New to site, Looking for some help.!

[kilagsc@cox.net]

Hi This is Jill, I have been suffering from Iritis for 9 months now, I am new to this site and hope that I can get some acurate information regarding this problem. My Optomologyst CAN NOT help me, he does not know anything about Iritis, and I am disapointed that I cant find any one who knows about this. I am not sure how I got it or why I have it now in my late 40's? I have been tested 2 times for several autoamune blood tests and my Optomologyst keeps telling me I am fine...and I dont have any auto amune problems, well I am not, and I get it every month!
I have been suffering for about 3 weeks now, I got it in my right eye maybe lasted 1 week, very mild out break, and now it has moved to my left, the left eye is much, much worse, super red and painful and light sensative, hard to focus up close.
I hope that someone can help me out with experiance on what you have done or what I can do, to make this better, I am so scared I am killing my eyes, and dont want to be blind from this....I live in San Juan Capistrano, CA (South Orange County, California) if anyone can recomend a specialist I would be so happy! THank you for your help, and I look forward to hearing from anyone. Thank you and Happy Holidays! Jill

[Mike Bartolatz]

First of all welcome to the group! you need an Ocular immunologist involved in your care, a doctor trained to diagnose and treat this stuff. Dr Levinson at UCLA is a good choice as well as DR Holland. their contact information can be found at http://www.uveitis.org in the PATIENT information section of the site on the specialist list.
have you been tested for the HLA B27 gene often linked to iritis? this goes back and forth between eyes and is recurrent or chronic in nature. with over 85 different causes of uveitis, it is impossible to test for everything. animals can cary things linked to it such as cats and cat scratch disease, dogs and toxocara canis infection, lyme disease, Valley fever in California and the southwestern USA and Mexico, salmonella, H pylori, Tuberculosis, and forms of arthritis and GI disease, vascular disease and demylinating disease, thyroid disease etc.
Please join us in our General discussion forum and I'll do my best to teach you about this.
if it is autoimmune in nature, then taking a NSAID like Naprosyn at prescription strength can often break the recurrent cycle of this stuff.

wishing you the very best and Merry Christmas,
Mike Bartolatz