14 years with iritis new to this site

[mikebondi]

hello

my name is mike. i developed iritis when i was 15. it initially was just in my right eye. i went to a local doctor for treatment. he treated the condition and at that point did not really know what he was treating. just inflamation in my eye. it was treated with oral steriods of varying amounts and eventually a laser to reduce the inflamation. as my mom put it the doctor thought my eye was gonna pop. the pain that time around was severe. treatment went for about six months and eventually the pain went away but took my usable vision in that eye. it is now rated at usable vision to 6 inches.

i developed symptomes again at about age 17 or so in my left eye. i went to a different doctor this time. again local. he immediatly refered me to a specialist in the area. this time it was treated with varying amounts of pred forte drops. it was diagnosed as iritis at this point by the specialist. my vision has definiatly been affected over the ten or so years but i still see well enough out of this eye to drive,hold a full time job, and care for my 7 year old daughter. i attribute the succuss with this eye to my doctor being available literally at a call. and knowing the symptoms to watch for. i get a bout every six months or so. its treated pretty rapidly with pred forte and i go back to life as usual. at the time of writing this i need to get in in the morning as my vision is being affected again.

i am very excited to have found this forum. i am very interesed to find a way some day to regain my vision in my "blind" eye.i never really knew much about what i had till about a year ago i just put all my trust in my doctor who i owe alot to for helping me over the years. oddly i thought for sure he would be on the list of doctors on the list here as much as he has known. to my surprise he isnt.

from what i have seen blindness is rare in this disease. and i have found really nothing out there about any way of repairing the damage. does anyone know anything i cant find. my doctor is much more focused on keeping vision in my good eye. which i appriciate as well.

thanks a bunch

mike
Denver Colorado

[Mike Bartolatz]

Mike,
there is a specialist on the 'list' there in Denver and I hope that you will consider an evaluation. because you are 'blind' in one eye, it is even more important to stop inflammation, find out why you are having repeated inflammation and to treat it with a steroid sparing approach to treatment. there are many causes of uveitis, over 85 which can over time rob one of varing degrees of vision. uveitis that is under treated will over time cause additional problems of vision including glaucoma, cataracts and changes to the retina. I know of no means of regaining vision in the damaged eye. the goal of treatment is off all steroids without inflammation. if your uveitis is 'ideopathic' then it is autoimmune related and in about 70% of individuals, the use of oral NSAIDs such as Celebrex, Difusinal, Naprosyn etc can achieve this. there are many other medications that the expert in treating uveitis can employ too besides just steroid eyedrops. don't get me wrong, steroids are needed to quell inflammation but they need to be used sparingly as their effects are cumulative leading to cataract formation and perhaps glaucoma. oral steroid can also cause these things as well as lowered bone density and type II diabetes to occur.

Please join us in our GENERAL discussion forum by clicking on BOARD INDEX at the top left side of this page, then click on GENERAL DISCUSSION and post a new topic or join in an existing one.

know that you are not alone and that we are here to help in any way we can.

wishing you the very best,
Mike