Brief overview
- What is Iritis? A mostly acute, more rarely chronic inflammation of the iris of the eye. At the same time, the ciliary body is usually inflamed, which is called iridocyclitis.
- Symptoms: reddened, light-sensitive eyes, visual disturbances such as haze and flakes in front of the eyes, eye pain, headache.
- Possible iritis consequences: among others, adhesions of the iris with neighboring structures, cataract (cataract), glaucoma (glaucoma).
- Causes: usually no identifiable cause. In other cases connection with a certain genetic trait (HLA-B27) or inflammatory or rheumatic diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, sarcoidosis, etc.) or certain infections (such as Lyme disease).
- Treatment: Cortisone (mostly as eye drops or ointment, possibly cortisone tablets), pupil dilating eye drops, possibly treatment of the underlying disease (e.g. with antibiotics or rheumatism medication).
Iris: Symptoms
Depending on whether iris occurs acutely or develops gradually, different symptoms occur.
Symptoms of acute iritis
- headache, eye pain
- reddened eyes
- light sensitive eyes
Symptoms of insidious iritis
Slowly developing iris is usually asymptomatic at first. Only with time does visual disturbance or reduced vision occur. Therefore, this form of iris inflammation is often recognized and treated late.
Irisitis: Causes
In most cases, an iris inflammation cannot be traced back to any recognizable cause. Then it is called idiopathic iritis.
Genetic trait HLA-B27
Inflammatory or rheumatic diseases
However, people with HLA-B27 are not only at increased risk for anterior uveitis (such as iritis), but also for some other inflammatory or rheumatic diseases such as:
- inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis)
- rheumatoid arthritis
- reactive arthritis (Reiter’s disease)
- psoriatic arthritis
- ankylosing spondylitis
- ankylosing spondylitis (ankylosing spondylitis)
Not all patients with one of these inflammatory or rheumatic diseases can be diagnosed with HLA-B27. Nonetheless, even in such cases, an accompanying inflammation of the iris may occur.
Infections
In the course of some infections that affect the whole body or an entire organ system, the iris can become inflamed. This can happen, for example, in the case of Lyme disease, tuberculosis, chlamydia infection, flu (influenza) or herpes virus infection.
Inflammation of the iris: Is it contagious?
Eye injuries
Sometimes iris develops as a result of blunt eye trauma (e.g., blow to the eye) or chemical burns to the eye. In this case, physicians refer to traumatic iritis or chemical iritis, respectively.
Iris: Diagnosis
This is followed by a slit lamp examination. During this microscopic examination of the anterior segment of the eye, the physician can detect typical changes in the case of iris inflammation, for example, a constriction of the pupil or adhesions or adhesions of the iris with the lens or cornea.
Further examinations are helpful in clarifying possible causes of iritis (or iridocyclitis). For example, joint changes caused by rheumatism can be visualized with the help of imaging procedures (such as X-rays). If an infection is suspected in the body that has spread to the iris, blood tests can provide clarification.
Inflammation of the iris: Treatment
Inflammation of the iris is primarily treated with eye drops or ointments containing cortisone. They have an anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, the ophthalmologist often prescribes pupil dilating eye drops. They prevent adhesions between the inflamed iris and the lens. If necessary, anti-inflammatory painkillers from the NSAID group are also used.
Iris: course and prognosis
If acute iritis is recognized and treated quickly, there is a very good chance of recovery. As a rule, it heals after two to six weeks without secondary damage.
Chronic recurrent inflammation is associated with an increased risk of complications.
Iris: complications
If iritis is not treated quickly and properly, there is a risk of permanent damage and secondary diseases to the affected eye such as:
- connective tissue adhesions or adhesions (synechiae) of the iris with cornea or lens
- cataract (cataract)
- @ glaucoma (glaucoma)
Background: Iritis as a form of uveitis
Iris is a form of anterior uveitis. This refers to inflammation of the anterior area of the middle eye skin (uvea). Another form of uveitis anterior is inflammation of the ciliary body (cyclitis). This rarely occurs alone, but usually in conjunction with inflammation of the iris (iritis). Physicians then speak collectively of iridocyclitis.
