What color are your eyes? When you answer that question you are talking about the iris, which is the ring of color in your eyes. The iris helps make a fashion statement, and it also performs a valuable function to make clear vision possible. The iris is a muscular membrane. The muscles of the iris contract and relax depending on how much light is in the area, which makes the opening of the pupil larger or smaller. This allows the correct amount of light to enter the eye for clear vision and prevents damage to the eye from very bright light.
Symptoms of Iritis
When the iris becomes inflamed, the condition is called iritis, or anterior uveitis. Symptoms of iritis include:
• Pain in the eye or around the eye
• Sensitivity to light
• Red ring in the white part of the eye (sclera) surrounding the iris
• Pupils that are different sizes or unusual shapes (not round)
• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Floaters in the eyes – these may look like wisps of dust drifting through your vision
Iritis is classified as acute if it appears suddenly, in just a few hours or days. It is called chronic if symptoms develop gradually over weeks or months.
Iritis Causes
Iritis may occur for a variety of reason. Causes include:
• Injury - Blunt force trauma to the eye may cause acute iritis.
• Infections – Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, can cause iritis, especially if the outbreak is on the face. Other infectious diseases including toxoplasmosis, histoplasmosis, tuberculosis, and syphilis may also cause iritis.
• Genetics – A genetic mutation known as HLA-B27 affects the function of the immune and may cause autoimmune diseases including ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter’s syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriatic arthritis. These conditions may in turn cause acute iritis.
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis – Iritis may be one of the first symptoms of a mild form of this condition. Iritis and juvenline rheumatoid arthritis often occur together, so patients with one condition should be screened for the other.
Treating Iritis
Treatment for iritis typically begins with special eye drops. Corticosteroid drops are used to reduce inflammation in the tissue. In some cases, the inflammation in the eye can cause adhesions to form between the iris and the pupil which prevent the pupil from adjusting to varying light conditions. If this is suspected, dilating drops are given to relax the muscles and prevent the iris from adhering to the lens in a closed position.
Chronic iritis may require further treatment including treatment of the entire body with oral steroids or other medications. Patients with chronic iritis may benefit from being treated by an eye doctor who specializes in treatment of uveitis.
Iritis most often affects only one eye, but may be seen in both eyes and is most common in young and middle-aged people. It can be a serious condition that can lead to blindness if left untreated, so if you experience the symptoms of iritis, see your eye doctor right away for an evaluation.
Sources:
Iritis.org
Mayo Clinic
Eye Help
National Institutes of Health: Medline Plus