Intermediate uveitis
Uveitis occurs when the middle layer of the
eyeball gets inflamed (red and swollen). This layer, called the uvea, has many
blood vessels that nourish the eye. Uveitis can damage vital eye tissue, leading
to permanent vision loss.
There are 3 types of uveitis. They are
based on which part of the uvea is affected.
Intermediate uveitis is a form of uveitis
localized to the vitreous and peripheral retina. Primary sites of inflammation
include the vitreous of which other such entities as pars planitis, posterior
cyclitis, and hyalitis are encompassed. Intermediate uveitis may either be an
isolated eye disease or associated with the development of a systemic disease
such as multiple sclerosis or sarcoidosis. As such, intermediate uveitis may be
the first expression of a systemic condition. Infectious causes of intermediate
uveitis include Epstein-Barr virus infection, Lyme disease, HTLV-1 virus
infection, cat scratch disease, and hepatitis C.
Permanent loss of vision is most commonly
seen in patients with chronic cystoid macular edema (CME). Every effort must be
made to eradicate CME when present. Other less common causes of visual loss
include retinal detachment, glaucoma, band keratopathy, cataract, vitreous
hemorrhage, epiretinal membrane and choroidal neovascularization.
