Iritis is a form of Anterior uveitis. It is generally a term for an inflammatory disorder of the coloured part of the eye, that is, the iritis. Iritis, is only one symptom of a disease that affects other organ systems.

Causes of Iritis

The person suffering from Iritis may be light sensitive. He/she may develop red eye. There may be blurred vision, tearing pain and some time floaters. The pupil of the eye may appear small in the affected eye when it is compared with the normal pupil. Frequently, iritis is recurrent problem. After a few episodes, the patients become very astute. Sometimes with Iritis may be confused with conjunctivitis, which is less serious disorder of the clear outer lining of the eye. Cataract, Glaucoma and corneal changes may arise as a result of complications.

The symptoms of Iritis usually appear suddenly. It develops rapidly over a few hours or days. Iritis commonly causes pain, tearing, light sensitivity or small specks or dots moving in the field of vision may be seen.

Diagnosis of Iritis

A carefully eye examination is extremely important when the symptoms of Iritis occurs. It is because the inflammation inside the eye can affect sight and could lead to blindness. A slit lamp, which illuminates and magnifies the structures of the eye, is commonly used to detect any signs of inflammation.

A diagnosis is often made on the basis of eye examination done by eye specialist.

Moreover, it has been noted that Iritis is usually associated with another disease; hence an evaluation of the patient’s overall health is necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment. It some cases, blood tests, skin tests, and X-rays may be conducted to determine the cause of inflammation.

Treatment of Iritis

It chiefly eunis of removing the cause of inflammation. In addition, eye drops and ointments are used to relive pain, quiet the inflammation, dilate the pupil and reduce any scarring which may occur. Both steroids and antibiotics may be used. The application of hot packs may also provide relief from the symptoms of iritis.

In severe cases, oral medications and injections may be necessary to treat the condition. The case of iritis usually lasts from 6 to 8 weeks. During this period, the patient observed in order to monitor potential side effects from medications and any complications, which may occur. Because, iritis is an inflammation inside the eye, hence the condition is potentially sight threatening, which is loss of sight can occur