People with chronic (long-term) uveitis are most at risk of developing complications of uveitis.
Complications are also more likely to occur in older adults who are over 60 years old.
The main complications of uveitis are:
- glaucoma
- cataracts
- cystoid macular oedema
The conditions are described below.
Glaucoma
Untreated uveitis can cause the iris (the coloured part of the eye) to stick to the front surface of the lens (the transparent structure that focuses the light that enters your eye). This prevents fluid draining through the pupil and it increases the pressure inside the eye.
The raised pressure inside your eye can damage the optic nerve (the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye which transmits images to the brain) and disrupt your normal vision, such as causing misty vision and rings or halos to appear around lights. This is known as glaucoma.
Treatment options for glaucoma include:
- eye drops
- laser treatment
- surgery
Cataracts
The inflammation inside the eye that's associated with uveitis can sometimes irritate the lens of the eye, causing cloudy patches on the surface of the lens to develop. The cloudy patches are known as cataracts. They can cause symptoms such as:
- blurred vision
- problems seeing clearly at night
- colours appearing unusually faint
Cataracts are usually treated using surgery to remove the affected lens and replace it with an artificial one.
For more information, see the topics about Cataracts and Cataract surgery.
Cystoid macular oedema
Cystoid macular oedema is a complication that can affect some people with chronic uveitis.
Prolonged inflammation can result in a build-up of fluid inside the retina. This can disrupt its ability to function normally and lead to a painless loss of central vision, i.e. you'll notice a black spot in your field of vision.
Cystoid macular oedema can be treated using corticosteroid eye drops to reduce inflammation inside the eye and disperse the fluid inside the retina.
In some cases, a person’s vision will recover once treatment is initiated. However, this isn't always the case in severe cases of cystoid macular oedema. Hence the condition is a leading cause of visual impairment in people with chronic uveitis.
