Anyone else get iritis at regular intervals?

[c-square]

Hi all,

Every once in a while I get a bout of iritis in one of my eyes stemming from my ankylosing spondylitis, and recently I thought I'd take a look at when I've had them. I've posted my instances of iritis below:

Spring 2000
Autumn 2001
Spring 2003
Autumn 2004
Spring 2006
Autumn 2007

Looking at these, I came to a startling realization: I get iritis every year-and-a-half! I'm due for a bout this spring (ugh...).

So, I was wondering, am I alone in this? Are there others out there who also have an iritis clock? If so, it'd be neat to see if there's anything we have in common that could help others be able to predict when they might have a bout.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!

[Boroboy]

Hi all,

Every once in a while I get a bout of iritis in one of my eyes stemming from my ankylosing spondylitis, and recently I thought I'd take a look at when I've had them. I've posted my instances of iritis below:

Spring 2000
Autumn 2001
Spring 2003
Autumn 2004
Spring 2006
Autumn 2007

Looking at these, I came to a startling realization: I get iritis every year-and-a-half! I'm due for a bout this spring (ugh...).

So, I was wondering, am I alone in this? Are there others out there who also have an iritis clock? If so, it'd be neat to see if there's anything we have in common that could help others be able to predict when they might have a bout.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!

Hi there,
Your not alone with your iritis.
I also have Ankylosing Spondylitis, had it from the age of 21. Wasn't diagnosed until the age of 25 (typical).
Anyway I've now suffered from my first continuous iritis attack at the age of 40 within my right eye, it has now lasted for around 6 months now. It seems to be at a lower chronic level now, I'm taking pred drops at the moment. My right pupil is also larger than my left, although it seems to be working properly. My eye is still sensitive to light at the moment & I still have pain to contend with.
I have also been taking Remicade for around 5 years now, but this of recent hasn't been cutting the mustard. So I'm considering switching to Humeria, which may or may not help my iritis.
Best wishes.
George.

[Mike Bartolatz]

it has been postulated that seasonal Allergens might trigger bouts of uveitis in some individuals who have already had a bout such as those with HLA B27 uveitis and other conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis. Viruses and molds might do so as well.

wish you the best,
Mike

[c-square]

it has been postulated that seasonal Allergens might trigger bouts of uveitis in some individuals who have already had a bout such as those with HLA B27 uveitis and other conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis. Viruses and molds might do so as well.

wish you the best,
Mike

Yeah, I've heard that, though if it was seasonal allergens, shouldn't I be getting it every spring and autumn? Or at least one each year? The fact that it's been happening on a year-and-a-half basis makes me think it's something other than allergens, viruses or molds.

And, George, I'm sorry to hear about it lasting 6 months. I hope it quiets down soon. Have you ever noticed your flare ups happening on a regular schedule, or has the timing been mostly random?

[Boroboy]

To be honest it's my first ever flare & I'm 40 years young. Hope it's my last. Inflammation seems to be at a lower level now, but my affected pupil still dilated, sensitive & sometimes painful. still taking pred drops, finding it very hard to come off those completely now.

[Boroboy]

To be honest it's my first ever flare & I'm 40 years young. Hope it's my last. Inflammation seems to be at a lower level now, but my affected pupil still dilated, sensitive & sometimes painful. still taking pred drops, finding it very hard to come off those completely now.

My flare started back in Sept when I was exposed to very bright light for a day. Took my sun fishing & the glare from the sun off the lake was very intense. Unfortunatly for me I didn't have my sunglasses with me. When I got home my eye was bloodshot & very sore. That was the start of it. My specialist refuses to accept that the bright light had any part in my flare. I find that hard to beleive, as it was my first ever attack. Never had any probs before, well apart from dry eyes.
I personally believe that was the trigger for my first ever iritis attack

[Jackifus]

For the past 20 years, I get flare-ups in either early Spring or early Autumn, but the interval between flare-ups is not as regular as yours. I have mentioned a cyclical nature to every one of my ophthalmologists and all dismissed it - though no physician I've seen has been interested in iritis.

[Mike Bartolatz]

The sad thing is that other than Rheumatologists, GI specialists and Opthalmologists, most doctors don't know much about iritis or other forms of uveitis which often occur along with various autoimmune disease processes, forms of arthritis and from pathogens. they most often don't know what tests to run to find out why people are getting uveitis and the opthalmologists don't want to do the tests so they refer patients to Rheumatologist for diagnosis and treatment of underlying conditions. the most often checked for things are Venereal diseases, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis, Multiple sclerosis, systemic Lupus erythematosus, Juvenile Ideopathic Arthritis, other mixed connective tissue disease processes, Lyme disease etc.
the literature has noted that allergens can trigger renewed inflammation of uveitis. it has also been postulated that the life cycle of some pathogens in ones system can also predispose to renewed infammation along with the seasons. the cost of doing such routine analysis is cost prohibitive so only research articles have mentioned this.

wishing you the very best,
Mike

[Jackifus]

Thanks for your posts Mike.

