Iritis???

[Ninah]

Two weeks ago while I was touching the top of my left eyelid normally, I noticed that it was quite sore. Not the whole eyelid, but rather half of it. I only feel the soreness when I touch the eye, but sometimes in the morning I can feel it without touching. This whole soreness thing lasted for a week while having a few headaches and then I started to notice that I had some small 'dull' pain in my right eye aswell. But the eye had no pain while touching it! (weird...) Then came some headaches on the right side of my head and I started to think if it was related to migraine...But Im still not sure!

My eyes are not red (SHOULDN'T they be if I had iritis??? Or not?), my eyesight has not decreased in these 2 weeks (and if this was iritis, shouldn't the symptoms have gotten worse?), I do have a little bit of pain in the eyes while looking up and while being normally, (it hurts in my forehead and top of the eyes when I do so) being in the sun doesn't hurt much, but when It gets too bright and I squint, my forehead hurts and the top of the eyes too...And this has been continuing for two weeks.
The thing just is, that I know I should go to a ophthalmologist, but they cost a lot where I live and Im a student...So I don't want to go unless the symptoms seriously seem like Iritis or something else that needs quick treatment.

Oh, could these problems be caused by the need of glasses..? My eyesight did decrease this year and so I went to my familydoc because of it and when she made me the basic test of looking at the letters on a paper...I could see all of them.
But she mentioned that If it bothers me that I can't see the trees or such so well as before, I could get myself a pair of glasses.

Hopefully someone will answer me soon!

[Annanance]

Hi im 46 years old and i've been suffering with iritis for the past 3 years...right after i had surgery. Please don't be scared..iritis won't kill you..at least thats what my eye doc said. I was like you, very scared! But now that i know more about it , im ok. I've had so many blood test to see whats causing it..but nothing shows up. Very strange. Have you had blood work done to make sure you don't have any thing wrong? I hate having it!!!! But i learn to deal with it! Please don't worry! Praying about it really helps me to stay strong! take care!!

[shawn38]

I HAVE IRITIS I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR 3 WEEKS AND SO AFRAID BECAUSE I DONT NO WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH MY EYE I HAVE ARTHIRITIS THATS WHAT HAS CAUSES ME TO HAVE IRITIS....I READING ABOUT IRITIS AND IT IS SCARING ME I HAVE BEING SEEING AN EYE DOCTOR SINCE IT HAS OCCURED AND I HAVE BLURR VISION IN MY RIGHT EYE....WHAT UP LIFTING WORDS CAN ANYONE GIVE ME...CAN IRITIS OCCUR IN BOTH EYES AT THE SAME TIME...WILL THE BLURRINESS EVERY GO AWAY ARE WILL I LIVE WITH THIS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE... AM SO SCARED... THANKS SHAWN

[Tdennis4]

Thank you for your comments.  Both opinions were from opthalmologists, so I feel good about that.  It is just such a strange disease.  Comes out of no where, won't go away, starts to subside then flairs. Not to mention no one has ever heard of it.  I feel I can "see" the difference in the left eye, but others tell me they don't notice it. It is hard to describe to others when they look at you and can't see a visible problem.

I am a type A, want it gone yesterday, yet everything I have heard and read agree with your statements.  I have not been told I have any sarcoid.  As a matter of fact, I have always been told my eyes look very healthy.  That is another reason this was such a surprise.  I had just had my annual eye exam and ordered new glasses, but the fit was a problem - left eye only.  Could not get the store to take me seriously, so I located another doctor.  A week after his exam and while the glasses were being made, the iritis started.  I will say my doctor has been wonderful and very understanding. His associate originally treated me and was not nearly as agressive as my doctor felt he should have been. A little too caucious about the concern of the steriod use resulting in glaucoma. The associate is younger and did not appear to have the experience with Iritis my doctor has.  

I will visit the web site you referenced and look for a specialist in our area.  One more co-pay for confirmation can't hurt.

Again, thank you. I so appreciate your repsonse.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Iritis is often a recurrent or persistent problem. Often it is "idiopathic" and not related to any other disease in the body but perhaps 30-40% are related to body disease. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of these.

If you have had two opinions from Eye MDs (ophthalmologists) and they both agree on diagnosis and treatment its likely that is your problem.

There is no way to predict when, or if, your iritis will go away without medication. I have some patients that have been on medications (Drops) for many years due to re-occuring iritis (most have sarcoid in the eye).

There are ophthalmologist that specialize in Iritis-Uveitis. If you want to get a third opinion see one of these individuals. Ask your ophthalmologist or use the www.aao.org  Find A Eye MD feature to look for one in your area.

JCH III MD Ophthalmologist

[Tdennis4]

I "Googled" and came upon this post.  I have been fighting Iritis in my left eye since March of this year.  Last bright light showed almost no cells.  However, after trying to go off the Lotomax I was immediately put back on for 6-mos. Yesterday was a bad day and it continues today.  I am so over this, but my eye Dr. tells me this is quite typical.   Last week it was a persistent eye twitch which he told me is stress related and had nothing to do with the Iritis - just happened to be in the same eye!  As with Ninah, no problem with my actual vision.  To be candid, the vision in the affected eye seems better than in the other eye!

I also have IBS and understand this can be a source of the Iritis.  My real concern is that it is not Iritis, but something else behind the eye (i.e. tumor).  I saw a second doctor earlier in the treatment process and he totally agreed with my current doctor's treatment and diagnosis.  I just am so tired of this and do not want to believe it will persist for several more months.  When asked if it could possibly be anything else, by doctor shook his head and said "no."

Anything else I haven't thought about or should consider?  Or, as my doctor says, I just have to accept it and deal with.  It could be much worse.

Toni

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Hello Ninah, it will be a great day for medicine when we can look in the eyes and determine what will happen 3-4 weeks down the road. Seriously, you are expecting far too much. The black dot you describe does seem like a vitreous floater. Floaters are especially worrisome unless they are extremely numerous (like soot or showers of black spots, flashes of light, loss of peripheral or central vision).

Glad you're going to see an eye physician MD  (ophthalmologist).

JCH III MD Eye Physician & Surgeon

[Ninah]

Thank you very much for your reply.

I am over 18yrs old, so I doubt that I would have juvenile arthritis...But I did order a time for an ophthamologist, just in case...Because I heard that if Iritis doesn't get any treatment, it could lead to blindness. :/

I forgot to mention that my eyes were checked by another doctor 3 weeks ago (week before the dull pain in the eyes started), because I had been seeing a small black dot in my vision for about a month...But she didn't see any reason to send me forward. The dot went away the next day, wich is weird...But has returned once in a while looking a tad different. (she said it's probably a persistant floater)
I was afraid it might be a hole, but she told me she couldn't see anything out of thenormal. Now Im just wondering, that if I do have Iritis...How is it possible that she couldn't foresee it coming? Doesn't it give some signs?

Anyways, hopefully things will turn out ok.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Hello Ninah,  There is such a thihg as "white iritis" often occurs in juvenile arthritis but the eye does not turn red, painful, sensitive to light and have blurred vision which are the more common symptoms of iritis.

There are few things that you will need more in school, in life than your vision.  An examination with an Eye MD (ophthalmologist) is usually covered by health insurance and if you're paying cash it's often less than some people pay for designer blue jeans or Nike shoes.

It is false economy to neglect your eyes. Make an appointment with an opthalmologist today. You're a student----it's the smart thing to do.

JCH III MD Eye Physician and Surgeon