Iritis Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

What is iritis?

The condition is defined as the painful inflammation which affects the iris of your eye. What causes iritis is yet unknown, though sometimes it results due to genetic factor or underlying systemic condition.

In case, this serious condition is not treated, it can lead to vision loss or glaucoma. Immediately consult your doctor in case you notice its symptoms.

What are the symptoms of iritis?

Symptoms of the condition include:

Blurred vision.
Eye redness.
Achiness or discomfort in your affected eye.
Floating spots or specks in the vision.
Photophobia.

The condition develops abruptly, within hours or few days. It is called acute iritis. Moreover, symptoms that tend to develop slowly or last for more than a month is called chronic iritis.

What are the causes of iritis?

Usually, its causes are hard to determine. In few cases, it is linked with genetic factors, specific diseases or eye trauma. Few known causes include:

Eye injury.
Infections.
Genetic predisposition.
Behcet’s disease.
Sarcoidosis.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Certain medications such as antiviral or antibiotic.

What are the risk factors of iritis?

The risk of developing the condition increases if:

An individual has a particular genetic alteration.
An individual suffering from a sexually transmitted infection. For example HIV/AIDS or syphilis are both linked with the potential risk of the condition.
Have an autoimmune disorder or compromised immune system.

What are the complications of iritis?

Few common complications that can be triggered due to iritis, (in case it is left untreated) are:

Irregular pupil.
Cataracts.
Glaucoma.
Band keratopathy.
Cystoids macular edema.

How is iritis diagnosed?

Prior diagnosing the condition, your doctor will carry out a thorough exam of your eye, including:

Visual acuity: the doctor will record the visual acuity by means of using the eye chart plus additional standard tests.
External examination: Through a penlight, the doctor will notice the redness in the eye, whilst check for the discharge signs.
Slit-lamp examination: through a special type of microscope, he will view your eye for iritis signs. He may use an eye drop that will dilate the pupil, enabling him to observe your eye in a better manner.
Glaucoma testing: it measures intraocular pressure (your eye pressure). Elevated pressure signifies that you have glaucoma.

In case the doctor has a doubt that a condition or disease is triggering iritis, then he would work to determine the underlying cause. Thus, in such a case, additional testing would include X-rays or blood tests to rule out or identify specific causes.

How is iritis treated?

Its treatment focuses on relieving inflammation and preserving your vision. In case, iritis is linked with some underlying condition, then it is necessary to treat the condition as well. Often, the treatment of iritis involves: