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Uveitis
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Uveitis is inflammation of the uvea. The uvea is the middle layer of the eye: outside it lies the sclera, the white of the eye, and inside it lies the retina, the layer at the back of the eye that captures light. The uvea has three parts: the iris, which is the colored part, the ciliary body and the choroid.
When the inflammation is at the front, the inside of the eye changes. In the anterior chamber, the fluid-filled space in front of the iris, white blood cells collect, and changes in the blood vessels load that fluid, the aqueous humor, with protein and make it look cloudy. The cells float in that fluid like dust in a sunbeam.
The name changes depending on where the inflammation is concentrated: anterior if it mainly involves the iris; intermediate if it involves the ciliary body and the vitreous, the gel that fills the eye; posterior if it involves the retina and the choroid; and panuveitis if it spans the entire uvea.
In brief
Uveitis is inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye between the sclera and the retina, made up of the iris, ciliary body and choroid.
When the inflammation is at the front, white blood cells collect in the anterior chamber, the space filled with aqueous humor, and vascular changes cloud that fluid with protein.
Depending on where the inflammation is concentrated, uveitis is anterior, in the iris; intermediate, in the ciliary body and vitreous; posterior, in the retina and choroid; or panuveitis, throughout the uvea.
Sources (2)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingUveitis, StatPearlsPublished
- National Eye Institute, National Institutes of HealthUveitis, National Eye InstitutePublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated