Iritis for 7 Months - No Signs of Change

[bostickt]

Hello,
I started having problems with my eyes back in late April, 2011. I've been dealing with iritis now for 7 months. The first diagnosis by the Opthalomolosist was Optic Neuritis and then the Optometrist declared it as, Iritis, about a month later after further exams. I have been a soft contact lens wearer for 10 years. I've never had infections or eyes problems until this happened. Maybe pink eye once when I was 8 yrs old.

One day, my eyes started getting red while at work and since then, my eyes haven't been the same. I went to an Optometrist first who then referred me to an Ophthalmologist. The Opthalmologist later referred me to a Neurologist. Blood work was done for lime disease, multiple sclerosis and some other things (can't remember) and all tests came back negative. The Ophthalmologist sent me for a MRI with orbits and that came up clear with the exception of a "spot" or dot. The neurologist studied the MRI results and declared it as an anomaly after reviewieng my blood work results and conducting a thorough exam but said the "academic" thing to do was for me to get a lumbar puncture to explore further. I thought about it and decided not to. I felt I was becoming a guinea pig at that point. Meanwhile, my eyes were still inflamed. That was in June. Fast forward to November. Since then, I've changed to a new Optometrist. He declared I do have iritis. He put me on pred forte drops for 1 month. He said he needs to knock the inflamation out completely. After a few days (approx. 4-5) of finishing the pred forte, both eyes became inflamed and with pain this time (I'd never experienced pain previously, only redness and headaches). He put me back on the pred forte drops for 18 days. Today (11/14/11) is my second day off the drops and I'm hopeful yet weary of all this. I've been here before where I'm off the drops and my eyes will go for a fews days feeling fine and then they become inflamed again. Right now, they feel ok but at some points during the day, there's been slight discomfort (like dryness or slight pain) and other points, they feel fine. They look ok, not super bright, but then again, they never really were. Back in June, I was off pred forte w/ no inflamation and started wearing my soft contacts again by building my eyes up each day (as per the Optometrist's direction). I got up to 5 hrs of steady lens wear (10 days) with no issues and when trying to go for 6 hrs, both eyes flared up again so I was back at square one - off the contacts and back in my glasses. My Optometrist said that if my eyes become inflamed again, he's going to send me for additional tests such as chest x-rays, HLA-B27, etc. I don't have any diseases or disorders that I'm aware of other than mitral valve prolapse (mvp). I'm scheduled to see my Optometrist again on 11/22 for a checkup. I'm hoping my eyes are healthy and I don't have any flare ups between now and then.

Having said all of that, here are some questions that come to mind...

How long does/will iritis last? Is 7 months normal?? Will this affect my vision? Will this ever go away? Are these steroid drops safe for my eyes? How will this affect my vision long term?

Any info you can share would be helpful.

Thanks,
Teresa

[Mike Bartolatz]

Teresa,
first of all welcome to the group!
it sounds like you have chronic uveitis or recurrent uveitis going on. you need to see a specialist, an ocular immunologist so that a corticosteroid sparing approach to treatment can begin which will also treat your immune system so that it stops attacking your eyes. the most important test to get done is the HLA B27 and an HLA B7 tests. the first one is related to uveitis and some other common associated forms of arthritis and GI problems. the second is for other causes that include things associated with the lumbar puncture. if your immediate family has a history of autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease, those things need to be tested for as well. there are many things that can cause iritis also known as anterior uveitis. although optometrists have knowledge about some of this, opthalmologists are medical doctors and are preferred. specialist opthalmologists called ocular immunologists are preferred as they are specifically trained to diagnose and treat the cause of the iritis.
iritis also requires the use of a dilating drop to relax the muscle that opens and closes the iris. if the iris starts to get stuck to the lens, it causes spasm and pain. optic neuritis which may also have can also cause pain inside the eye. it is treated differently than anterior uveitis. if you do have optic neuritis it is related to several things. it can be related to things like sarcoidosis, multiple sclerosis. systemic lupus erythematosus, sjogren's syndrome, lyme disease etc'\
severe dry eyes and dry mouth are linked to SLE, Sjogren's syndrome and sarcoidosis.
uveitis rarely causes blindness but it can if not treated properly. steroids are needed to put out the fire and then other drugs are used to keep the underlying disease quiet. sometimes viruses, molds and other bacteria are the cause and then additional meds are used. much of what is the cause can be determined by the ocular immunologist by looking into your eyes. then appropriate treatment can be done.
please join us in our ongoing discussion in the GENERAL discussion forum by clicking on BOARD INDEX at the top of the page.
then start a new question or reply to an existing one,

I am here to help you through this. A list of specialists can be found at httP://www.uveitis.org in the PATIENT INFORMATION section of the site.
or tell me where you live and I will suggest the nearest and BEST specialist to you. you may have to travel as they are mostly located at Major TEaching Hospitals around the World.

wishing you quiet eyes,
mike