I'm not sure if my flare-ups are triggered by allergies - though it does seem very probable. There also seems to be a relationship to sunlight. A flare-up tends to happen after sunlight exposure changes- either relatively bright days are followed by very dark days, or the converse. I moved to Oregon living there for 3 years - for work, but also because I thought the dimmer sunlight may be easier on my eyes. Boy was I wrong. I had many more flareups - and of far greater severity - than before or since I left. Perhaps there was an allergen trigger there - though my allergies were not more severe. But it's very dark for a good 1/2 of the year (Portland).

Because, my physicians didn't pay attention to the seasonal nature of my flare-ups... I looked around and found an entry on Cluster Headaches in wikipedia. There they note:
Latitude plays a role in the occurrence of cluster headaches, which are more common as one moves away from the equator towards the poles.

And I'll say that's my experience with my Iritis as well...

Just an additional data point.

rgds,

Jack

[Mike Bartolatz]

Jack,
allergens in the pacific northwest are allot more present than many people think. the Pollen from the Evergeens is terrible in Feb through march and then comes the other disiduous tree pollens. Moss pollen is a big problem for me here in Tacoma. it occurs in the spring, then the moss dries out and once it starts raining again, the pollen returns in autum.
molds are also a problem in spring through winter time with increased rainfall.
my eyes feel the best when I go to San Diego. my joints hurt less too because of the dryness and warmth even during the winter.
what part of California did you come from?

I too got the cluster headaches when my uveitis was acting up. somtimes headaches related to uveitis are related to vascular problems. amyloidosis can occur with some related conditions so you might ask to be checked for
anti cardiolipin and other clotting factor antigens to play it safe as they can lead serious consequences. amyloidosis is ofen found in things like ankylosing spondylitis and SLE for example. other connective tissue diseases also present with clotting factor presence as well.

Wish you the best,
Mike

[donna.timmons]

deleted post

[Jackifus]

Hello,

I had a rough year in 2009 - with about 6 months of bouts with iritis.

BUT - I figured something out that may relate to why I get iritis in regular intervals. I spoke to my doctor - (Iritis Specialist) - and we recounted the circumstances leading up to my bouts. Most circumstances *could* cause dry eye symptoms. So, upon reflection, my eyes would become dry from a variety of causes: airplane flights, allergies (taking anti-histamines) or what-not .. and the untreated irritation would seem to spiral into a full-fledged bout with Iritis. I say "seem" because there's no clear established cause and effect. But a clear correlation - definitely.

So since the summer, I've been hydrating my eyes frequently - using Systane Ultra quite a few times per day. And while constantly hydrated in this way, I have yet to encounter my fall bout with iritis. I'm sure there are other factors, but I wanted to be sure to let folks know that hydrating/lubricating the eyes appears to help stave off my seasonal iritis occurrences. I had tried allergy drops in the past with no noticeable effect. But this has been quite a difference.

Hope this helps,

Jack

[Mike Bartolatz]

Jack,
if the tear film is not correct, allergens can scratch the eye allowing pathogens to enter. allergies are set off by the production of IL17 an inflammatory cytokine directly linked to inflammation in Uveitis. although the allergy might not CAUSE uveitis, it can trigger a new bout of uveitis.

allergies are different in spring and fall and winter depending on where you live,
here in the Seattle area, MOLD is a big problem in fall and winter whereas the spring is due to mostly pollens.

wish you the best.
Mike

[nagaboy04]

I am 37 years old and I have had iritis since I was 21. For the first 7 years, it came like clockwork every 6 months. As I have gotten older, my flare-ups have spaced themselves even more. I have become an expert at feeling my symtoms and getting rid of it quickly. Once in a while, I will get the stubborn flare-up that lasts for about a month. I tried for a long time to figure out what was wrong. What was I doing that made this happen? My doctor sent me to every specialists he could think of. I just had to come to terms with the fact that there wasn't any pinpointed reason or prevention. It sucks to have to deal with it, but I think eventually someone will figure something out. I'm always researching and studying.

[Mike Bartolatz]

if this remains chronic or recurrent please consider treatment by an Ocular Immunologist. a corticosteroid sparing approach to treatment may be needed to prevent problems such as cataract development or glaucoma.
re testing annually is often needed to look for some disease processes as it can sometimes take a decade or more for them to show up on blood tests.
if you start getting problems with your feet or hands or arthritic problems it could be from various autoimmune conditions. although HLA B27 is a major link to some forms of arthritis and irritable bowel disease, other genes can be implicated without HLA B27 being present.
some of these markers only show up in about 60 to70% of autoimmune disease processes. symptoms are often the only way to diagnose disease for many individuals and treating that conditon often gets the Uveitis to quiet down.
you might consider NSAID therapy as a means to keep the uveitis under control and to get you to remission,

wishing you the very best,
mike Bartolatz