Image of an eye close up, illustrating what uveitis is

What is Uveitis?

Uveitis is a condition that, whilst being quite rare, is the third most common form of preventable blindness in the general population. Despite these figures, it’s been noted that the condition can affect one to three per cent of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) which is 10 times higher in comparison to the general population.

It’s also worth noting that studies have shown people with intermediate uveitis have a 10-fold chance of developing MS in the future and could be used as a possible factor for predicting MS development.

We aim to identify uveitis is in this blog and what you should do if you experience this condition. Firstly, let’s go into more detail about the causes of uveitis.

What causes uveitis?

Simply put, inflammation is the culprit when it comes the development of uveitis.

The condition has four ways it can affect the eye

Anterior uveitis

This inflammation affects the front part of the eye, known as the chamber.

Intermediate uveitis

This is where the middle part of the uvea is affected.

Posteria uveitis

Where the rear part of the uvea becomes inflamed.

Panuveitis

Where all parts of the eye are affected by inflammation.

Anterior uveitis is the most common out of them, and you’ll be glad to know the least threatening. The others we’ve listed in this blog however can be more threatening to your eye health.

Symptoms of uveitis

The symptoms of uveitis can include

  • – General pain in the eye, varies depending on where exactly the inflammation is within
  • – Reduced or blurry vision
  • – Dark spots appearing in the corners of your vision
  • – Red or watery eyes
  • – Light sensitivity
  • – Flashes on light

These will of course vary between MSers, both in intensity and the symptoms experienced. What’s important is that you make a note of anything new, whether you’ve been diagnosed or not so you can share your symptoms in detail with your healthcare professional.

What you need to make sure of

If you are experiencing symptoms of uveitis, it is important to make sure you’re being taken care of by a specialist. It’s a good idea to go for regular eye tests to catch the development of this condition early.

This is only one of the visual symptoms you can experience with MS and there are others. If you’d like to learn more click the button below to our recently revised for 2024 Visual symptoms Choices booklet which contains even more information about visual symptoms and MS!