Uveitis at North Shore Eye Care

Uveitis 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. Ocular inflammation can occur anywhere in lining of the eye, known as the uvea, or uveal tract. The diagnosis and treatment is based on the symptoms and a complete physical examination. Depending on suspicion for diseases that also affects other organs, appropriate tests are done. Uveitis or ocular inflammation is a serious eye disease and can rapidly damage the eye. All patients with a history of autoimmune disorders should be seen regularly by an eye doctor. The inflammation is named according to its location, as anterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis (or inflammation that affects the entire uveal tract). 

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. All of the surgeons are board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.  Dr. John Mauro has joined Dr Jeff Martin, Dr Larry Zweibel, Dr Sidney Martin in the practice and is well recognized for his work in ocular inflammation, allergic disease and auto-immune disorders.