Retinal Swelling

I'm 37yo and yesterday woke up with a slightly swollen eyelid, pressure in my eye, light sensitivity, blurred vision, and a dilated pupil that apparently only retracts halfway. I went to the optometrist and he said that my retina is swollen and put me on steroid drops. The doctor suggested that this could be caused by rhumatoid (sp?) arthritis which an orthopedic diagnosed me with last year....apparently it only affected my hand until this time. Is it more likely than not that this is, in fact, the cause of my retinal swelling or should I get a 2nd opinion and make sure something else isn't causing this?

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

I would recommend you see an ophthalmologist for treatment.  You probably have uveitis and treatment can be prolonged and there are complication from steroid treatment.

Dr. O.