I thought I would be one of the lucky ones . . .

[rpoetker]

Hello,
I am from Calgary and I experienced my first episode of Iritis 15 years ago, shortly after having given birth to my first child. I was initially misdiagnosed as having pink eye, but when the antibiotic drops I was prescribed by my GP didn't help I went to my eye doctor for help. She diagnosed my Iritis and referred me to an ophthalmologist, who prescribed Prednisolone drops, steroid ointment, and dilator drops. While it took some weeks to overcome my Iritis (I spent a lot of time in the basement lying in the dark because of the light sensitivity that was overwhelming), it finally resolved and I hoped I would never experience anything like it again. I had read that some individuals experience one episode of Iritis and never suffer from it again. After 15 years without another flare up I thought I was free and clear -- one of the lucky ones. No such luck.
In February of 2010 I had a double fracture of my leg for which I had a major surgery and significant time off work. Shortly after I returned to work in May I had a flare of Iritis which took six weeks, and many trips to the ophthalmologist, to overcome. To my relief, it finally did resolved and I hoped not to have to deal with it again for at least another 15 years. Unfortunately, two weeks after going off the steroid regimen my other eye has now become inflamed. I am concerned about having two flares so close together, and what that means in terms of the chances of being struck with this much more frequently in the future. I am also worried about the chances of permanent damage to my eyes if I have more frequent occurrences. I am following my ophthalmologist's advice closely and hope this current episode will resolve more quickly.
I have appreciated reading about others' experiences, although I have to admit that it is a bit frightening to consider the prospects, as others' stories have reflected much more significant permanent eye damage than I have experienced as of yet. Thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences with Iritis. I look forward to all I can learn from this chat room and website.
Rhonda

[Mike Bartolatz]

Rhonda, Welcome to the group!
sometimes as women get older, hormonal changes allow the immune system to go a bit wild and if one has a history of uveitis, it can return.
trauma such as your broken leg can also trigger renewed inflammation as can stress.
autoimmune diseases also appear more frequently in women and appear more frequently as they are in their mid 30's and 40's so it is perhaps time to get tested for some of them especially if immediate family members (blood relatives) have any autoimmune disease processes going on. For this reason I suggest that you get Dr Kerhani there in Calgary, Alberta, Canada involved in your care. he is one of the best opthalmologists in your province capable of determining what is going on and initiating a corticosteroid sparing approach to treatment so that things like Cataracts and perhaps Glaucoma aren't in your future from steroid use.

please join us in the various forums asking questions as they develop and I'll do my best to help you through this by guiding you to informaton that you can trust.

wishing you the very best,
Mike Bartolatz