iritis diagnosed?
Our ophthalmologists diagnose iritis by performing eye examinations and checking the patient’s medical history. The doctor may order blood tests or X-rays to rule out infections and autoimmune diseases.
Eye exam tests may include a slit-lamp exam which allows our eye doctors to see the inner structures of your eye. With this tool, we can evaluate inflammation of the iris, check for retinal problems, and look for corneal abrasions that could be contributing to your symptoms.
We may also combine this with dilating eye drops to get a really good look at the inner workings of your eyes.
Conjunctivitis vs. iritis
Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, is an infection of the thin layer of tissue covering the white part of the eye and lining the inner eyelid. It’s most common in children and highly contagious. Fortunately, it’s unlikely to affect vision. The most common symptom is red eyes, which is also a symptom of iritis.
To differentiate between iritis and pink eye, we need to determine the inflamed part of the eye. Pink eye affects the outer layer of the eye, while iritis affects the inside of your eye.
Iritis or uveitis?
Iritis is actually a type of uveitis, because the iris is (as previously mentioned) part of the uvea. Your uvea includes the iris, the choroid, and the ciliary body. Inflammation in any of these three constitutes uveitis, but also has its own differentiating name:
- Anterior uveitis: Another name for iritis, called “anterior” because the iris sits at the front (anterior) of the uvea.
- Intermediate uveitis: Inflammation of the vitreous gel in the middle (intermediate) of the uvea.
- Posterior uveitis: Also called chorioretinitis, this condition consists of inflammation of the choroid — a network of blood vessels at the back (posterior) of the uvea.
What is iritis treatment?
Treatment typically involves steroid eye drops to reduce inflammation and prevent further complications. You’ll also come in for at least one follow-up appointment to make sure the condition is resolving properly.
Severe cases of iritis may need more rounds of treatment but if you have ongoing troubles with iritis, we can perform further tests and more advanced imaging to get to the root of your problem.
Why trust your vision to the Assil Eye Institute?
The Assil Eye Institute has assembled a team of top eye care specialists from around the country who offer patients the highest quality healthcare in the United States.
The Assil Eye Institute is nationally recognized for its compassionate, patient-centric care, commitment to pioneering advances in ophthalmology, and dedication to supporting patients’ health and well-being.
Assil Eye Institute ophthalmologists have participated in dozens of FDA clinical trials, either as a lead investigator or as a member of a multi-center team, testing new ophthalmological devices and surgical techniques.
Please call 866-945-2745 or visit us here to make an appointment online. If you are experiencing any concerning symptoms, contact us immediately to determine the best time to schedule an exam.
We are conveniently located for patients throughout Southern California and the Los Angeles area at locations in or near Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Culver City, Hollywood, Venice, Marina del Rey, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, and Downtown Los Angeles, to name a few.
After college he earned his Doctorate of Optometry from the State University of New York, completing clinical rotations at Montefiore Medical Center and the West Haven VA Medical Center. Subsequently he finished a residency in primary eye care and geriatric optometry at the West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center.
Dr. May has previously lectured on advances in refractive surgery as an invited speaker and served as a consultant for the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education. He also completed advanced studies in ocular pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (previously at Walter Reed Army Medical Center). Currently he is a guest lecturer at USC College of Pharmacy.
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