Uveitis in Long Island

Uveitis is inflammation anywhere in lining of the eye, known as the uvea, or uveal tract. Uveitis can occur because of infection, autoimmune disorders (which causes the body to attack its own tissues), or for unknown reasons. Examples of autoimmune disorders include; Anklosing Spondylitis, Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Addison’s Disease, Hepatitis, Behcet’s Disease, Pemphigoid, Crohn’s Disease, Dermatomyositis, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Grave’s Disease, Juvenile Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Polyarteritis Nodosa, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Psoriasis, Reiter’s Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sarcoidosis, Scleroderma, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Temporal Arteritis/Giant Cell Arteritis, Ulcerative Colitis, Wegener’s Granulomatosis. Infections include tuberculosis, syphilis, Lyme disease, herpes simplex virus, shingles (varicella-zoster virus), toxoplasmosis, and cytomegalovirus.

Symptoms of uveitis including eye pain and aching, eye redness, sensitivity to bright light, flashing lights, loss of peripheral vision, or blurred vision and floaters are typical. A eye physician may be able to see prominent blood vessels on the surface of the eye or cornea, white blood cells floating in the fluid that fills the front part of the eye (aqueous humor), and deposits of white blood cells on the inside surface of the cornea.

An eye physician makes the diagnosis and treatment based on the symptoms and a complete physical examination. Depending on suspicion for diseases that also affects other organs, appropriate tests are done. Uveitis is a serious eye disease and can rapidly damage the eye. It can cause long-term, vision-threatening complications, such as glaucoma, and cataracts. Many people have only one episode of uveitis. Others may have periodic recurrences over months to years. All patients with a history of autoimmune disorders should be seen regularly by an eye doctor.

The ophthalmologists at North Shore Eye Care  have consistently been recognized in Castle Connelly's book of Top Doctors. All of the surgeons are board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.  More recently Dr. John Mauro has joined the practice and is well recognized for his work in ocular immunology and inflammation, allergic disease and auto-immune disorders.

In Long Island (Suffolk and Nassau Counties), we see patients from Smithtown, nesconset, saint james, kings park, centereach, selden, coram, middle island, riverhead, ridge, stony brook, setauket, port jefferson, shoreham, wading river, miller place, mt sinai, rocky point, patchogue, medford, farmingdale, farmingville, bellport, bayport, blue point, yaphank, brookhaven, shirley, mastic, moriches, manorville, calverton, jamesport, cutchogue, mattituck, southold, eastport, westhampton, east hampton, southampton, sag harbor, montauk, amagansett, hampton bays and many other towns.