Living with Iritis

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deborah68
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:58 am

Living with Iritis

Post by deborah68 »

Hi all my name is Deborah, I live in the UK and was first diagnosed with Iritis 6 years ago when 6 months pregnant with my third child. I remember my first attack vividly as it came on quite suddenly. I was relaxing on the sofa on a Saturday Evening when I started to develop a tearing like sensation in my left eye, the pain gradually grew worse over night. I hardly slept that night as it felt like a boring sensation behind my eyeball. My eye was watering profusely and by the morning I could not even open it as the pain from any sort of light was severe. I promptly visited the eye hospital the following morning where I was diagnosed with Iritis. I was given steroid drops to be used hourly for the first week, gradually reducing down over a period of 6 weeks. I was also given drops to dilate my eye twice daily and ointment to use at night. Since then I have had so many attacks than I care to remember. I have had it in either eye and also both eyes at the same time. Sometimes my flare ups are so severe that I find it difficult to go about my daily life. I even had to give up my job several years ago because of constant flare ups and having so much time off because of it. I have not been drop free in either eye for more than about 2 weeks as every time I reduce or try to stop treatment I have a flare up. I am generally fit and well and as yet a cause for my Iritis has not been found. Although, I am HLA B27+ which apparently makes you more susceptible to aggressive bouts of inflammation. I have recently been told that I am developing a cataract in my right eye due to long term use of steroid drops. Although I have researched into Iritis in great detail before I thought now was the time to try and find some more answers/support. At the moment I am in constant severe pain from my latest flare up which has now lasted 18 days. I am at a loss as what to do next really. I feel really down as I am in constant pain, cannot sleep, cannot see, cannot drive, have difficulty reading to my children at night and generally have to put my life on hold. I have been on steroid drops up to 1/2 hourly, had an injection in my eye (which meant that my eye stang prefusely when using drops as the nurse could not get under the membrane as my eye was so swollen, leaving me with lots of raw nicks from the needle) and at the moment it is still really painful and not responding. Eye doctors do seemed concerned and looks like I may need to take Oral steroids.
Mike Bartolatz
Posts: 6595
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: Living with Iritis

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

Boy I'd want an opthalmologist skilled in giving the injections rather than a nurse as this is very dangerous to do without proper training.
you indicate that you are in the UK, so I suggest that you get a true expert in treating your type of uveitis involved. Professor Ayliffe is excellent in london, Professor Murray is also very good in Birmingham.
their contact information can be found at http://www.uveitis.org in the Patient information section of the site on the INTERNATIONAL specialist list. Professor Ayliffe is exceptionally well trained and competent. He is the best in the UK in my LAY opinion.

wishing you the very best,
mike
Mike Bartolatz
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