What is Uveitis? 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.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.
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, montauk, amagansett, hampton bays and many other towns including the five boroughs.