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Iris Inflammation

Iridocyklitis (Latin name)

By Bjarne Lühr Hansen PhD, MD and Philipp Skafte-Holm MD, Mentor Institute

Iris Inflammation is an irritation of the iris, the coloured part of the eye. The exact cause of the illness is unknown but sometimes it arises following an infection in another part of the body, in connection with arthritis and other illnesses of the connective tissue.

Iris inflammation is a rare eye disease and is important to know because if you are treated quickly it can prevent permanent loss of eyesight.

Typically, the illness arises in one eye as pain, a red eye, a contracted small pupil (the black spot in the eye). Your eyesight is not particularly affected. The redness in the eye is especially located in the white part of the eyeball all the way to the border of the cornea of the eye.

If the eye is exposed to strong light, it causes pain, when the pupil contracts.

Iris inflammation is treated with pupil dilating eye drops and corticosteroid.

Once you have had iris inflammation the risk of having another attack of it increases. In the case of every new attack of iris inflammation, treatment must be resumes as fast as possible. The passing of iris inflammation is harmless as long as the illness is detected fast and treated every time it reappears. Some experience that the frequency of the reappearance of the illness diminishes over some years and in the end the illness stops reappearing.

In severe cases, iris inflammation can lead to cataract or glaucoma. The necessary treatment with corticosteroid can cause the development of cataract and glaucoma.

Further reading on Frequent signs.

What can you do?

If you suspect iris inflammation, you should seek a doctor.

What can your optician do?
Refer you to an ophthalmologist in the case of suspicion of iris inflammation.

Contact the doctor tomorrow

In the case of the first incident, the doctor refers you to an ophthalmologist. In the case of repeated cases the doctor can possibly treat you himself/herself.

Contact the doctor immediately

The ophthalmologist can clear up what iris inflammation is and treat and control the illness.